Plant Taxonomy Hierarchy

Key Categories

• Kingdom: Highest division with gross differences between organisms.
  • Example: Plantae (plants)
• Division: Differentiates between gymnosperms and angiosperms (conifers vs. flowering plants).
• Class: Differentiates between monocots and dicots (one vs. two cotyledons).
• Order to Species: Various orders, families, genera, and species.

Examples of Plant Classification

Legumes

• Pinto Bean & Peanut
  • Same Family: Fabaceae
  • Different Genera and Species

Tomato & Pepper

• Tomato & Pepper
  • Same Family: Solanaceae
  • Separate at Genus Level

Sunflower & Chrysanthemum

• Sunflower & Chrysanthemum
  • Same Family: Asteraceae
  • Composite flowers with ray and disc flowers

Cabbage & Broccoli

• Cabbage & Broccoli
  • Identical in taxonomy down to Species: Brassica oleracea
  • Different varieties separate them

Nasturtium & Brassica oleracea

• Nasturtium compared to Cabbage & Broccoli
  • Same Order: Brassicales
  • Different Family, Genus, and Species

Hops, Grapes, Celery, & Basil

• Hops, Grapes, Celery, & Basil
  • Same Class: Dicot (Eudicots)
  • Different from Order on down

Conclusion

• Understanding the taxonomy hierarchy helps in identifying and classifying plants based on their characteristics.
• Familiarize with the hierarchy to easily determine the classification of various plants by comparing their categories.