NONFLOWERING PLANTS
They are the smallest group. They never produce flowers or seeds. They reproduce with spores. When the right conditions exist, spores germinate and create a new plant. Examples are mosses and ferns.
Mosses are very short plants with tiny stem, leaf and root structures. They live on rocks, on tree trunks, and on the ground. Moss spores are produced in a capsule at the end of a filament.
Ferns are much larger than mosses. They have thick, underground stems and large leaves. Fern spores form on the underside of the leaves.
Nonflowering plants grow in dark, humid forests.
Here is a picture of Iguazú Falls in Argentina where you can see mosses and ferns.
FLOWERING PLANTS
They form the most numerous, diverse plant group. They produce flowers and seeds to reproduce. They can be classified into two groups:
Gymnosperms
They have small, simple flowers without a corola or calyx. They do not produce fruit. The seeds are grouped together in cones.
Most gymnosperms are trees that have leaves all year. As a result, they are called evergreens. Cypress trees, pines and firs are gymnosperms.
In this photograph you can see a cypress forest in Chubut, Patagonia, Argentina.
Angiosperms
They have large, beautiful flowers. They produce seeds and fruit.
This is the largest plant group. It includes trees, bushes and grasses. Chestnut trees, thyme, and poppies are angiosperms. Angiosperms that lose all their leaves in autumn are called deciduous plants.
Here is a photo of ceibo trees, with their beautiful red flowers.
Did you know that ceibo's flower is Argentina's national flower?
No comments:
Post a Comment