STB 111: PLANT AND ANIMAL TAXONOMY

PRINCIPLES OF PLANT CLASSIFICATION

Plants are classified based on certain characteristics which include;

Morphological Characteristics: These include; Shape and structure, Form and arrangement of
leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruits, type of stem, leaf arrangement, and root system.

Anatomical Characteristics: These include; Presence or absence of vascular tissue, type of cell wall,
and arrangement of tissues in roots, stems, and leaves.

Reproductive Characteristics: These include; Sexual or asexual reproduction, type of spores or

Embryological Characteristics: These include; Presence or absence of cotyledons, type of

Phylogenetic Characteristics: These include; Analysis of DNA and protein sequences to infer
evolutionary relationships and using molecular markers to identify and classify plants.

Ecological Characteristics: These include; Type of environment in which the plant grows and
geographic range of the plant.

Cytological Characteristics: These includes; Number and structure of chromosomes, study of the
size, shape, and arrangement of chromosomes.

Biochemical Characteristics: These includes; Presence or absence of specific compounds, such as

MAJOR GROUPS OF PLANT KINGDOM

The plant kingdom has been classified into subgroups according to the above-mentioned criteria:

i. Thallophyta

ii. Bryophyta

iii. Tracheophyta

iv. Pteridophyta

v. Gymnosperms

vi. Angiosperms
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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ABOVE PLANT GROUPS

Thallophyta:

 Thallophyta includes plants with primitive and simple body structures.

 They have a body structure known as thallus, they may be filamentous, colonial, branched or
unbranched.

 Examples include green algae, red algae and brown algae.

 Common examples are Volvox, Fucus, Spirogyra, Chara, Ulothrix, etc.

 Thallophytes lack a well-differentiated body structure, the body is not differentiated into root,
stem, and leaves

 They reproduce vegetatively (by fragmentation), asexually (by spore formation) and sexually
(by gamete formation)

 Algae (singular alga) are simple, thyloid, autotrophic organisms of the kingdom Plantae

 These are aquatic (fresh water and marine) in nature

Bryophyta:

 Bryophytes are small, non-vascular plants

 They grow in the form of mats or cushions over rocks, soils, trunks and leaves of trees

 They live in moist and damp places.

 The plant body has root-like, stem-like and leaf-like structures.

 Bryophytes are terrestrial plants but are known as “amphibians of the plant kingdom”

 These require water for reproduction

 Bryophyta includes mosses, hornworts and liverworts.

Tracheophyta:

 Tracheophytes have a well-developed vascular system, which are xylem and phloem tissues

 Xylem tissue transports water and minerals from the roots to the leaves

 Phloem tissue transports sugars and other organic compounds produced by photosynthesis
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  They have true roots, stems, and leaves

 Roots absorb water and minerals from the soil, stems support the plant and transport
materials, and leaves carry out photosynthesis.

 Presence of cuticle (a waxy layer) on their leaves and stems

 They also have stomata (small openings) that allow for gas exchange

 They provide food, shelter, and habitat for a wide range of animals

 Many tracheophytes are also used for medicinal purposes

 Some are used for timber and other industrial applications

Pteridophyta:

 Pteridophytes have a well-differentiated body. The body divided into root, stem and leaves

 Pteridophytes are vascular plants (contains xylem and phloem)

 They do not produce seeds or flowers

 Pteridophytes are commonly found on land but some can be found in water too

 They are also found on the trunks of other plants and on rocks

 They have independent gametophytic and sporophytic phase

 The sporophytic phase is dominant

 Few examples of pteridophytes are Psilotum, Equisetum, Selaginella, etc.

Gymnosperms:

 Gymnosperms are seed bearing, vascular plants

 The body is well-differentiated into stem, root, and leaves.

 They have naked seeds and do not bear flowers.

 They are woody and perennial trees.

 They are the most primitive seed plants, which include trees and shrubs

 The leaves are simple or compound

 They are adapted to withstand extreme environmental conditions

 Examples are; Pines, Redwood, Gingko, Gnetum, etc.

Angiosperms

 Angiosperms are seed-bearing vascular plants

 The seeds of angiosperms are enclosed within the fruits.

 Some of the common examples are mango, rose, tomato, onion, wheat, maize, etc.

 Presence of flowers where pollen grains and ovules develop.

 Well-differentiated plant body and well developed vascular system.

 They are also known as flower bearing plants.

 Angiosperms are further divided into two classes, Dicots, and Monocots.

FAMILY, GENUS AND SPECIES

Family: Family is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is
classified between order and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin. A family is a level
of classification that groups together genera that share similar characteristics such as flower structure,
fruit type, or leaf morphology. Plant families are taxonomic groups of plants that are classified based
on shared characteristics, such as the structure of their flowers, fruit, and seeds. These shared
characteristics are used to infer evolutionary relationships between the plants in the family.

Genus: Genus is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological
classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus
name forms the first part of the binomial species name for each species within the same genus. In
scientific classification, plant families and genera are given scientific names based on the
International Code of Nomenclature. The scientific name of a genus is also called the generic name; it
is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature. Genera are often
characterized by shared features such as leaf shape, flower structure, or growth habit.

Species: A species is a level of classification that represents a group of organisms that can interbreed
and produce fertile offspring. Species are the most specific level of classification and are often used
to identify and distinguish between different types of plants. It is the basic unit of classification and a
taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity.

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BINOMIAL NOMENCLATURE

Binomial nomenclature is the biological system of naming organisms in which the name is
composed of two terms, where, the first term indicates the genus and the second term indicates the
species of the organism. The system of binomial nomenclature was introduced by Carl Linnaeus.
Binomial Nomenclature is a widely used, formal system of naming a species. The nomenclature
consists of two names, both of which are derived from Latin. However, it can be derived from other
languages too. Such a name is called a binomial name or a scientific name

The generic name or the initial part of the name highlights the genus to which an organism
belongs. The second part, or the specific name, identifies the exact species under which the organism
falls, within the genus.

Rules of Binomial Nomenclature

The binomial nomenclature rules for writing the scientific names of organisms include the
following:

 The scientific names of organisms are usually Latin. Hence, they are written in italics.

 The name exist two parts, the first word identifies the genus and the second word identifies
the species.

 When the names are handwritten, they are underlined or italicized if typed. This is done to
specify its Latin origin.

 The name of the genus starts with a capital letter and the name of the species starts with a
small letter.

Examples of some common plants and their binomial or scientific names

Common names Scientific names

Banana Musa paradisiaca

Beans Phaseolus vulgaris

Cashew nuts Anacardium occidentale

Cassava Manihot esculenta

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Coconut Cocos nucifera

Guava Psidium guajava

Guinea corn Sorghum bicolor

Maize Zea mays

Millet Pennisetum americanum

Onion b Allium cepa

Orange Citrus sinensis

Papaya (pawpaw) Carica papaya

Groundnut Arachis hypogaea

Potato Solamum tuberosum

Rice Oryza sativa

Sesame Sesamum indicum

Soybean Glycine max

Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum

Wheat Triticum aestivum

Yam Dioscorea spp