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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-tulips-daffodils-agave-yucca-mostpalms-philodendron

Examples:-roses-daisies-gardenvegetables-deciduoustreessuchasoak,maple,birch,etc.-most“weeds”

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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,youmaywanttoknowwhyweshowedyouthatchartonpage17ifitdoesn’tmatchupwiththesedivisions.Well...thatchartisstillvalidbecausesciencebooksstillusethosecategorieswhentalkingabouttheplantkingdom.Theworldofscienceterminologyissometimesconfusingbecauseithasevolvedoverhundredsofyears.Andtomakethingsworse,scientistssometimesdisagreeaboutterminologyorcategories.Thechartonpage17isstillveryhelpful,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.(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

Level2Activity2:1)J2)I3)B4)F5)G6)D7)A8)H9)C10)EActivity3:1)B2)F3)C4)G5)A6)D7)H8)EActivity4:1)Answerswillvary.2)ATP,NADPHhighenergyelectrons3)ATPsynthase4)respiration5)light(photons)6)CalvinCycle(LightIndependentPhase)7)carbondioxide,carbon8)ADP9)stromaofchloroplasts10)511)MelvinCalvin12)613)c14)a15)protons

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.)