• Early Plants
• Probably evolved from algae
• Vascular Plants- internal tubes and vessels used to transport water and nutrients.

Ex: ferns, oak trees, roses

• 1 st w/o seeds (ex: ferns)
• Seeds and flowers eventually evolved
• seed- specialized structure that develops from the fertilized egg of plants, has a plant embryo inside a harsh shell.
• some have stickers, feathery wings.
• Nonvascular Plants- 1 st plants
• Use osmosis and diffusion to transport water & nutrients
• usually small
• anchored by rhizoids

ex: Moss

• Angiosperms- plants that have flowers
• Plant Characteristics
• Plants are multicellular, eukaryotes, w/cell walls, autotrophs.
• Plant cells have cell walls, chloroplasts
• Perform photosynthesis
• Plant tissues- groups of cells similar in structure and arranged to perform a specialized function.
• dermal tissue- outer layer
• xylem- transports water and minerals
• Phloem- transports sugars
• ground tissue- all the remaining cells
• Structure of Plants
• Leaves
• photosynthesis- process where sunlight is used to make food.
• Leaf Structures-
• blade- largest part
• veins- tubelike structures that carry water and nutrients
• petiole- short stalk attached to leaf
• simple vs. compound-
• simple- one blade
• compound- 2 or more small blades; can be either pinnate or palmate.
• pinnate are like feathers
• palmate all radiate from a central point
• Stems- support leaves and flowers, transport water and nutrients
• leaves attach themselves to stems at locations called nodes.
• Roots- portion below the soil
• root tip is where water and minerals are absorbed.
• Two common types of roots
• taproot- large central root with smaller side roots
• fibrous root- clump of threadlike roots.
• Flowers, Seeds & Fruits
• flower- reproductive organ of a flowering plant
• pollination- process of transporting pollen from male to female flower parts.
• Seed- reproductive structure consisting of plant embryo and its food
• fruit- house seeds and help move them to new places.