Classifying Ornamental

Plants
Suppose you were walking through the
woods and stumbled upon an unusual
plant. What would you call it? Would
you know how to classify it? Could
you identify its characteristics? These
are questions many taxonomists
ponder when labeling a new plant.
 Take a couple of minutes and list as many
plants as you possibly can. Let’s classify
them as deciduous (loose their leaves) or
coniferous (remain as evergreens).
 Now list as many animals as you can. Can
you classify them as birds, reptiles,
amphibians, insects, fish, or mammals?

 Why do you know more about animals?

 Student Learning Objectives
 1. Describe the system used for
naming and classifying plants
 2. Identify the major groups of plants

 3. Describe the differences between

annuals, biennials and perennials
 4. Understand how this information is
important to the Horticultural industry
 Terms to Know
 Angiosperm  Evergreen
 Annuals  Ferns
 Biennials  Genus
 Binomial nomenclature  Gymnosperms
 Bryophytes  Herbaceous
 Conifer  Monocots
 Cotyledons  Perennials
 Deciduous  Species
 Dicots  Woody
 How Are Plants Named and
Classified?
 Plants are classified by the similarities
of their characteristics.
– Taxonomists compare flower patterns,
stem and leaf structures, life cycles,
genetic similarities and many other
characteristics.
 They are then grouped in specific
categories, or taxas:
Categories/Taxas Example*

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum (Division) Magnoliophyta
Class Liliopsida
Order Cyperales
Family Poaceae
Genus Triticum
Species aestivum

*Sample classification of bread wheat

 Botanists call plants by their last two
taxas – genus and species
– This system is known as binomial
nomenclature (two-word naming system)
– Developed by Carl Linnaeus
– Uses Latin for three reasons:
 Universal(known by all scientists)
 Very descriptive

 Unchanged (contains no slang words)

– Genus is capitalized; Species lower case

 Ex. Triticum aestivum
 Cultivars
 In the Horticulture
industry, we usually
use cultivar names
as well. Ex;
 Malus domestica
‘Fuji’
 Picea pungens
‘Procumbens'
What Are Some Ways That We Can
Put Plants Into Groups?
 Plants live in a variety of climates and
niches
 The adaptations that plants have made
to survive in different climates allows
for them to be classified into one of
four major groups:
– Bryophytes, Ferns, Gymnosperms and
Angiosperms
Bryophytes
 Belong to the phylum
Bryophyta
Liverwort
 Non-vascular plants
– No conducting tissues
 Live in damp places
 Limited in size due to
lack of conducting
tissue
 Ex. Mosses and
Moss
liverworts
Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers
 Ferns
Ferns in the
forest  Vascular plants
 Reproduce by
spores
 Have no true
Fiddleheads
leaves; 0nly fronds
 Fronds produce
food and spores
Spores on  New fronds called
underside of fiddleheads
frond

Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers

 Gymnosperms
 Reproduce with seeds
found in cones Coniferous
evergreen –
 Also known as a conifer
Pinus
 Leaves reduced to scales or contorta
needles
 Most are evergreen – hold
on to their green color year
round
– Ex. Pines, spruce, cedar Deciduous
conifer –
 Some can be deciduous-
lose their leaves Ginkgo
– Ex. Ginkgo, larch biloba

Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers

 Angiosperms

 Plants that reproduce by flowers

 There are two types: monocotyledons
(monocots) & dicotyledons (dicots)
 A cotyledon is a food storage structure in
the seed.
– Monocots have a single cotyledon
 Ex. Grasses, corn and lilies
– Dicots have two cotyledons
 Ex. Roses, petunias and geraniums, beans
 Angiosperms - Monocot
 Have flower parts
(sepals, petals, stamens,
pistils) in multiples of
three
– 3, 6, 9…
 Parallel venation
within the leaves
 Stems with scattered
vascular bundles
Orchid – Paphiopedilum curtisii  Narrow leaves
 Fibrous root system
Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers
Angiosperms - Dicot
 Flower parts are in
multiples of 4’s or
5’s
– 4,12,16 or 5, 10, 15
 Netted veins
 Vascular bundles
are in rings around
the stem Hibiscus sp.
 Have broad leaves
 Taproot system
Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers
Monocot vs. Dicot

Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers

Monocot vs. Dicot
 Why is distinguishing between
monocots and dicots important in
landscape maintenance?
Stem Cross Section
What Is the Difference Between
Annuals, Biennials and
Perennials?
 Plants are often classified based on
their life cycles
 Even though gymnosperms and
angiosperms reproduce by seed, there
are different strategies for passing the
seeds on to future generations
 Annuals
Corn – Zea mays
 Plants grow from seed,
flower, produce new
seeds all in one
season
 It dies after producing
new seeds
 Have an herbaceous
stem – green & fleshy
– Ex. Impatiens, corn,
snapdragons

See life cycle

Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers
Biennials Foxglove – Digitals purpurea

 Plants that live for

two years, then
flower and die
 Food is produced
during the first year,
flowers the second
year
– Ex. Foxglove,
carrot, queen
Anne’s lace

See life cycle

Courtesy of Wm. C. Brown Publishers
 Perennials
 Plants that live for
three or more years
 Flower for a short time
 Do not die after
flowering
 Can be herbaceous or
woody – having thick
stems made of wood
Bristlecone pine – Pinus – Ex. Tulips, Kentucky
longaeva bluegrass, trees and
shrubs

See life cycle

Back to Annuals

Germination----Growth---Flowering----Death

Back to Perennials

Germination---- Growth---Flowering----Dormancy
One or more flowering cycles
Back to Biennials

Germination---Growth---Dormancy---Growth---Flowering---Death
Season 1 Season 2
Courtesy of Interstate Publishing
 Summary
 What is the difference between an
angiosperm and a gymnosperm?
 How is a monocot different from a
dicot?
 Are evergreens herbaceous or woody
plants?
 How would you classify the grass
found outside on the lawn?
 Summary Cont.
 What makes up the scientific name of a
plant?
 Why are scientific names written in Latin?
 In what group would you find mosses?
Describe their habitat.
 Describe the life cycle of a perennial.
 Name all 7 taxas in the classification
system.
 Summary Cont.
 Can I spray Weed-b-gon on a lawn?
 Can I spray Grass-b-gon on day lilies?

 Could I spray Weed-b-gon on my

vegetable garden?
 What is the downside to including
biennials in a perennial flower garden?
 What are some practical classifications
I might want to give landscape plants?