Angiosperms

General Characteristics

• Angiosperms are vascular plants, containing the vascular tissues Xylem and Phloem.
• They also have stems, roots and leaves to help with the intake and dispersal of nutrients and water.
• Angiosperms have flowers, and which are specialized structured for them to carry out sexual reproduction.
• The seeds of an angiosperm are enclosed within the fruit, the fruit is essentially a plants ovary once its petals had fallen off.

Diagram of a monocot Lily:

Samples & Species

Monocots

Yellow Daylily 

Bear-Creek Park, May 21 11:50 AM
As seen in this picture, the Yellow daylily is a monocot as its petals grow in multiples of three. Another indicator that this flower is monocot is the parallel arrangement of its leaf veins. This monocot is known to be very fragrant, its fragrance is described to smell similar to oranges or lilies which is why many insects are attracted to them. The Yellow daylily is native to Asia, mainly East Asia where it is used for its  medicinal properties as well as in food. 

Garden Tulip/Didier’s Tulip

Hill along 144 St, May 17 3:12 PM

This Garden Tulip has petals growing in multiples of three as seen in this image. However according to the identification app used, this tulip appears to be wilting because rather than having its usual bulbous shaped petal arrangement, these petals appear to droop downwards. These tulips had actually originated from Southwest Asia, then brought over to Europe by the Ottomans where the flowers gained popularity.

Spanish Bluebell 

My Backyard Garden, May 21 7:50 PM

Similar to the observations of the monocots prior to this Spanish Bluebell, its petals grow in multiples of three. The leaf veins of this plant also run parallel to each other, a characteristic shared amongst other monocots. This plant had originated from the Iberian Peninsula. They often grow in woodlands or alongside roads, they are also a common garden plant.

Dicots

Bleeding Heart

Bear-Creek Park, May 21 11:48 AM

In this image of the Bleeding Heart plant, four petals can be seen on each "heart" which indicates that this plant is a dicot. Another feature that indicates that this plant is dicot is the arrangement of the plant's leaf veins, which spread out in a net-like system as opposed to the parallel veins seen in monocots. The Bleeding Heart is native to Siberia, China, Korea and Japan and it thrives in moist soil and sunlight. The plant has a unique heart shape with what appears to be a teardrop shaped pistil emerging from the bottom of the heart.

Giant Rhubarb

Bear-Creek Park, May 21 11:46 AM

Though this plant lacks any flowering parts to assess, its leaves are the main indicator which helps to identify this plant as a dicot due to its net-like vein arrangement. The giant cone structures are called flower spikes, they can grow quite tall and are also covered in tiny flowers. The Giant Rhubarb plant resembles the more commonly known Rhubarb, only much larger as its name suggests. Despite their name, this plant is not related to the Rhubarb family but instead comes from the family Gunnera. The Giant Rhubarb is native to Brazil, and grows in areas near ponds or by the edges of bodies of water.

Van Houtte Spiraea

Bear-Creek Park, May 21 11:55 AM

The petals of the Van Houtte Spiraea grow in bundles of five, and the structure of their leaf veins also resemble a network of webs. They grow best when fully exposed to sunlight, and areas with well-drained soils. It is mostly grown in hedges, borders around buildings and is native to China as well as Canada and the United States.

Adaptations

In comparison to gymnosperms, angiosperms are more advanced as their seeds actually have a protective covering. In this case, this covering is the fruit (the flower's ovary) which not only protects the seeds from desiccation and the outside environment in general but can also provide nutrients for the seed when it decomposes aiding the seed in its growth. Additionally, these fruit coverings also help to disperse the seeds as the fruits are usually consumed or attached to other organisms who travel long distances and produce waste containing these seeds thus resulting in their reproduction. Furthermore, angiosperms do not require water in order for them to fertilize and instead have features such as brightly coloured petals or sweet smells to attract pollinators who would then transfer their pollen (sperm cells).