3.3 PLANTS 66 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). A cotyledon is an embryonic leaf, and it is the first leaf to appear once a seed has germinated. Do you know what differences in leaves, stems, roots and flowers are present in monocots and dicots? ONLINE RESOURCES Saffron: Abruzzo's red gold PLANT CLASSIFICATION According to modern scientific classification , all living things are divided into two kingdoms: Vegetabilia and Animalia. Vegetabilia make up the Plant Kingdom, a group whose members are today usually defined by: 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. Reproduction system The Plant Kingdom classifies plants into two groups according to their reproduction system: spore bearing plants, also known as cryptogams, like bacteria, algae, fungi and lichens, liverworts and ferns; seed bearing plants, also known as phanerogams. They are the largest group of plants and include: gymnosperms (e.g. conifers, ginkgo), which have no flowers but seeds which are on cones, in cups or in fleshy coats; angiosperms, flowering plants. Angiosperms The science of crop farming deals mainly with angiosperms, which are divided into two major groups: 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, stems, roots and owers . Plant life cycle A plant life cycle describes how long a plant lives or how long it takes to grow, flower and set seeds. According to this classification, plants can be: Annual, when they live and reproduce within one growing season (e.g. maize, zucchini, petunias); Biennial, 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); Perennial, when they live for many growing seasons and continue to reproduce (e.g. asparagus, thyme, roses). They include both: deciduous plants, which lose their leaves during part of the year; evergreen plants, which keep their leaves the entire year. crop farming: agricoltura cup: calice fern: felce 136 fleshy coat: involucro carnoso genus: genere liverwort: epatica stem: stelo