PIants use sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to produce simple carbohydrates in the process of photosynthesis. Plants are the start of the food chain and, without them, all life on earth would cease to exist.
Plants can be classified into four broad groups:
1. Mosses are land plants known as bryophytes. They do not have seeds or flowers, instead using spores to reproduce.
2. Ferns or pteridophytes have a vascular system (xylem and phloem) and also reproduce via spores.
3. Conifers or gymnosperms produce no flowers or fruits, instead producing seeds that are contained within a cone.
4. Flowering plants or angiosperms produce seeds that are enclosed within an ovary (usually a fruit).
Plants exhibit a wide range of adaptations to enable them to survive in very different environments.
Did you know?
The world's oldest plant is thought to be 43,000 years old. The King's Holly (Lomatia tasmanica) is found in one remote location in Tasmania. Tasmania also has the tallest flowering trees in the world, the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans), which can grow to around 100 metres.
