Angiosperms are vascular plants with stems, roots, and leaves. The seeds of the angiosperm are found in a flower. These make up the majority of all plants on earth. The seeds develop inside the plant organs and form fruit. Hence, they are also known as flowering plants.
Characteristics of Angiosperms
- Angiosperms have diverse characteristics. The important characteristics of angiosperms are mentioned below:
- All plants have flowers at some stage in their life. The flowers are the reproductive organs for the plant, providing them with a means of exchanging genetic information.
- The sporophyte is differentiated into stems, roots, and leaves.
- The vascular system has true vessels in the xylem and companion cells in the phloem.
- The stamens (microsporophyll) and the carpels (megasporophyll) are organized into a structure called the flower.
- One megasporophyll (stamen) contains four pollen sacs (microsporangia).
- The ovules are enclosed in the ovary at the base of the megasporophyll.
- Angiosperms are heterosporous, i.e., produce two kinds of spores, microspore (pollen grains) and megaspores.
- A single functional megaspore is permanently retained within the nucellus.
- The pollen grains transfer from the anther to stigma and reproduction takes place by pollination. They are responsible for the transfer of genetic information from one flower to the other. The pollen grains are much smaller than the gametophytes or reproductive cells present in the non-flowering plants.
- The sporophytes are diploid.
- The root system is very complex and consists of cortex, xylem, phloem, and epidermis.
- The flowers undergo double and triple fusion which leads to the formation of a diploid zygote and triploid endosperm.