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Gymnosperms
Gymnosperms are a large group of vascular plants also known as conifers. For these plants, the "naked seed" is born in the female cone. The seed forms only after pollen from the male cone is transferred to the female cone, where fertilization takes place. With gymnosperms, wind is the primary means of male pollen dispersal. Since seeds are often produced in circular rows on the outside edge of cones, these seeds are known as "naked seeds." Conifers are woody plants, where the vascular bundles are contained within a rigid trunk covered by bark.
Grasses and Lilies
The angiosperms, or more commonly the "flowering plants," are an even larger group of vascular plants. Reproduction occurs within the soft male and female part of these flowers, and pollen is the means by which male genetic material is transferred to the female part of the flower. Wind is an important means of pollination, but so are bees, flies, hummingbirds,moths and many other types of animals. Since angiosperms are such a large division of vascular plants, they are commonly broken down into monocots and dicots.
For the most part the monocots consist of grasses, orchids, lilies, bamboo and palm trees. Except for the palms, these plants are herbaceous. Still the phloem and xylem tubes can be found in the plant's stem and perform the same function as they do in all vascular plants, regardless whether they are woody or herbaceous.
Other Flowering Plants
The other large division of flowering plants are called dicots. The difference between monocts and dicots are based on the young shoot that grows out of the seed. Basically, monocots have one leaf in the young shoot and dicots have two. More obvious differences can be observed in the leaf and flower of these two classes of flowering plants. Dicotyledoneae (or dicots) are a large diverse class of flowering plants that includes many types of trees, including oaks, maples, beeches, birches, ashes and elms. Flowers in this class include sunflowers, clover, snapdragons, marigolds, and roses.
Ferns, Horsetails and Club Mosses
Ferns, horsetails and club mosses are vascular plants classified within the Phylum Lycopodiophyta. These vascular plants reproduce by spores, a very primitive means of reproduction. During the age of dinosaurs, these lycopods were floral giants that grew all over the earth's surface. Today, ferns, horsetails and club mosses are most commonly found on the forest floor in temperate, tropical and sub-tropical regions.