How do botanists classify trees

Carl Linnaeus to , a Swede who taught at the prestigious University of Uppsala, laid the foundation for a system that is used for classifying organisms on the basis of shared physical characteristics. He published the results of his work in his 12 editions of Systema Naturae, one of the milestone documents in the history of the biological sciences. His basic system, continually expanded and modified, is perhaps the one most commonly used today.

Within each of the broad categories, the scientists place organisms into a hierarchy of groupings. At each hierarchal level, from phyla to genera, the scientists group organisms with increasingly closely shared characteristics.

At the final level, species, the organisms all have very similar characteristics. Conceptually, kingdoms comprise groups of phyla or divisions ; phyla or divisions include groups of classes; classes, groups of orders; orders, groups of families; families, groups of genera; and genera, groups of species. In accordance with the practice established by Linnaeus, scientists call a species by the name of the genus singular of genera , capitalized, and the species, uncapitalized.

For instance, the Mojave yucca carries the scientific name Yucca schidigera; the Joshua tree yucca, Yucca brevifolia; the soaptree yucca, Yucca elata; and the Torrey yucca, Yucca torreyi. All these plants belong to the same genera, the yucca, and each has its own species name.

Taxonomists, at least in the traditional Linnaeus method for classifying plants, separate the plantae kingdom into four major groups, or divisions, including: mosses and liverworts, which have no proper root systems; ferns, which have proper roots and produce spores specialized reproductive cells rather than conventional seeds ; coniferous trees, which have root systems and needle-shaped leaves and cones; and flowering plants, which have root systems and flowers that produce seeds.

The dominant division in many biomes that is, biotic communities, for instance, our deserts , with a quarter of a million species, is that of the flowering plants. Typically, its leaves have parallel veins, and its stems have vascular bundles the water-conducting vessels that occur in a random pattern in cross section. It produces flowers with petals that occur in multiples of four or five.

Its leaves have network veins. Its stems have vascular bundles that occur in a concentric ring pattern in cross section. See the life cycle of Pteridophytes in detail here. Pteridophyte Examples Salvinia Natans. Gymnosperms [6] , as compared with other plant phyla, include the tallest, the thickest, and the oldest living plants. They are widely distributed in the planet but dominate the temperate and arctic regions.

Members of this phylum include pines, hemlocks, firs, and spruces, which all are characterized by having wood, and green needle-like or scale-like foliage. Gymnosperms are considered to be heterosporous. This means that they produce two distinct types of cones for the male and female. Usually, male cones are smaller as compared to the large cone of the female.

In relation to what was alluded above, gymnosperms are good sources of wood and paper. Aside from that, they provide food and habitat for animals, and in return, these animals become important in the dispersal of their propagules. Gymnosperm Examples Giant Sequioa Tree. Sago Palm. Maidenhair Tree. Angiosperms [8] , also referred to as the flowering plants, are the most diverse plant phylum with at least , living plant species.

Angiosperms display a vast diversity of plants as they include trees, herbs, shrubs, bulbs, epiphytes parasitic plants , and plants living in both marine and freshwater habitats. The largest families in this phylum are the Orchidaceae family of orchids , Asteraceae family of daisies , and Fabaceae family of legumes. Refer to life cycle of angiosperms in detail here. The oldest known angiosperms were a group of plants known as the magnoliids , which are composed of small inconspicuous flowering plants.

Scientists think that this group gave rise to the monocots and eudicots. Because of their many types, angiosperms offer a wide variety of uses for animals, especially humans. Most angiosperms are good sources of food, medicine, clothing fibers, and wood. Check out 25 most beautiful purple flowers and their classifications. Talk about how scientists generally conduct classification of plants using physical similarities and dissimilarities to distinguish species from one another. Talk about why classification is important.

The following are some suggested reasons: It helps us remember different plants i. For example, if all female mammals produce milk for babies, then females in a new mammal species should also have the ability to produce milk.

Note: This is dependent on the nature and environment of the school, so the teacher should make adjustments as necessary. For example, the parts could include the school garden, courtyard, cafeteria, the classroom, etc.

Encourage the students to find as many plants as they can and then draw them on their note cards. They can also draw food that they see, such as lettuce, spinach, or various fruits. This would be more appropriate for students assigned to indoors areas. Each group should keep its plant cards or the teacher can collect them for use later in the lesson. Go over the way plants are classified by scientists refer to the hierarchy chart in the Background section of this lesson plan. Have the students get into their scavenger groups again and put each plant card into a category or multiple categories.

This is the cultivar name , which follows the species name in single quotes. Cultivar refers to a "cultivated variety" of a species that has been deliberately selected by breeders for one or more specific, desirable characteristics that are retained when the plant is propagated in a way that will maintain those characteristics.

Cultivars, which originate through selection by humans, are distinguished from naturally occurring botanical varieties. However, the general term "variety" is often loosely used when "cultivar" is the more accurate term.

What all this means to a gardener is that all plants of a particular cultivar can be counted on to have the same unique set of characteristics. All 'Yukon Gold' potatoes will have yellow skin and flesh, whereas the cultivar 'Caribe' will produce white-fleshed potatoes with bluish-purple skins. This indicates that the plant is a hybrid, a plant that is the result of a cross between different species or cultivars. Some hybrids occur naturally, while others are the result of intentional crossing by plant breeders to produce plants with specific traits.

Especially with ornamental plants, you may see plants called by yet another name, usually one with lots of marketing appeal. But if you look at the fine print on the tag, you'll see the name Hydrangea macrophylla 'Bailmer' PP 15,