New Zealand Native Plants By Miguel Derraik - 914 Words

Year 9 Research Task 2 – New Zealand Native Plants By Miguel Derraik 1. PLANT GROUPS There are five main plant groups (although this division is not always consistent): Thallophytes - aquatic organisms whose body is not separated into stem and leaves, have no vascular bundles and reproduce asexually 1, e.g. Neptune’s necklace (Hormosira banksii) (Figure 1) and the bull kelp (Durvillaea antarctica). Figure 1: Neptune’s necklace (Hormosira banksii) Bryophytes - is a group consisting of three divisions: hornworts, liverworts and mosses. Bryophytes do not have water conducting vessels and they need aquatic and terrestrial environments to complete their life cycle 2, e.g. the moss Beeveria and Sphagnum (Figure 2) 5. Figure 2: The moss Sphagnum Pteridophytes - The Pteridophyte is a flowerless and seedless group of plants, with well developed vascular bundles, and true plant body parts. These are known as ferns, such as the silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) (Figure 3) 1. Figure 3: Silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) Gymnosperms - a group of flowering vascular plants with ovules and seeds exposed, so that seeds are not produced in fruit and are not protected 2,3. New Zealand has many important gymnosperms such as rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) , totara (Podocarpus totara), matai (Prumnopitys ferruginea), kauri (Agathis australis) (Figure 4) and the very tall (up to 60 m) kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) 4. Figure 4: A large kauri tree (Agathis australis) Angiosperms - a group of