Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Kingdom Plantae
- Cryptogams
- Summary
- What’s Next?
In the previous segment of the chapter ‘Diversity in Living Organisms’, we studied about the five kingdom classification system. In this segment, let us understand the Kingdom Plantae.
What is the Kingdom plantae?
Plants come in a variety of types.
For example, single-celled algae, huge trees, etc.
Based on their morphology, they are classified into two major classes:
- Cryptogams – They are the lower plants that do not have flowers or seeds.
- Phanerogams – They are all the plants that have flowers or flower-like structures.
What are Cryptogams?
The lower plants that do not have flowers or seeds are called Cryptogams or Cryptogamae. All the non-flowering plants are included in this category. They are further classified into three major categories:
- Thallophytes
- They are the lowest of all plants.
- They do not have a well-differentiated body into roots, stem, or leaves and show the presence of a Thallus, an undifferentiated mass of cells.
- Since the body is undifferentiated, it does not have a vascular or a conducting system.
- These types of plants include algae, spirogyra, ulothrix, and other unicellular plants that occupy the marine bodies.
- They can be either microscopic like the Chlamydomonas or huge structures like the kelps.
