The set of plants that make up the flora is more extensive than it may seem at first, since there is a great variety of families and subfamilies . In this sense, the different types of flowers fulfill a basic purpose in nature: to allow the reproduction of these plant species, but there are so many of them that their classification seems endless.
- You can also read: The 5 types of trees that exist in nature.
What is a flower
Let’s stop before detailing the types of flowers present in the kingdom of flora to deepen the definition of what a flower is. It should be emphasized that the plants that flower when they reach adulthood and therefore their sexual maturation, are called angiosperms ; in contrast to gymnosperms, from which no flower sprouts.
In botany, the flower is the part of some plants that sprouts from them to give rise to the reproductive organ of the same and from which the fruit will germinate (in those cases in which they are fruit plants). They are also the structure of the plant that houses the seeds that with pollination will spread to multiply.
To make possible such an important task that guarantees their survival, the different types of flowers have evolved to acquire intense colors and give off a special smell that attracts animals that suck their pollen (insects such as bees or birds such as hummingbirds, among others). ), helping to distribute their seeds and facilitating the perpetuation of their species.
However, much remains to be discovered, since it is believed that the first ancestors of today’s flowers already inhabited the Earth approximately 140 million years ago., in the middle of the Cretaceous period, when the dinosaurs were the masters. This data casts many doubts about their form of fertilization, size, land in which they grew or what these floral ancestors looked like in prehistory. The 2 main types of flowers present in nature
Although it is true that in nature not all categories are perfectly closed, but rather there are exceptions between the different types of flowers, which can share traits between subfamilies; In botany, two large families are distinguished with the following characteristics: 1. Monocotyledons
The cotyledon is the first leaf that sprouts from the seed of the plant and that will allow the growth of the rest of the flower. They are easily recognizable due to their large size compared to the rest of the structure and have the function of storing food reserves for the structure in formation, while it cannot do it by itself.
The petals of monocot flower types grow in multiples of three, while their roots branch into multiple organs that, unlike other plants, do not originate from a central root.
As examples of outstanding monocotyledonous flowers we have: 1.1. Tulipan
Among the most easily identifiable flowers with the naked eye and that are part of this subfamily, we have the tulips. These flowers with a cup-shaped corolla are a symbol in the NetherlandsAnd they exist in many colors. 1.2. Orchid Orchids
are probably the monocotyledons with the most heterogeneous morphology in the plant kingdom; and we can find them in sizes ranging from a few millimeters to several centimeters in diameter. 1.3. Lily of the valleys
The lily of the valleys is a type of flower highly valued for its mild aroma, as well as for its medicinal properties, thanks to which it has historically been used as a remedy to cure certain diseases and heart conditions. 2. Dicots
Unlike the previous group, the types of dicotyledonous flowers have at least two cotyledons, which can be increased in multiples of up to five, each with their respective organs.
Another of the characteristics that make them different is found underground: the roots originate from a main one, like the leaves , which sprout from the same central vein that gives rise to the rest, which extend throughout the tissue of the sheet.
Types of dicotyledonous flowers: 2.1. Margarita
They are surely the most abundant flower variety of all the flora, among which the most famous is the one with flat white petals, attached to a large orange central button . 2.2. Pink
Again, a beautiful-looking, fragrant scented flower. This flower, whose corolla is made up of overlapping petals, grows from a thorny stem and it is estimated that there are about 100 species of them. 23. Begonia
Highly demanded by gardening enthusiasts, begonias are flowers that add a touch of color to the general green of these planted lands. Except for blue, begonias exist in other colors and in various shades. Types of flowers according to their cycle
Another type of taxonomy (not incompatible with the previous one) is carried out according to the duration of the life of the flowers. Thus, we will have: 1. Annuals
The life cycle of annual flowers is one year, thusgerminate, flower and wither over 365 days . Generally, its high point occurs in the spring and summer seasons, and then it dies in autumn (daisies). However, there are flowering plants that follow the opposite course, often raised in greenhouses (petunias). 2. Biennials
As the name suggests, these types of flowers take two years to complete a complete life cycle . The most common is that the seeds are planted during the summer months, to find the first leaves at the beginning of the following year, from which time it will give rise to the flower throughout the coming months. Alelies or rosettes, for example, fit into this category.
- Discover a fascinating world: Fractals: what they are and how they are formed in nature.
