PLANT TAXONOMY

The Algae
Many Algae live life as a
single cell, but some
are
Multicellular like the
seaweeds
Members of Kingdom
Protista
Primary producers of
aquatic ecosystems

ALGAE
RHODOPHYTA - RED ALGAE

ALGAE
CHLOROPHYTA - GREEN ALGAE

Chlorophyta is a division of green algae, informally called chlorophytes. It is composed of a

highly paraphyletic group green algae within the green plants and also includes about 7,000
species of mostly aquatic photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. Like the land plants
(bryophytes and tracheophytes), green algae contain chlorophylls a and b, and store food as
starch in their plastids.

Spirogyra
Watersilk
Float in masses at the
surface of quiet waters
Contain ribbon-shaped
chloroplasts
Each chloroplast contains
a pyrenoid
Pyrenoids contain
enzymes for starch
synthesis

ALGAE
PHAEOPHYTA
- BROWN ALGAE

Kelps

ALGAE separate group protist

Bacillariophyta (diatoms)

 Best known and economically

most important algae
Cold and warm waters
Fresh and marine
Damp cliffs, sides of
buildings, bark of trees,
bare soil
The cell resides inside a glass
box

Diatoms

Euglena

They live in fresh water

streams and ponds, and
are especially common
in warm seasons when
they may form a green
scum on the surfaces of
small ponds or drainage
ditches.
Euglenas have spindleshaped bodies, and
range in size from
1/1000 to 1/100 of an
inch (0.025 to 0.254
millimeter) long.

Volvox
Volvox is a colonial algae
It is a complete hollow ball of cells.
Note the smaller daughter colonies
that are beginning to form within the
parent body.
Each cell has 2 flagella which helps the
entire colony swim.

Examples of Mosses

Spore-producing capsule

spore
s

Characteristics of Mosses
.Simplest plants
.No true roots, No vascular tissues (no transport)
.Simple stems & leaves
.Have rhizoids for anchorage
.Spores from capsules (wind-dispersal)

.Damp terrestrial land

A leaf (finely
divided into
small parts)
undergroun
d stem
root

Characteristics of Ferns

.roots, feathery leaves & underground stems

.have vascular tissues (transport &
support)
.Spore-producing organ on the underside
of leaves (reproduction)
.Damp & shady places

needle-shaped leaves

Male cones
(in clusters)

Female cones
(scattered)

Characteristics of Gymnosperms
.tall evergreen trees

.roots, woody stems

.needle-shaped leaves
.vascular tissues (transport)
.cones with reproductive
structures
.naked seeds in female
cones
.dry places

. 2 groups

Flowering
Plants

Monocotyledons
.

Dicotyledons

roots, stems, leaves

. vascular tissues
(transport)
. flowers, fruits (contain seeds)

Gnetophyta

Welwitschia mirabilis grows only in the deserts of Namibia and Angola. This strange species
has only two large strap-like leaves that grow continuously from the base throughout the
plant's life.

Monocotyledons

Parallel veins

Characteristics of Monocotyledons
. one seed-leaf
. leaves have parallel veins
. herbaceous plants
. e.g. grass, maize

Dicotyledons
Veins in network

Characteristics of Dicotyledons
.

two seed-leaves

leaves have veins in network

e.g. trees, sunflower, rose