Plant Taxonomy

Question 1

CLASS

Angiospermae (Angiosperms)
Gymnospermae (Gymnosperms)

Answer 1

Angiospermae (Angiosperms) - Plants which produce flowers

Gymnospermae (Gymnosperms) - Plants which don’t produce flowers

Question 2

SUBCLASS

Dicotyledonae (Dicotyledons, Dicots)
Monocotyledonae (Monocotyledons, Monocots)

Answer 2

Dicotyledonae (Dicotyledons, Dicots) - Plants with two seed leaves

Monocotyledonae (Monocotyledons, Monocots) - Plants with one seed leaf

Question 3

SUPERORDER

A group of related Plant Families, classified in the order in which they are thought to have developed their differences from a common ancestor.

Answer 3

There are (6) Superorders in the Dicotyledonae (Magnoliidae, Hamamelidae, Caryophyllidae, Dilleniidae, Rosidae, Asteridae),

and (4) Superorders in the Monocotyledonae (Alismatidae, Commelinidae, Arecidae, Liliidae)

The names of the Superorders end in-idae

Question 4

ORDER

Answer 4

Each Superorder is further divided into several Orders.

The names of the Orders end in-ales

Question 5

FAMILY

Answer 5

Each Order is divided into Families. These are plants with many botanical features in common,

and is the highest classification normally used.

The number of Plant Families varies according to the botanist whose classification you follow. Some botanists recognise only 150 or so families, preferring to classify other similar plants as sub-families,

while others recognise nearly 500 plant families. A widely-accepted system is that devised by Cronquist in 1968, which is only slightly revised today.

Question 6

SUBFAMILY

Answer 6

The Family may be further divided into a number of sub-families, which group together plants within the Family that have some significant botanical differences.

The names of the Subfamilies end in-oideae

Question 7

TRIBE

Answer 7

A further division of plants within a Family, based on smaller botanical differences, but still usually comprising many different plants.

The names of the Tribes end in-eae

Question 8

SUBTRIBE

Answer 8

A further division, based on even smaller botanical differences, often only recognisable to botanists.

The names of the Subtribes end in-inae

Question 9

GENUS

Answer 9

This is the part of the plant name that is most familiar, the normal name that you give a plant - Papaver (Poppy),

Aquilegia (Columbine), and so on. The plants in a Genus are often easily recognisable as belonging to the same group.

The name of theGenusshould be written with a capital letter.

Question 10

SPECIES

Answer 10

This is the level that defines an individual plant. Often, the name will describe some aspect of the plant -

the colour of the flowers, size or shape of the leaves, or it may be named after the place where it was found.

Sometimes, the species is further divided into sub-species that contain plants not quite so distinct that they are classified as Varieties.

Question 11

VARIETY

Answer 11

A Variety is a plant that is only slightly different from the species plant, but the differences are not so insignificant as the differences in a form. The Latin is varietas, which is usually abbreviated to var.

The name follows the Genus and species name, withvar.before the individual variety name.

Question 12

CULTIVAR

Answer 12

A Cultivar is a cultivated variety, a particular plant that has arisen either naturally or through deliberate hybridisation,

and can be reproduced (vegetatively or by seed) to produce more of the same plant.