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Part 3:
Plant Classification
Basic Plant Anatomy
Grasses and sedges, forbs, and shrubs are very different groups
of plants but they share some common characteristics:
- Roots, which can represent up to half of
the total plant weight, are the below ground portions of the
plant. They function to anchor the plant in the soil, absorb
nutrients and water, support the stem, and store food made during
photosynthesis.
- The stem is the part of the plant that holds
it upright and provides support for the leaves. Stems contain
nodes where leaves attach and grow from, and internodes, or the
space between the leaves. Stems transport water, food (the products
of photosynthesis), and minerals. They can be hollow, solid,
round, triangular, and woody, depending on the plant. Some plants
spread (asexually reproduce without flowers) by sending out underground
stems called rhizomes or aboveground stems called stolons (these
are more common in grasses).
- The function of leaves is to manufacture
food from carbon dioxide and water, a process called photosynthesis.
Leaf arrangement, shape and venation can be used to identify
plants.
- The reproductive structures (flowers) are
specialized leaves that produce the pollen and eggs essential
for reproduction. For most plants (except grasses), they are
the most common character used to identify plant type. Flowers
of some plants are found in an inflorescence, or a group of flowers
formed on a single stem of the plant. Some stems only have one
flower so the term inflorescence does not apply.
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