Plants

Question 1

• The 350 living species of cycads have large cones and palmlike leaves
• Unlike most seed plants, they have flagellated sperm
• Cycads thrived during the Mesozoic, but today are the most endangered of all plant groups
  -Gymnosperm

Answer 1

Phylum Cycadophyta

Question 2

• Ginkgo Biloba is the only living species in this group
• Like the cycads, Ginkgos have flagellated sperm
• They are popular in cities because they tolerate air pollution well
• Fleshy seeds produced by female trees smell rancid as they decay
  -Gymnosperm

Answer 2

Phylum Ginkgophyta

Question 3

• This phylum comprises three genera: Gnetum, Ephedra, and Welwitschia
• Some species are tropical; others live in deserts
  -Gymnosperm

Answer 3

Phylum Gnetophyta

Question 4

• The only species in this genus, Welwitschia mirabilis, occurs only in deserts of Southwestern Africa
• Plants can live for thousands of years
• They have large straplike leaves and produce ovulate cones on stalks

Answer 4

Welwitschia

Question 5

• The approximately 40 species in this genus inhabit arid regions worldwide
• They produce ephedrine, a compound used medicinally as a decongestant

Answer 5

Ephedra

Question 6

• This genus includes about 35 species of tropical trees, shrubs, and vines, mainly in Africa and Asia
• The leaves look similar to flowering plants, and seeds look somewhat like fruits

Answer 6

Gnetum

Question 7

• With about 600 species, this is the largest phylum of the gymnosperms
• Most have woody cones and some have fleshy cones
• Leaves are needlelike in some and scalelike in others
• Most are evergreens and retain leaves year round; some deciduous species drop their leaves in autumn
  -Gymnosperm

Answer 7

Phylum Coniferophyta

Question 8

• About 100 species composing three small lineages constitute the basal angiosperms
• These include Amborella trichopoda, water lilies, and star anise
• Angiosperm

Answer 8

Basal Angiosperms

Question 9

• Consist of about 8,500 species, including both woody and herbaceous plants
• They share some traits with basal angiosperms, such as spirally arranged floral organs
• They are genetically more closely related to monocots and eudicots than basal angiosperms
  -Angiosperm

Answer 9

Magnoliids

Question 10

• About one-quarter of angiosperms are this group— about 72,000 species
• The largest groups are the orchids, grasses, and palms
• Grasses include some of the most agriculturally important crops, such as maize, rice, and wheat
• Angiosperm

Answer 10

Monocots

Question 11

• More than two-thirds of angiosperms are eudicots—roughly 210,000 species
• The largest group is the legume family including crops such as peas and beans
• The economically important rose family includes species with ornamental flowers and edible fruits
• Most familiar flowering trees are eudicots, such as oak, maple, walnut, willow, and birch

Answer 11

Eudicots