3.3 PLANTS PLANT CLASSIFICATION According to modern scientific classification , all living things are divided into two kingdoms: and . make up the Plant Kingdom, a group whose members are today usually defined by: 1 Vegetabilia Animalia Vegetabilia the presence of green chloroplasts containing chlorophyll and carotinoid pigments; the ability to convert light, minerals and carbon dioxide into chemical energy, mainly contained in glucose. ONLINE RESOURCES Saffron: Abruzzo's red gold MORE In the 18th century, Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, created the binomial system: the first part of a Linnean name indicates the genus (group), while the second part gives the specific name (species), with both parts expressed in Latin: e.g. corn is classified as Zea (genus) mays (specific name). 1 Reproduction system The Plant Kingdom classifies plants into two groups according to their reproduction system: , also known as , like bacteria, algae, fungi and lichens, and spore bearing plants cryptogams liverworts ferns; , also known as . They are the largest group of plants and include: – (e.g. conifers, ginkgo), which have no flowers but seeds which are on cones, in or in – , flowering plants. seed bearing plants phanerogams gymnosperms cups fleshy coats; angiosperms Angiosperms The science of deals mainly with , which are divided into two major groups: crop farming angiosperms monocotyledons; dicotyledons. The differences start from the very beginning of the plant life cycle: the seed. Within the seed lies the plant embryo. Whereas monocots have one cotyledon , dicots have two. This small difference at the very start of the plant life cycle leads each plant to develop vast differences in four distinct structural features: leaves, roots and flowers . 2 stems, 1 MORE A cotyledon is an embryonic leaf, and it is the first leaf to appear once a seed has germinated. 2 DO Do you know what differences in leaves, stems, roots and flowers are present in monocots and dicots? 1 Plant life cycle A describes how long a plant lives or how long it takes to grow, flower and set seeds. According to this classification, plants can be: plant life cycle when they live and reproduce within one growing season (e.g. maize, zucchini, petunias); Annual, when they live for two growing seasons. They produce leaves one season, then go dormant over the winter. In spring they complete their life cycle leaving the seed on the ground to germinate and start the cycle again (e.g. cauliflower, celery, parsley); Biennial, when they live for many growing seasons and continue to reproduce (e.g. asparagus, thyme, roses). They include both: – , which lose their leaves during part of the year; – , which keep their leaves the entire year. Perennial, deciduous plants evergreen plants