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LESSON 2: PLANT CLASSIFICATION
LEVEL ONE
Nowyouhaveitfirmlyinyourmindthataplantisanorganismthatusestheprocessofphotosynthesis.However,there’sonemorelittletechnicalityaboutqualifyingasaplant.Youhavetohavemorethanonecell.Thatmaysoundobvious,butdidyouknowthattherearelotsofone-celledorganismsthatusephotosynthesis?Forexample,somekindsofbacteriausephotosynthesis.Therearealsosometypesofone-celledprotozoathatusephotosynthesis,suchastheeuglenaandthevolvox.Sotobeaplant,youcan’tbeabacteriaoraprotozoa.Youmustbemadeofmanycells. Theplant“kingdom”ishuge.Therearemillionsofdifferenttypesofplants.Scientistswhostudyplants(botanists)liketosortthemintocategories(classifythem).Withoutawaytoputplantsintocategories,botanistswouldfeelliketheirfieldofsciencewasincrediblydisorganized.They’dfeelthewayyou’dfeelifyouwokeuponemorningtodiscoverthatsomeonehadgatheredupalltheitemsinyourhouse,thenrandomlydistributedthemintostorageareas.Ifyouopenedadresserdraweryou’dfindarandomassortmentofobjects—aflashlight,aspoon,amarble,acoupleoftoys,apencil,abook,abattery,aplate,atoothbrushandmaybeasock.Openaclosetandyou’dfindatennisracket,astackofbooks,apairofjeans,aradio,aflowerpot,aguitar,atoycar,astuffedanimal...yougettheidea.Nowifyouwantedtogetdressedandneededashirtandapairofpants,wherewouldyoulookforthem?Howlongwouldittaketofindaparticulartoyorbook?Waytoolong!That’swhyweorganizeourhouses,puttingallthesimilarobjectstogether.Ifyouwantafryingpan,youknowtogotothekitchen.Ifyouwanttoplaytennis,youknowyourracketwillbeinthegaragewiththesportsgear.Botanistsfeelthesamewayaboutorganizingplantsintocategories.(Okay,sothey’resciencegeeks.)Hereisthewaybotanistsorganizetheplantkingdom.
You can look back at this chart whenever you get confused by terms like “vascular” or “gymnosperm.”
PLANTS
VASCULAR PLANTS NON-VASCULAR PLANTS
SEEDLESS PLANTS PLANTS WITH SEEDS
Examples:-mosses-liverworts
Examples:-ferns-“horsetails”-clubmosses GYMNOSPERMS ANGIOSPERMS
DICOTS MONOCOTS
Examples:-pinetrees-firtrees
Examples:-grasses-lilies-palmtree-gingkotrees-tulips-daffodils
Examples:-flowers-vegetables-deciduoustrees
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OneofthefirstscientiststotackletheproblemofclassificationwasamannamedCarlLinnaeus.CarlgrewupinSwedenintheearly1700sandhadlovedplantssincehewasasmallchild.Whenhewaslearningtotalkhewantedtoknowallthenamesoftheplantsinhisfather’sgarden.Carl’sfatherlovedplants,too.Infact,hechangedthefamily’slastnamefromIngermarrson,whichmeans“farmer’sson,”toLinnaeus,inhonorofalargelindentreewhichgrewneartheirhouse.WhenCarlwasseventeen,helefthometobeginhisuniversitystudies.Backinthosedays,universitystudentsoftenhadpeoplecalled“patrons”whogavethemmoneywhiletheywereinschool.Carlwasverygoodatgettingpatronswhowereinterestedinsupportinghisstudies.Unfortunately,however,assoonashefoundabetterpatronhedroppedthepreviousone.Hemademanyfriendsandmanyenemiesthisway.Boththefriendsandtheenemieswillcomebackintothestorylateron. Evenwithpatrons,Carlneverhadalotofmoneyandwasalwaysworryingabouthowtomakeendsmeet.Hisfrettingaboutmoneycameoutinahumorouswayonedaywhenhesaidthis:“MyhairstandsonendandlicebiteatitsrootswhenIlookatthepricesinthiscatalog!”
Carlwasaverygoodscientist,though.Hemademanydiscoveriesaboutthelifecyclesofplants,especiallytheimportanceofflowers.Untilthen,nooneknewthatflowershavemaleandfemaleparts.Evenbeforehehadgraduatedfromtheuniversity,Carlwasbeingaskedtogivelecturesonplants.Beforehewas30yearsold,hehadpublishedseveralbooksonplants. BackinCarl’stime,botanistsandnaturalistswereexpectedtogoonlongjourneystocollectspecimensfortheirstudies.CarlwenttoLapland(Finland)andhatedeverybitofthetrip.Hecomplainedaboutbadweather,badfood,badtravelconditionsand(worstofall)...bugs!Hehatedbugs.DuringthistripsomeonetoldCarlaboutaveryinterestingplaceinLaplandthathereallyshouldsee.Carlagreeditwouldbeafantasticadditiontohisitinerary(listofplaceshewent).Theonlyproblemwasthatthisareawas300milesinland,whichmeantseveralmoreweeksofbadweather,badfood,badtravel
conditions,andbugs.SoCarljustimaginedwhatitwouldhavebeenliketogothereandwroteaboutitinhisjournal,fakingthedetails! Atsomepointinhisstudies,Carlrealizedthatbotanistsneededasystemofnamingplants,asystemthatwouldberecognizedallovertheworld.Carlnoticedthatsomeplantshadverysimple,commonnameslike“whiteoak,”andotherplantswereknownbycomplicatedLatinnamessuchas(justtrytosaythisinonebreath) physakis amno ramosissime ramis angulosis glabris foliss dentoserratis.Carlsuggestedthateachplantshouldhaveatwo-wordLatinname,justlikepeoplehavefirstandlastnames.Latinwasbestforthisbecauseitwasalreadyusedbyscientistsallovertheworld,andbecauseitwasa“dead”language(nooneactuallyspokeitastheirreallanguage)soitwouldn’tchangeovertime.Thismethodofnamingplants(andanimals)wouldbecalled binomial nomenclature,whichisafancywayofsaying“thetwo-namenamingsystem”(bi=two,nom=name,nomen=name,clature=call). Carlwouldthinkupanameforagroupofplants(whatwenowcallthegenus),thenmakeupanameforeachspecificmemberofthatgroup(whatwenowcallspecies).Forexample,thegroupoftreesweknowasoakshavethegenusnameQuercus (kwer-kus).ThewhiteoakisQuercus alba,thegrayoakisQuercus grisea,andtheleatheroakisQuercus durata.Thegroupofplantswecall
Thetitlepagefroma1760editionofCarl’sbook Systema Naturae.
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thehoneysucklesaretheLonicera (lon-i-sare-uh).TheyellowhoneysuckleistheLonicera implexa andthesweethoneysuckleistheLonicera japonica.(Noticethatthenamesarewritteninitalicsandonlythegenusiscapitalized.) Nowthosefriendsandenemiescomebackintothestory.Carlhadtocomeupwithalotofnewplantnames,andoftenhewouldusethenamesofpeopleheknew.SomeoneoncesaidthatyoucouldmakealistofCarl’sfriendsandenemiesbylookingatalistofplantshehadnamed.PlantsthatwereattractiveorusefulborethenamesofpeopleCarladmired.Plantsthatwerepricklyoruglywereusedasawaytogetjustatinybitofrevengeonfolkshehadn’tgottenalongwith.Forinstance,CarlnamedaspeciesofunpleasantweedsSiegesbeckia,afterJohannSiegesbeck,thedirectorofaRussianbotanicalgardenwhohadgivenCarlahardtimeabouthisbooks—hethoughtCarlhadtalkedtoomuchaboutthe“lovelife”offlowers.The“black-eyedSusan”(aflowerwithadarkcenterandyellowpetals)wasnamedafterarealpersonnamedSusan,awomanCarladmired.Thesheeplaurel,withitsbeautifulbunchesofredorpurpleflowers,wasnamedKalmia augustifolia,afterPeterKalm,oneofCarl’sbotanicalstudents.TheLonicera(honeysuckle)wasnamedafterAdamLonicer,aGermandoctorofthe1500swhostudiedplantsandusedherbalmedicines. Eventually,Carl’snamingsystemwasadoptedbyallscientistseverywhereintheworld.Itbecamemoreandmorecomplexasmorepeoplestartedaddingtheirideastoit.Today,therearesevenbasiclevelsinthenamingsystem: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.However,oftenextrasubdivisionsandsub-categoriesareadded.And,aswewarnedyou,notallscientistsusethesamedivisions.Forexample,herearetwowaystolistthefullclassificationofthewhiteoak.Youcoulduseeitheroneandbecorrect:
Kingdom:Plants(or“Plantae”) Kingdom:PlantsDivision:Angiosperms Subkingdom:Tracheobionta(vascularplants)Sub-division:Dicots Superdivision:Spermatophyta(seedplants)Sub-division:Rosids Division:Magnoliophyta(floweringplants)Order:Fagales Class:Magnoliopsida(dicots)Family:Fagaceae Order:FagalesGenus:Quercus Family:FagaceaeSpecies: alba Genus:Quercus Species:alba
Asifthesedifficultwordsweren’tenough,otherreferencesitesaddthecategories“Euphyllophyta”and“Fabids”totheselists!Aswesaid,thereisn’tasingle“correct”waytoclassifyplants.You’llgetaslightlydifferentlistfromeachbookorwebsiteyouconsult.However,itisstillagoodideatoknowthebasicsevencategories:kingdom,phylum,class,order,family,genus,species.Thesewordscomeupofteninmanybranchesofscienceandit’sgoodtobefamiliarwiththem. ACTIVITY 1: LEARN THE CLASSIFICATION SONG
Thesoundtrackforthissongcanbeaccessedbygoingtowww.ellenjmchenry.com andthenclickingontheMUSICtab.
Kingdom, phylum, (clap, clap),class, order, (clap, clap), family, (clap, clap),genus, species, (clap, clap).Kingdom, phylum, (clap, clap),class, order, (clap, clap), family, (clap, clap),genus, species, (clap, clap).Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species!Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species!REPEAT
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ACTIVITY 2: PLANTS NAMED AFTER PEOPLE
Someplantswerenamedafterpeople—eitherthescientistwhodiscoveredtheplant,orafriendorfamilymemberofthescientist.Seeifyoucanguessthelastnameofthepersonforwhomtheseoakwerenamed.(We’llonlydoafewofthesebecausethey’reprettymuchno-brainers!)
1) Quercus muehlenbergii ___________________ 2) Quercus engelmannii ___________________3) Quercus michauxii _____________________ 4) Quercus kelloggii __________________
ACTIVITY 3: USE YOUR “WORD DETECTIVE” SKILLS
Seeifyoucanmatchthescientificnameswiththecommonnames.Allyouneedtodoisuse“worddetective”skills.Thinkofwordsyouknowthatlookorsoundlikethescientificnames.Startwiththematchesthatareeasiest.
1) Daucus carota_____ A)Orientalpoppy2) Solanum tuberosum_____ B)Cembrianpine3) Pinus cembra_____ C)Carrot4) Acer saccharum_____ D)Empresstree5) Juglans nigra_____ E)Primrose6) Citrus sinensis_____ F)Orange7)Sophara japonica _____ G)Potato8) Primula vulgaris_____ H)Sugarmaple9) Papaver orientale _____ I)Blackwalnut10)Paulownia imperialis_____ J)Pagodatree
ACTIVITY 4: HAVE SOME FUN WITH SCIENTIFIC LATIN
What?FunwithLatin?!Sure,whynot?Usesomemade-upLatinwordstoclassifyyourself.Usethisguide:
Kingdom:country Family:neighborhoodorstreetPhylum:state Genus:lastnameClass:county Species:firstnameOrder:city/town
UsesomeclassicLatinendingssuchas -us -um -ae -ica -ii -iusExample: Americanus Pennsylvanicus Alleghenus Pittsburghae Avalonica Smithus Jamesii (WeknowhimasJimSmithfromPittsburgh,PA.)
Your(silly)Latinscientificname:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nowmakeuponeforsomeoneelse:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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LEVELTWO
NoteveryoneimmediatelyadoptedLinnaeus’newnamingsystem.Somebotanistsresistedchange,evenifitwasforthebetter.That’sjusthowsomepeopleare.AbotanistnamedJohannDilleniusaccusedLinnaeusof“throwingallbotanyintoconfusion.”However,whenDilleniuswenttoseeLinnaeusandletLinnaeusexplaintheadvantagesofthisnewsystem,Dilleniusrealizedhowingeniousthissystemwas.Infact,hegotsoemotionaloveritthathealmostcried(orsothestorygoes).Onebyone,botanistscametoseehowsuperiorthisnewsystemwasandeventuallytheyallbeganusingit. TheworkofCarlLinnaeuswasonlythebeginning.SinceCarl’stime,manyorganizedmindshaveaddedtotheclassificationsystem.Asfarasweknow,allknownplantsandanimalsonEarthhavebeennamedandclassified.(However,therearesomedisagreementsamongscientistsaboutcertainspeciesorsub-speciesbecausetheydon’tfitperfectlyintothissystem.)Assoonasanynewplantoranimalisdiscovered,itiscomparedtoallsimilarorganismssoitcanbeputintoakingdom,phylum,class,order,familyandgenus.Thenthediscoverergetstochooseaspeciesnameforit.AllthesewordsmustbeinLatinandmusthavecorrectendings,suchas“ius,”“ium,”“ae,”or“ii.”(Theending“ii”means“of.”So jamesiiwouldmean“ofJames.”) Kingdomisthemostgeneralcategory.Therearebasicallyfivekingdoms:plants,animals,fungi,monerans(bacteria),andprotists(single-celledprotozoa).SometimesscientistsliketogetallfancywiththenamesofthekingdomsanduseLatinendings,makingtheanimalkingdomAnimalia andtheplantkingdomPlantae.Withineachkingdomarelargegroupscalled phyla(onephylum,twophyla).Nowjusttomakeeveryone’slifedifficult,botanistsdecidedthatthey’drathercalledthephyladivisions.Sodon’tbeconfusedwhenyouseetheword“division.”Justthink“phyla.”(Thatwaytheclassificationsongwillstillmakesensefortheplantkingdom.) Themajorplantdivisionsincludebryophytes(mossesandsomealgae),pteridophytes (ferns)(andthatinitial“p”issilent),coniferophytes(conifers),andanthophytes (floweringplants).Now,youmaywanttoknowwhyweshowedyouthatchartonpage15ifitdoesn’tmatchupwiththesedivisions.Well...thatchartisstillvalidbecausesciencebooksstillusethosecategorieswhentalkingabouttheplantkingdom.Theworldofscienceterminologyissometimesconfusingbecauseithasevolvedoverhundredsofyears.Andtomakethingsworse,scientistssometimesdisagreeaboutterminologyorcategories.Thechartonpage15isstillveryhelpful,eventhoughitdoesn’tgiveLatinnamesofdivisions.Itgivesyouagoodoverallsenseofhowbotaniststhinkabouttheplantkingdom. Theclasses,orders,andfamiliesofplantsaretheleastwell-knowntermsamongnon-botanists.(YoucanalwayslookthemupontheInternet.)Youcanprobablyguessthatcertaintypesofplantsaregroupedtogether,suchasgrasses,cacti,squashes,orgardenflowers.Hobbygardenersprobablyknowmoregenusandspeciesnames(suchasQuercus albaforthewhiteoak)thantheydoclasses,ordersorfamilies. Everyscientificname,nomatterhowboringitsounds,hasastorybehindhowitgotitsname.Someofthesestoriesareshortandnottoointeresting.Othershavequiteabitofhistorybehindthem.Herearesomeofthemoreinterestingstories:
TheweepingwillowisSalix babylonica.AllwillowsareSalix,buttheweepingwillowisbabylonicaasareferencetoPsalm137intheBible,whereitsays,“BythewatersofBabylonwesatdownandwept.Wehungourharpsonthewillowtreesthere.”TheIsraelitesweretakencaptivebytheBabyloniansin582B.C.andforcedtoliveouttherestoftheirlivesinBabylon,farfromtheirhomeland.
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ThePhlox drummondiiwasnamedafterThomasDrummond,aScottishbotanistwhocametoAmericain1831tostudyandcollectplants.PoorThomashadareallybadtimeinAmerica.Hetriedtosurviveanorthwestwinteraloneinthewildernessandalmostdidn’tmakeit.Hewasattackedbygrizzlybearsandthenalmoststarvedtodeath,spendingweekschewingonnothingbutanolddeerskin.Later,hesurvivedacholeraepidemic,losttheuseofhisarmsfortwomonths,
andhadboils(sores)alloverhisbodythatweresoseverehecouldn’tliedown.HewentsouthtoTexasandalmoststarvedtodeathagainwhilestrandedonGalvestonIsland.HefinallydiedduringavoyagetoCuba.Wheneverhefoundanewplant,hewouldsendspecimensbackhometobotanistsheknewinBritain.ThelastplantThomassentoverbeforehediedwasaspeciesofwhitephlox,andhisfriendsdecideditshouldbenamedinhishonor.(Theworld“phlox”isGreekfor“flame,”namedforitsfieryredcolor.)
Thenasturtium(na-stur-shum)comesfromtheLatinword“nasus”meaning“nose,”and“tortus”meaning“twisted.”Whenyousmellanasturtiumyouwrinkle(twist)yournosebecauseofthestrongsmell.ThescientificnamefornasturtiumisTropaeolum,fromtheGreekword“tropaion”meaning“trophy.”TheleavesofthenasturtiumremindedLinnaeusofGreekshields.InancientGreece,thesoldierswouldhangtheshieldsandhelmetsofthedefeatedenemiesontreetrunks.WhenLinnaeussawanasturtiumvinegrowingupthesideofatree,theleavesandflowersremindedhimofancientGreekshieldsandhelmetshungontrees.
Themarigoldcomesfromthephrase“Mary’sgold”andwastheofficialfloweroftheVirginMaryinmedievaltimes.Churchaltarsweredecoratedwithmarigoldsalmostyear-round.Nowfortheironictwist--wegofromtheheavenlytotheearthly.ThescientificnameforthemarigoldisTagetes patula,andLinnaeusistoblameforthisone.TageswasthegrandsonoftheRomangod,Jupiter.Tageswasagodoftheunderworldwhocameupoutofthedirtinafieldonedayandtaughthumansthefineartoffortune-tellingbyexaminingtheintestinesofanimals.Nokidding.TheRomansandGreekswouldkillananimalandlookatitsgutsbeforemakingmajordecisions.WasthisLinneaus’ideaofajoke?Ormaybehethoughtmarigoldssmelledasbadasanimalintestines?Nooneknows.(Patulajustmeans“spreading.”Marigoldsdospreadoutquicklyandgrowtobequitelarge.)
ThescientificnameforthebutterflybushisBuddleia davidii,namedafterRev.AdamBuddleofEssex,England,andPère(Father)ArmandDavid,aFrenchJesuitmissionarytoChina.Rev.BuddlewasjustaniceamateurbotanistwhomLinneausapparentlyliked(andwhowasanexpertonmosses,notbushes),butPèreDavidwasanotheroneofthosecrazy,adventuresomebotanistswhobravedcountlesshardshipsinordertocollectplants.Davidrecordedinhisdiarythat“althoughitwasinconvenient,”hewassoafraidofthelocalwolvesthathekepthisdonkeywithhiminhistentatnight.Healsosaidittookgreatcouragetoeatthelocalfood.Davidwaslucky,however,andlivedlongenoughtoreturntoFrance.SomeofhisJesuitfriendswerenotsolucky—theyweretorturedandkilledbythenatives.PèreDavidmanagedtosendthousandsofChineseplantsbacktoEurope,manyofwhicharecommonsightsnowinbothEuropeandNorthAmerica.
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ThisspectacularwaterlilyisVictoria amazonica,althoughthenamehasbeenchangedseveraltimes.WhenitwasfirstbroughttoEnglandfromtheAmazon,aflowerwaspresentedtoQueenVictoriaandshewastoldtheflowerwouldbenamedVictoria regina (“Victoriathequeen”)inherhonor.But,oops—abitlatertheyfoundoutthatsomeonehadalreadydiscovereditandnamedittenyearsearlier.Nowwhatdoyoutellthequeen?Thentheydidevenmoreresearchanddiscoveredthatthetwoplantswerenotidentical,sotheycouldstillkeepthenameofthequeen,butbythentheythoughttheyreallyshouldmakesomereferencetotheplace
theflowercamefrom—theAmazon.However,atthattimeanythingassociatedwiththeAmazonwasconsideredtobeuncivilized,soputtingthequeen’snamenexttotheword“amazon”wouldhavebeenunseemly.SothesolutiontheycameupwithwastogoaheadandchangethenameoftheplanttoVictoria amazonicabutjustkeepthetruenameasecretuntilafterthequeendied.
Thesunflower’sbotanicalnameisHelianthus,fromtheGreekwords“helios,”meaning“sun,”and“anthos”meaning“flower.”There’sareasonforthisname:theseflowersturnsothattheyarealwaysfacingthesun!TheGreekmythassociatedwiththisplantisthatofClytie,themortalwhowasinlovewiththeTitangodHelios,whohadbeenraisedtotheskyandturnedintothesun.HeliosneverevennoticedpoorClytie.(Butdon’tfeeltoobadforher;whenshefoundoutthatHelioslovedhersister,sheburiedhersisteralive!)ThesunflowerisnativetoAmerica,notEurope,sotheancientGreeksneversawthisplant.Howthismythbecameattachedtothisflowerisamystery.
ACTIVITY 1: MATCH THE PLANT NAME WITH ITS ORIGIN
1)Clematis____
2)Impatiens____
3)Chrysanthemum____
4)Foxglove____
5)Geranium____
6)Daisy____
7)Candytuft____
8)Gladiolus____
9)Columbine___
10)Forsythia____
A)Theseedsofthisplantpopoutasiftheyareinahurry.
B)TheleavesofthisplantlooklikeaRomangladiator’ssword.
C)ThenameofthisflowercomesfromtheGreekword“geranos,”mean-ing“crane”(thebird)becauseitsseedpodlookslikethebeakofacrane.
D)Thisplantproduceslong,thinflowersthatresemblefingers.
E)NamedafterWilliamForsyth,arascalofabotanistwhosoldtheBritishgovernmentasecretplantmedicinewhichturnedouttobenothingbutcowdung,lime,sand,soapsudsandurine.
F)Centuriesago,thisplantwassaidtobethe“day’seye”becauseitsflowersopenedinthemorningandclosedatnight.
G)Ifheldupsidedown,thisflowerlooksabitlikearingofdoves.TheLatinwordfordoveis“columba.”
H)ThisnameisfromtheGreekword“klema”meaning“twig.”
I)ThisnamecomesfromtwoGreekwords:“chrysos”meaning“gold,”and“anthos”meaning“flower.”
J)Thisnamecomesfromtheplaceoftheplant’sorigin:Candia(theislandofCrete)
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ACTIVITY 2: WATCH A VERY NICE BUT VERY SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF LINNAEUS
There’saverynice4-minutesummaryofthelifeandworkofLinnaeuspostedontheBotanyplaylistatwww.YouTube.com/TheBasementWorkshop.
ACTIVITY 3: PLANTS WITH PLACE NAMES
Someplantsarenamedafterplaceswheretheygrow,ortheplacewheretheywerefirstdiscovered.Seeifyoucanidentifytheplacenameineachoftheseplantnames.
1)AflowernamedCallistephus chinensis: __________________2)Aflowernamed Arum italicum: ________________3)AwildflowernamedTradescantia virginiana: _____________________4)Atreenamed Azadirachta indica: __________________5)AdecorativefloweringplantnamedDianella tasmanica: __________________6)Agrassnamed Raddia brasiliensis: ________________7)Agray-coloredmossy-lookingplantnamedRaoulia australis: __________________
ACTIVITY 4: “ALL IN THE FAMILY”
Haveyoueverheardsomeonetalkaboutplantsoranimalsbeing“related”toeachother?Youmighthaveheardsomethinglike,“Spidersarerelatedtocrabs.”Whatdoesthismean? Themoreclassificationcategoriestwoorganismsshare,themoretheyareconsideredtobe“related.”Forexample,lookattheclassification(taxonomy)ofthesethreeplants.Theirtaxonomyislistedstartingwiththekingdomandgoingallthewaydowntogenusandspecies.
POTATO:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Asterids,Solanes,Solanaceae,Solanum, tuberosumTOMATO:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Asterids,Solanes,Solanaceae,Solanum, lycopersicumSWEETPOTATO:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Asterids,Solanes,Convolvulaceae,Ipomoea, batatas
Whichismorerelatedtoapotato—atomatoorasweetpotato?Ifyoulookatapotatoandasweetpotatotheyseemveryrelated.Butifyoulookattheirclassification(taxonomy)youwillseethatthelistsforthepotatoandthetomatoarealmostidenticalexceptforthespecies.Thesweetpotatolistisdifferentrightafter“Solanes.”Thesweetpotatoisn’teveninthesamefamilywiththepotato,butthetomatois! Herearesomemembersofthe(verylarge)Prunusfamily:
CHERRY:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Rosids,Rosales,Rosaceae,Prunus, serotinaPLUM:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Rosids,Rosales,Rosaceae, Prunus, domesticaPEACH:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Rosids,Rosales,Rosaceae,Prunus, persicaAPRICOT:Plants,Angiosperms,Dicots,Rosids,Rosales,Rosaceae,Prunus, armeniaca
Themembersofthisfamilyallshareacommontraitwhenitcomestoformingseeds.Canyouthinkofwhatitmightbe?(Hint:Comparetheirseedswiththoseofapples,pearsorbananas.)
IfyouhaveInternetaccess,trytofindtheanswerstothesequestions.(Hint:Wikipediaisveryhelpful.)
1)Whichismore“related”toazucchini--anacornsquashoracucumber?_________________2)Whichismore“related”toacarrot--atomatoorayam?________________3)Whichismore“related”toanoaktree--amapletreeorachestnuttree?_________________
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LESSON 1Level1Activity5:(Crosswordpuzzle)ACROSS:1)chloroplasts2)membrane3)daughters4)photosynthesis5)elongation 6)energy7)water8)nucleus9)chlorophyll10)carbondioxideDOWN:1)light2)mitosis3)eat4)sugar5)oxygen6)DNA7)vacuole8)respiration9)wallActivity6:CompareyourdrawingtotheoneinthechapterActivity7:1)D2)A3)B4)F5)H6)C7)E8)G
Level2Activity1:1)J2)I3)B4)F5)G6)D7)A8)H9)C10)EActivity2:1)B2)F3)C4)G5)A6)D7)H8)EActivity3:1)Answerswillvary.2)ATP3)no4)respiration5)no6)splitwatermolecules7)light8)carbondioxideandwater9)theP10)lightphase11)RuDP12)therewouldbenophotosynthesis13)no14)magnesium
LESSON 2Level1Activity1:1)Muehlenberg2)Engelmann3)Michaux4)KelloggActivity3:1)C2)G3)B4)H5)I6)F7)J8)E9)A10)DActivity4:Answerswillvary.
Level2Activity1:1)H2)A3)I4)D5)C6)F7)J8)B9)G10)EActivity3:1)China,2)Italy,3)Virginia,4)India,5)Tasmania,6)Brazil,7)AustraliaActivity4:Theprunusfruitsallhaveonelargeseedthatwesometimescalla“pit.”1)acornsquash(samespecies),2)tomato(yamismonocot),3)chestnut(bothareFagales)
LESSON 3Level2Activity2:1)zygote2)osmosis3)sporophyte4)bryophyte5)thallus6)gametophyte7)gemma8)wort9)vascular10)alternationofgenerations
Stupidplantjokemissingwords:moss,liverwort,argument,a,bryo-phyte(soundslike“fight”)
LESSON 4Level1Activity3:Themonocotsare:corn,yucca,grass,orchid,tulip.Thedicotsare:oak,geranium,nasturtium,mint.Activity4:Vascularplantshaveasystemof[pipes/tubes]thatdeliverwatertotheircells.Theyaremadeoftwotypesofcells:[xylem]and[phloem].The[xylem]tubestakewaterupfromtherootsandintothe[leaves].This
processiscalled[transpiration].(Thereasonthisprocessworksisbecauseoftheelectricalattractionbetween
[water]molecules.)The[phloem]tubescarrywaterthathassugarsinit.Thissugarywatercangoeitherup
or[down]dependingonwhereitisneeded.Innorthernclimates,sapinmapletreesrisesfrom[theroots]
upintotheleaves.Ifyouputatubeintothetreeyoucancatchsomeofthissapandmake[maplesyrup]
fromit.
Mostvascularplantsmake[seeds]butafewdonot,suchasthefern.Mostvascularplantsareeither
monocotsor[dicots].Themonocotshaveone[seedleaf]whentheyfirstsprout,whereasthe[dicots]have
two.Themonocotshave[parallel]veinsintheirleaves.The[dicots]haveveinsthatresembleapalmshape.
Thecentralpartofastemiscalledthe[pith].Theoutercellsaretheepidermis.Justinsidethe
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LESSON 2
1) LEARN HOW TO PRONOUNCE SCIENTIFIC LATIN
TolearnmoreabouthowtopronounceLatinplantnames,checkoutthissitebytheFloridaDepartmentofAgriculture: http://botanicallatin.org/latinhandout.doc
2) WANT TO HEAR MORE STORIES ABOUT HOW FLOWERS GOT THEIR NAMES?
Tolearnmoreaboutthenamesofflowers,youmightwanttoreadthisbook:100FlowersandHowTheyGotTheirNamesbyDianaWells.(Ifyourlibrarydoesn’thaveit,youcanfindinexpensiveusedcopiesonAmazon.com.)There’sonlyaboutapageperflower—justenoughinfotokeepyouinterestedbutnotenoughtobogyoudown.Thisbookisn’tintendedforajuvenileaudience,butliterary-typekidsmightthinkit’sinteresting.Readjustoneortwoflowersperday—maybeevenasashortbedtimestory!
3) A BOOK ABOUT PLANT FAMILIES
Ifyou’vegotafuturebotanistinthefamily,youmightwanttoconsiderpurchasingthisbook:PlantFamiliesbyCarolLerner.(MyhardbackcopyisISBN0-688-07882-6.)Itisintendedforayoungaudience,buthasmorethanenoughinformationtosatifsymostadults,eventhoseofuswhoenjoyscience.Theleftsideofeachpagehasinformationaboutapopularplantfamilyandtherightsidehasbeautifulbotanicalillustrations.Theplantfamiliesinclude:buttercup,mustard,mint,pea,parsley,“pinks,”arum,rose,composite,lily,grassandorchid.
3) A GAME ABOUT PLANT FAMILIES
Ifyoulikecardgamesandarewillingtospend$12.50plusshipping,Irecommendthefollowing:“Shanleya’s Quest; A Botany Game”byThomasElpel.Thegameisdesignedtogowithabookbythesamename,butcanbeusedindependentlyofthebook.Thisbookcoversbasicallythesameinformationasthebooklistedabovein(3),thoughthisonegoesintoalittlemoredepthandiswrittenaroundthethemeofNativeNorthAmericanfolklore. Thecardsfeaturephotographsoftheflowersofmembersofvariousplantfamilies.Youlearntorecognizemembersofthesameplantfamilywhileplayinggameswiththecards.Thegameisusableforstudentsofanyage,fromelementarytohighschoolers.(ThereisavideoadvertisementforthisgameontheBotanyplaylist.Ipostedtheadbecausethereissomuchinformationinitthatit’sworthwatchingitevenifyoudon’tbuythegame.)