The Kind Of Plant

Flower

A poster with twelve species of flowers or clusters of flowers of different families

A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds. The process begins with pollination, is followed by fertilization, leading to the formation and dispersal of the seeds. For the higher plants, seeds are the next generation, and serve as the primary means by which individuals of a species are dispersed across the landscape. The grouping of flowers on a plant is called the inflorescence.

In addition to serving as the reproductive organs of flowering plants, flowers have long been admired and used by humans, mainly to beautify their environment but also as a source of food.

Organ development

The ABC model of flower development

The molecular control of floral organ identity determination is fairly well understood. In a simple model, three gene activities interact in a combinatorial manner to determine the developmental identities of the organ primordia within the floral meristem. These gene functions are called A, B and C-gene functions. In the first floral whorl only A-genes are expressed, leading to the formation of sepals. In the second whorl both A- and B-genes are expressed, leading to the formation of petals. In the third whorl, B and C genes interact to form stamens and in the center of the flower C-genes alone give rise to carpels. The model is based upon studies of homeotic mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana and snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus. For example, when there is a loss of B-gene function, mutant flowers are produced with sepals in the first whorl as usual, but also in the second whorl instead of the normal petal formation. In the third whorl the lack of B function but presence of C-function mimics the fourth whorl, leading to the formation of carpels also in the third whorl. See also The ABC Model of Flower Development.
Most genes central in this model belong to the MADS-box genes and are transcription factors that regulate the expression of the genes specific for each floral organ.

Rose

A rose is a perennial plant of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in a number of colours from white through yellows and reds. Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species,

cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance.^[1]

The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with sharply toothed oval-shaped leaflets. The plant's fleshy fruit, which ripens in the late summer through autumn, is called a rose hip. Rose plants range in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach 7 meters in height. Species from different parts of the world easily hybridize, which has given rise to the many types of garden roses.

The name rose comes from French, itself from Latin, rosa, which was borrowed from Oscan, from Greek ρόδιόν rhodion (Aeolic υρόδιόν wrodion), from Old Persian 𐎹𐎢𐎼𐎭𐎡 wurdi "flower" (cf. Avest. warda, Sogdian ward, Parthian wâr).^[2][3]

Species

Further information: List of Rosa species

The genus Rosa is subdivided into four subgenera:

• Hulthemia (formerly Simplicifoliae, meaning "with single leaves") containing one or two species from southwest Asia, R. persica and Rosa berberifolia which are the only roses without compound leaves or stipules.
• Hesperrhodos (from the Greek for "western rose") contains Rosa minutifolia and Rosa stellata, from North America.
• Platyrhodon (from the Greek for "flaky rose", referring to flaky bark) with one species from east Asia, Rosa roxburghii.
• Rosa (the type subgenus) containing all the other roses. This subgenus is subdivided into 11 sections.
• Banksianae - white and yellow flowered roses from China.
• Bracteatae - three species, two from China and one from India.
• Caninae - pink and white flowered species from Asia, Europe and North Africa.
• Carolinae - white, pink, and bright pink flowered species all from North America.
• Chinensis - white, pink, yellow, red and mixed-color roses from China and Burma.
• Gallicanae - pink to crimson and striped flowered roses from western Asia and Europe.
• Gymnocarpae - one species in western North America (Rosa gymnocarpa), others in east Asia.
• Laevigatae - a single white flowered species from China
• Pimpinellifoliae - white, pink, bright yellow, mauve and striped roses from Asia and Europe.
• Rosa (syn. sect. Cinnamomeae) - white, pink, lilac, mulberry and red roses from everywhere but North Africa.
• Synstylae - white, pink, and crimson flowered roses from all areas.

Cactus

This article is about the plant family. For the former genus Cactus, see Mammillaria, Melocactus, and Opuntia. For other meanings, see Cactus (disambiguation)

"Cacti" redirects here. For the software, see Cacti (software).

Ferocactus pilosus (Mexican lime cactus) growing south of Saltillo, Coahuila, northeast Mexico

A cactus (plural: cacti or cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptions to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments.^[1][2][3] In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines. Many species are used for ornamental plants, and some are also grown for fodder, forage, fruits, cochineal, and other uses.
Cacti come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The tallest is Pachycereus pringlei, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m,^[4] and the smallest is Blossfeldia liliputiana, only about 1 cm in diameter at maturity.^[5] Cactus flowers are large, and like the spines arise from distinctive features called areoles.

Closeup image of a cactus flower (Echinopsis spachiana) showing large number of stamens.

Closeup look of a cactus perianth.[edit] Distribution

The cactus family is native to the Americas, where their range extends from Patagonia to the Canadian–American border, but they are densest and most diverse in the regions of northern Mexico and the southern tropics of Argentina and Bolivia. Rhipsalis baccifera is the one exception; it is native to both the Americas and the Old World, where it is found in tropical Africa, Madagascar and Sri Lanka. It is thought to have colonized the Old World within the last few thousand years, probably by being carried as seeds in the digestive tracts of migratory birds. Many other species have become naturalized outside the Americas after having been introduced by people, especially in Australia, Hawaii, and the Mediterranean region. Cacti inhabit diverse regions, from coastal plains to high mountain areas, and from the sub-tropics to the deserts.

Jasmine

Species

Jasminum auriculatum at Talakona forest, in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India.

A double-flowered cultivar of Jasminum sambac in flower with an unopened bud. The flower smells like the tea as it opens.

Jasmine (Jasminum, pronounced /ˈdʒæzmɨnəm/,^[4] via Arabic from the Persian yasmin, i.e. "gift from God") is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae), with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. The leaves can be either evergreen (green all year round) or deciduous (falling in autumn).

• Jasminum abyssinicum Hochst. ex DC. – Forest jasmine
• Jasminum adenophyllum Wall. – Pinwheel Jasmine, Bluegrape jasmine
• , Princess jasmine, Che vang, Lai la co tuyen
• Jasminum dichotomum Vahl – Gold Coast Jasmine
• Jasminum didymum (indigenous to Samoa Islands)
• Jasminum grandiflorum L. – Spanish Jasmine, Royal Jasmine, Catalonian Jasmine
• Jasminum humile L. – Italian Yellow Jasmine
• Jasminum lanceolarium Roxb.
• Jasminum mesnyi Hance – Japanese Jasmine, Primrose Jasmine, Yellow Jasmin
• Jasminum multiflorum Hance – Indian Jasmine, Winter Jasmine
• Jasminum nervosum Lour.
• Jasminum odoratissimum L. – Yellow Jasmine
• Jasminum officinale L. – Common Jasmine, Poet's Jasmine, jasmine, jessamine
• Jasminum parkeri Dunn – Dwarf Jasmine
• Jasminum polyanthum Franch.
• Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton – Arabian Jasmine
• Jasminum sinense Hemsl.
• Jasminum urophyllum Hemsl.

Mushroom

The mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as "fly agaric"

mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. Mushrooms are not plants: they are a fungus. They eat organic matter, they do not photosynthesize like plants do. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi (Basidiomycota, Agaricomycetes) that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae, sing. lamella) on the underside of the cap.

"Mushroom" describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used even more generally, to describe both the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota and the woody or leathery fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, depending upon the context of the word.

Forms deviating from the standard morphology usually have more specific names, such as "puffball", "stinkhorn", and "morel", and gilled mushrooms themselves are often called "agarics" in reference to their similarity to Agaricus or their place Agaricales. By extension, the term "mushroom" can also designate the entire fungus when in culture or the thallus (called a mycelium) of species forming the fruiting bodies called mushrooms, or the species itself.

Tomato

Cross-section and full view of a ripe tomato

The tomato is a savory, typically red, edible fruit, as well as the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) which bears it. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler climates.

The tomato fruit is consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes and sauces, and in drinks. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes (as well as by the United States Supreme Court, see Nix v. Hedden), which has caused some confusion. The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects.

The tomato belongs to the nightshade family. The plants typically grow to 1–3 metres (3–10 ft) in height and have a weak stem that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants. It is a perennial in its native habitat, although often grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual.