Botany

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Botany is the branch of Biology concerned with the scientific study of plants. Traditionally, botanists studied all organisms that were not generally regarded as animal. However, advances in our knowledge about the myriad forms of life, especially microbes (viruses and bacteria) have led to a spinning off from botany of the specialized field of Microbiology. Still, the microbes are usually covered, somewhat superficially, in most introductory Botany courses.

The Kingdom Plantae is divided into divisions (the term "division" was traditionally used instead of "phylum" as in the animals, but either term is now accepted).

• Hepatophyta, liverworts
• Anthocerophyta, hornworts
• Bryophyta, mosses
• Lycophyta, club mosses
• Psilotophyta, whisk ferns
• Sphenophyta, horsetails
• Pterophyta, ferns
• Cycadophyta, cycads
• Ginkgophyta, ginkgo tree
• Gnetophyta
• Coniferophyta, conifers
• Anthophyta, flowering plants
  • Liliopsida, monocots
  • Magnoliopsida, dicots

Of these, the best known to most people are Bryophyta (mosses), Pterophyta (ferns), Coniferophyta (conifers), which are cone-bearing plants, and Anthophyta (angiosperms), which are flowering plants. Angiosperms are divided into two groups, dicots and monocots. Dicots have two cotyledons (embroyonic leaves), while monocots have only one cotyledon.

The names "Pinophyta" and "Magnoliophyta" are often used for "Coniferophyta" and "Anthophyta". Likewise, the monocots and dicots are called "Liliopsida" and "Magnoliopsida" respectively.

Related subjects

• Plant
• Trees
• Fruit
• Herbs
• Seeds, stratification (botany) and germination.
• List of vegetables
• List of flowers
• Anamorphosis

See also

• List of botanists
• List of botanical gardens

External links

• A Study Guide to the Science of Botany ~ at Wikibooks
• http://www.botanical-online.com