MODERN FLOWERING PLANTS

Design and InstallationGarden Caregarden TriviaPlant Health CareUncategorized
Written By Peter Morris

FLOWERING PLANTS

 Although still very old ( as in 125 million years ! ) flowering plants are considered “modern”.  This is because they produce a seed inside a vessel. Unlike their ancestors, they also produce a flower containing both male and female reproductive structures.Flowering plants evolved into two main groups. Monocotyledons and dicotyledons. A cotyledon is the number of parts in a seed. Beans have two halves and thus are dicots. Corn is a monocot.  

MONOCOTYLEDONS

 

Monocots have parallel leaf venation and and usually fibrous root systems.

 

Their flower parts are arranged in sets of threes.  The stems are rarely woody and not in a cylindrical cluster in the center -  like in trees. They are instead arranged scattered across the stem.

  

The most common groups of monocots are orchids, grasses, sedges, palms and aroids.

 

Common Trillium – flower parts in threes !

 

There are approximately 60,000 species of monocots.  The most economically important of all plant families – is the Poaceae (true grasses).

 

Rice !

 

Other prominent monocot families include orchids, lilies, palms and Irises.

 

Cymbidium orchid

 

Grasses do NOT have much secondary growth occurring on their upright branches. Also, shorter heights and thinner stems. As they mature and get taller, it is not possible to prune them in the conventional way.  Unlike other hardwood plants, these will usually not produce new shoots from cut branches (except some bamboo). To get new shoots many times one has to cut them down to the ground.  New shoots form from a centered clump that radiates outwards in all directions. Eventually, the clumps creates a hollow center.

In agriculture, the majority of the plants produced comes from monocotyledons. These include; rice, wheat, corn, sugar cane, forage grasses, bamboo, palms, bananas, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, asparagus, pineapple, leeks, onions, and garlic.

Onions !

Additionally, most of the horticultural bulbs cultivated for their blooms are monocotyledons.  Included in them are lilies, daffodils, irises, amaryllis, cannas, bluebells and tulips !

Tulips, daffodils, muscari and hyacinth bulbs

 

DICOTYLEDONS

 

Dicots have a netted leaf venation with a main taproot system.  Its flower parts come in fours or fives (or multiples), and "sepals" protect the flower.  The wood is in rings and compressed into the center of the stem. Needless to say, there are exceptions in all these categories. However, they comprise more that 75% of all flowering plants and evolved in every environment imaginable. About 50 percent of all dicot species are woody and branching of stems is common.

 

Hibiscus – a typical dicot flower

 

Prominent dicot families are many !  Some are used for their fragrance oils like eucalyptus, and tea tree.  Many are good to eat too ! citrus, buckthorn, legumes, peas, cabbages, kale, broccoli, celery, parsley, and mint! And many just for their flowers :daisy, protea, euphorbia, mimosa, ranunculus, clematis.

 

Flower parts in sets of Five !

 

Take a closer look at a flower – can you tell if its a monocot or a dicot ?

or cross cut open an apple and count the chambers that hold the seeds. 

What do you see ?

 

If you want your garden full of flowers - Call Plant Specialists TODAY !

We have experts that know what to plant !

Don't delay – the sooner the better !

  

GREENING NEW YORK FOR OVER 51 YEARS !

   Article written by our Staff Horticulturist, Peter B Morris, BSc, MSc, MBAAll photographs used with permission @SHUTTERSTOCK 

Peter Morris

Peter was born and raised on a beautiful green island in the midst of a tropical rainforest. He was introduced into the world of plants at the age of six when his grandmother, an avid Spanish gardener herself, asked him to help her grow seeds for her pepper garden. He was hooked! By the time he was a teen, he had his own rose and orchid collection numbering in the hundreds. Botany was in his blood, and that is what he set out to study.

His passion brought him to NY in the late seventies to further his education. His tenacity allowed him to work full time at Plant Specialists while he completed a MS in Plant Biology. As a manager at the time he felt unsatisfied with his knowledge of business and business processes. Peter felt compelled to learn, so he then pursued and completed an MBA in Quality Management within a few short years.

Peter’s other passion is teaching. His natural ability is quickly consumed by our staff in all subjects in Botany, Horticulture, and Landscaping. He created an immense reference library of more than 3,500 plants providing an invaluable resource for our staff.

Peter’s breadth of knowledge and wisdom allows him to effectively diagnose the needs of plants. Sometimes just by walking into a garden he can create a prescription that fixes even the hardest issue. He is our Staff Botanist, Diagnostician, and all around Mentor. Recently, he has put his immense knowledge and skills into developing a new department that focuses on Plant Healthcare. As he puts it, “Magic through Science”. The PHC staff that surround him have avidly consumed his teachings. Substantially developing their own plant wisdom, many have taken on difficult plant health issues with spectacular results.

Plant Healthcare has been an instant success with customers! The proper treatment of insects and diseases including Organic methods has made pest control a necessity for every plant. Correcting hormonal imbalances caused by planting in containers or refurbishing soils leached of nutrients by irrigation systems are big challenges PHC has become quite comfortable addressing. The scientific approach to the complex demands of keeping plants healthy in our harsh city environment has made many a customer say WOW!

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