Different Groups in the Plant Kingdom

Published by Keerthana
March 12, 2008, Category: Botany

Plants are the primary source of life. They consist of 21% so all living things on earth. Scientists have recorded at 3, 50,000 species of plants one this earth.

There are two main divisions of the plant kingdom. They are Eryptogams and Phanerogams.

The Eryptogams are lower plants which never bear flowers and or seeds. They are further divided into subgroups. The first is the Thallopyta. In this group the plant is not differentiated into root, stem and leaf. They are known as thalloid. Under this group come the algae, bacteria and fungi.

The second group is the Bryphota in which the plants maybe thalloid or may have leafy forms. They develop root like structures which are really not true roots. Under this group come the liverworts which are thalloid and the mosses which are leafy. The Pteridophyta are the highest group of cryptogams. They have a proper stem, root and leaves. They bear spores on their leaves which help in reproduction. An example of this kind is the fern.

The Phanerogams or Spermatophytes are the flowering or seed-bearing plants. They are the most advanced types of plants and are divided into two groups. The Gymnosperms are considered as the “lower” flowering plants.

Under this group come two categories that of the cyads and the conifers. The second group under the group phanerogams is known as the Angiosperms. They are considered “higher” flowering plants. In fact hey are the highest form of plants under which come the groups of dicotyledons and the monocotyledons.

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