Question

Describe the important characters of kingdom Plantae.

Answer 1

Characters of Plant Kingdom-

a) They are multicellular and eukaryotic organisms.

b) They can make their own food with the help of CO2 and water in the presence of sunlight and chlorophyll. They are autotrophic. However, some plants are heterotrophic eg- insectivorous plants like sundew, venus flytrap, pitcher plant etc.

c) Plants cells have cell wall made of cellulose and have a large central vacuole.

d) The food is stored in the form of starch in the leaves.

e) Xylem and phloem are the two conducting tissues for water and minerals respectively.

f) Plants are stationary i.e. they remain fixed at one position and do not have the sensory system.

g) The plant kingdom has been divided into two categories:

i) Cryptogamae (plants without seeds)- These have been divided into three main parts-

Thallophyta ( plant body is not differentiated into roots, shoots or leaves i.e. like a thallus) e.g., algae.

Bryophyta (plant body is not differentiated into true stem and roots) e.g., liverworts, hornworts.

Pteridophyta (plant body is differentiated into stem and roots and have conducting tissues i.e. xylem and phloem) e.g., ferns, horsetails.

ii) Phanerogamae (plants with seeds)- These have been divided into two main parts-

Gymnosperms ( with naked seeds i.e. seeds are not enclosed by fruit, non-flowering, vascular having xylem and phloem) e.g., cycas, pinus.

Angiosperms ( without naked seeds i.e. seeds are enclosed by fruit, flowering, vascular, two categories- monocots (having one cotyledon in their seed) and dicots ( having two cotyledons in their seed) e.g., wheat, maize, gram, pea.