Introduction to Botany: Classification, Scientific Names, and Key Terms

Question 1

Quiz Question: Why is it helpful to learn the scientific names of plants? What’s the drawback of common names?

Answer 1

Many people use many different common names to refer to the same plant (black sage and mugwort). People also use one common name to refer to many plants (nettles, i.e.) There is only one scientific name per plact.

Question 2

Quiz Question: Why do scientific names change sometimes?

Answer 2

Advances in technology allow us to further refine our classification system so that we have a more accurate understanding of which plants are genetically related

Question 3

species

Answer 3

a group of living organisms capable of breeding or exchanging DNA

Question 4

genus

Answer 4

a group of related species

Question 5

the plural of genus is

Answer 5

genera

Question 6

plant family

Answer 6

a group of related genera

Question 7

all scientific plant families end is the suffix…

Answer 7

-aceae

Question 8

What two ranks of classification (i.e. kingdom, order, family, tribe, genus, species) are used in a plant’s scientific name?

Answer 8

genus and species

Question 9

What’s another term for “scientific name”?

Answer 9

binomial

Question 10

What does the abbreviation “spp.” stand for?

Answer 10

spp. is an umbrella term that signifies all the species in a given genus. for example the willow (salix spp.), it signifies every species in the Salix genus.

Question 11

What does the abbreviation “sp.” stand for?

Answer 11

sp. signifies that the species is unknown. for exapme, if you read Arnica sp. as a caption on a photograph, it means that the genus was idenitified to Arnica, but the exact species was unknown.

Question 12

What is a hybrid?

Answer 12

when two related species successfully breed (of their own accord or through human efforts)

Question 13

How do we signify a plant’s hybrid status in its scientific name?

Answer 13

using the multiplication sign. i.e., peppermint is a hybrid mint, Mentha x piperita.

Question 14

apiaceae

Answer 14

carrot, parsley, or umbel family

Question 15

lamiaceae

Answer 15

mint family

Question 16

rosaceae

Answer 16

rose family

Question 17

fabaceae

Answer 17

bean, pea, or legume family

Question 18

ranunculaceae

Answer 18

buttercup family

Question 19

asteraceae

Answer 19

sunflower, aster, or daisy family

Question 20

solanaceae

Answer 20

nightshade or tomato family

Question 21

poaceae

Answer 21

grass family

Question 22

deciduous

Answer 22

a plant that regularly sheds its leaves (typically in autumn or cooler climates although some desert plans lose their leaves during the dry season)

Question 23

evergreen

Answer 23

a plant that retains its leaves throughout the year

Question 24

most evergreens are (1 blank) but some are (2 blank) plants like (3 blank) or select species of (4 blank)

Answer 24

1. conifers
2. flowering plants
3. holly
4. viburnum spp.

Question 25

annual

Answer 25

a plant that completes its lifecycle in one year or growing season (flowering, fruiting, and dying in one year or less)

Question 26

biennial

Answer 26

a plant that is purely vegetative (non-reproductive) its first year of life and that flowers, sets seed, and dies the next year

Question 27

perennial

Answer 27

a plant that lives more than 2 years.

Question 28

some perennials are (blank or blank) that regrow leaves year after year from buds on twigs

Answer 28

woody shrubs or trees

Question 29

herbaceous perennial

Answer 29

plants that grow from dormant roots every year (no woody growth above ground, i.e. echinacea spp.)

Question 30

herbaceous

Answer 30

a plant that doesn’t develop any woody growth–typically green and pliable

Question 31

woody perennial

Answer 31

plants that regrow from buds on woody growth (brown hard twigs) every year. can be vines, shrubs, or trees

Question 32

angiosperm

Answer 32

a plant that produces flowers and bears seeds inside a fruit

Question 33

the term “angiosperm” can be broken down to mean…

Answer 33

angio = vessel
sperm = seed

Question 34

gymnosperm

Answer 34

a seed-bearing plant that doesn’t produce its seens in enclosed fruits

Question 35

the term “gymnosperm” can be broken down to mean…

Answer 35

gymno = naked
sperm = seed

Question 36

the major subgroups of gymnosperms include…

Answer 36

cyads (sago palms), ginko, conifers, and gnetophytes.

Question 37

all living organisms are divided into these five plant kingdoms

Answer 37

monera, protista, fungi, plantae, animalia

Question 38

monera

Answer 38

examples include bacteria and blue green algae

Question 39

protista

Answer 39

examples include many species of plankton and seaweed

Question 40

fungi

Answer 40

examples include mushrooms, yeast, and mold

Question 41

plantae

Answer 41

examples include most land plants, including flowering plants, ferns, mosses, and conifers, and other gymnosperms

Question 42

animalia

Answer 42

examples include humans, flying squirrels, deer, ants, and geckos

Question 43

What’s the difference between a deciduous and evergreen plant?

Answer 43

a deciduous plant regularly sheds its leaves. an evergreen plant retains its leaves throughout the year.

Question 44

What’s the difference between an angiosperm and a gymnosperm

Answer 44

an angiosperm flowers and bears fruit with its seed inside. the majority of plants on earth are angiosperm. a gymno sperm is a seed-bearing plant that does not produce seeds in enclosed fruits (conifers are the most familiar group with members including pine (Pinus spp.), spruce (Picea spp.), and fir (Abies spp.)

Question 45

Define the botanical term for fruit.

Answer 45

A fruit is defined as a ripened ovary that encloses a seed or seeds. In other words, a fruit is a reproductive organ that bears seeds. It may be hard and woody or soft and fleshy.