Paragraph on “Flowering Plants” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

Flowering Plants

The plant family is a very large one and of the 3,55,000 different species of plants known to man, over 2,10,000 are of the flowering type. Flowering plants have better methods of forming and dispersing their seeds, which explains why they are larger in number. Flowering plants differ from others not only because of their flowers but also because they have a different kind of reproductive organs located in their flowers. These plants are also called Angiosperms, or plants with an ‘enclosed seed’, because they produce seeds surrounded with an ovary wall which generally develop into a fruit. These would include Apples, Oranges etc.

Flowering plants can be divided into two categories i.e. Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons. Among these two Dicotyledons are the larger group made up of plants which have broad leaves having a network of veins and a large number of petals in their flowers. Monocotyledons on the other hand have long, thin and parallel leaves like in lilies, tube roses, orchids, blue bells and various types of grasses. There are however some varieties in this family like palm trees, which have broad leaves and veins. Flowering plants are more adaptable to different environments, which is another reason why they are greater in number, and they are even found in high mountains and deserts.

Besides Angiosperm plants, there is another type called Gymnosperms which produce seeds without any ovary wall around them and are exposed to the air. Examples of these would include conifers and other plants and trees in their family. The largest flowering plant is the Chinese Wisteria, with branches over 100 metres long, which produce over 10,000,00 flowers a year. The smallest flower is a type of duckweed called Wolffia Punctata which measure only half a millimetre across consisting of leaves which are shaped like discs and a few small roots.