Angiospermas plants: what are, characteristics and examples

Angiospermas plants: what are, characteristics and examples

By Dr. Kyle Muller

The plant world includes a great diversity of plants. From those that are better known because they fill the parks and gardens of our cities with color or those that are an indispensable part of our diet, to those other plants that are great unknown because we have only seen them in documentaries of exotic and distant places.

Without a doubt, entering the knowledge of the flora is one of the most surprising discoveries that nature gives us. To do this, knowing some basic data on its classification and characteristics, will be very useful and allows us to differentiate the different groups and classes of plants that surround us. In this way, one of the first steps to continue in the knowledge of the flora, is the distinction between Flower plants (angiosperms) or plants without flowers (gymnosperms). Their names come from the Greek and, in the case of the gymnosperms plants, the prefix gym refers to the naked and without protection, as is the case of these plants, in which the plant reproductive organs and the seeds appear naked, without floral wrappings that protect them or the formation of fruits. On the other hand, in those that belong to the group of angiosperms otherwise, stamens, pistils and other plant reproductive structures are part of wonderful flowers that, later, will give rise to fruits.

Continue reading this Ecology Verde article to discover more about the angiospermas plants, what are, their characteristics and examples.

What are angiospermas plants

Angiospermas plants, commonly known as Flower plantsThey are the Vascular plants with seed (spermatophytes) that constitute a really diverse group full of surprising characteristics in terms of the shape and coloration of their flowers.

This fact is mainly due to the close relationship that plants with flowers keep with their pollinators. Whether they are insects, small mammals or natural phenomena such as wind, angiosperms have had to develop a whole series of strategies so that The pollinators They are attracted to their flowers, reach the pollen and subsequently take care of transporting it to the reproductive organs found in other flowers of the same kind of plants, thus achieving the process of plant reproduction.

Characteristics of angiospermas plants

Angiosperms plants evolved and diversified in a amazing way. The fossil record collects data on the appearance of angiosperms during the Cretaceous period, makes 130 million years approximately.

Among the main characteristics of angiospermas plants stand out:

  • They live practically in all regions of the world (although with less presence in polar regions), surviving both in terrestrial ecosystems and in aquatic.
  • We can find angiosperm plants of different sizes and structures (shrubs or herbaceous).
  • They are constituted by well -differentiated vegetative organs: root, stem and leaves.
  • Its flowers are very colorful. They present sepals, tepalos, carpels, and female reproductive organs (ovary with ovules located within the pistil, which has the structure with the style and stigma), as well as male reproductive organs (stamens with pollen grains). You may also be interested in learning more on this topic with this other ecology article about what are the parts of a flower and its functions.

Now that we know its main characteristics, let’s discover some examples of angiosperms plants in the following section.

Angiospermas plants: what are, characteristics and examples - characteristics of angiosperms plants

Examples of angiosperms plants

As we know, all the plants with flowers that inhabit in any corner of the planet belong to the angiosperms group. If we focus, to put some Examples of angiosperms plantsin those that constitute important sources of food for the human being globally, some highlight some fruit cereals and trees as:

  • Wheat (genus triticum)
  • Corn (Zea mays)
  • The rice (ORYZA SATIVA)
  • Sugar (gender Saccharum)
  • Coffee (Genre Coffea)
  • Los Naranjos (genus citrus)
  • The apple trees (genre Malus)
  • Bananas (genre muse)
  • The avocados (American Persea)

Angiospermas plants: what are, characteristics and examples - examples of angiosperms plants

Difference between angiosperms and gym plants

The group of angiosperms exceeds that of gymnosperms both in number and diversity, appearing as the group of plants whose evolution has been more successful in nature. Others of the main differences between angiospermas and gymnosperms plants are:

  • The formation of Flowers and fruits that surround the seeds in angiosperms, in front of the bare seeds of gymnosperms.
  • Gymnosperms have cones, limited growth ramifications that are frequently considered flowers, while angiosperms have colorful flowers that different shapes and colors.
  • In gym plants The gametes that intervene in the plant reproduction process, that is, the ovules (female sex) and the pollen grains (male sex), are always separated in different cones (female and male cones, respectively). On the other hand, in the angiosperms plants we can find flowers with ovules in the pistil and pollen in the stamens of the same flower, or exclusively masculine and/or female flowers in the same plant.
  • A characteristic common to almost all gymnosperms is that The leaves They are aciculated, pointed or needle -shaped; while angiosperms leaves tend to be flat and more rounded (although with a wide variety of forms).
  • Seasonality It is different between these two large groups. Angiosperms plants are usually seasonal plants, expired in autumn and winter, while gymnosperms plants tend to be perennial and do not lose their leaves during cold months.

If you want to read more articles similar to Angiospermas plants: what are, characteristics and exampleswe recommend that you enter our biology category.

Literature
  • Sandi, DA (07/15/2019) Notes for the identification of plant families with flowers (angiosperms). International Journal of Tropical Biology and Conservation. Retrieved from https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr
  • Cocucci, A. (1980) Pages on sexological terminology applied to angiosperms. Bulletin of the Argentine Botany SocietyVolume (XIX): 75-81.
  • Chase, MW et. AL, (2003). AN UPDATE OF THE ANGIOSPERM PHYLOGENY GROUP CLASSIFICATION FOR THE ORDERS AND FAMILIES OF FLOWERING PLANTS: APG II. Botanical Journal of the Linnean SocietyVolume (141): 399-416.
Kyle Muller
About the author
Dr. Kyle Muller
Dr. Kyle Mueller is a Research Analyst at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department in Houston, Texas. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Texas State University in 2019, where his dissertation was supervised by Dr. Scott Bowman. Dr. Mueller's research focuses on juvenile justice policies and evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing recidivism among youth offenders. His work has been instrumental in shaping data-driven strategies within the juvenile justice system, emphasizing rehabilitation and community engagement.
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