Plant Groups
The major botanical groups — flowering plants, conifers, ferns, mosses and more — used to classify and understand every kind of plant on Earth.
Plant names can be overwhelming because common names, cultivars, and regional labels overlap. The simplest starting point is the major botanical group.
Major Groups
Section titled “Major Groups”| Group | What defines it | Common kinds |
|---|---|---|
| Flowering plants | Produce flowers and enclosed seeds | Trees, grasses, orchids, vegetables, herbs, palms |
| Conifers | Usually cone-bearing woody plants | Pines, cypresses, junipers, cedars, firs |
| Ferns and fern allies | Reproduce by spores, not flowers | Boston fern, tree fern, horsetail, clubmoss |
| Cycads and ginkgo | Ancient seed plants with distinctive forms | Sago palm, zamia, ginkgo |
| Bryophytes | Small non-vascular plants | Mosses, liverworts, hornworts |
| Algae and aquatic plant-like organisms | Photosynthetic aquatic organisms | Seaweeds, pond algae, phytoplankton |
Practical Cross-Categories
Section titled “Practical Cross-Categories”Many plants belong to more than one practical category. A lemon tree is a flowering plant, a fruit tree, a container plant in cold regions, and an evergreen landscape plant in warm regions. A basil plant is a flowering plant, a herb, an annual crop, and a pollinator plant when allowed to bloom.
Use the botanical group to understand reproduction and structure. Use the gardening category to choose care.