Survey of Plant Kingdom 109 



in a particular phylum have one or more characteristics in common. 

 These characteristics are considered below for each of the phyla of 

 plants and are described under the heading of General Characteristics. 



Naturally, if our classification went no farther than phyla, there would 

 be too many differences among the various members so that the sys- 

 tem would be practically useless. Consequently, all the members of a 

 phylum, having one or more arbitrarily chosen characters in common, 

 are placed in a subdivision, called a class. Sometimes a phylum is 

 divided into subphyla. In a similar way classes may be divided into 

 orders, orders into families, families into genera (singular, genus), and 

 genera into species. The scientific name of any plant is composed of 

 its genus and its species; i.e., ordinary corn has the scientific name of 

 Zea mays, the former being the genus and the latter the species. 



Kingdom Plantae 



Subkingdom Thallophyta (tha -lof i ta) (Gr. thallos, "leaflike," or young shoot; 

 phyta, plants) (plants not forming an embryo) (Figs. 29 to 42) 



1. 'PhyXnm Cyano phyta (si an -of i ta) {Gr. kyanos,h\viG', phyta, \)\2iwts) (blue- 



green algae) (Fig. 29) 



2. Phylum Chlorophyta (klor-of ita) (Gr. chloros, green; phyta, plants) 



(green algae) (Fig. 30) 



3. Phylum Chry so phyta (kris -of i ta) (Gr. chrysos, gold', /? A j^a, plants) (yel- 



low-green, golden-brown algae and diatoms) (Fig. 31) 



4. Phylum Phaeophyta (fe -of i ta) (Gr. phaios, brown or dusky; phyta, plants) 



(brown algae) (Fig. 32) 



5. Phylum Rhodophyta (rod -of i ta) (Gr. rhodon, red; phyta, plants) (red 



algae) (Fig. 33) _ _ ^ ^ 



6. Phylum Schizomyco phyta (skiz o mai -kof i ta) (Gr. schizo, split or fission; 



mykes, fungus; phyta, plants) (bacteria) (Fig. 34) 



7. Phylum Myxomycophyta (mik so mai -kof i ta) (Gr. myxos, slime; mykes, 



fungus; phyta, plants) (slime molds or slime fungi) (Fig. 35) 



8. Phylum Eumycophyta (yu mai -kof i ta) (Gr. eu, good or true; mykes, 



fungus; phyta, plants) (true fungi) 



(1) Class Phycomycetes ( fi ko mai -s,e' tez ) (Gr. phykos, algalike; mycetes, 



fungi) (algalike fungi) (Figs. 36 and 64) 



(2) Class Ascomycetes (as ko mai -se' tez) (Gr. ascus, sac; mycetes, fungi) 



(Ascus or sac fungi) (Figs. 37 to 40) 



(3) Class Basidiomycetes (basidi omai-se'tez) (Gr. basidium, base or 



club; mycetes, fungi) (Basidium or club fungi) (Figs. 41, 42 and 

 65) 



Subkingdom Embryophyta (em bri -of i ta) (Gr. embryon, embryo; phyta, plants) 

 (plants forming an embryo) (Figs. 43 to 60) 



9. Phylum Bryophyta (Atracheata) (bri -of i ta) (L. bryon, moss; phyta, 



plants) (a tre ke -a' ta) (Gr. a, without; tracheia, duct or vessel) 

 (moss plants) (plants without vascular [conducting] tissues) 



(1) Class Musci (mu' si) (L. muscus, moss) (true mosses) (Figs. 45 and 



46) 



(2) Class Hepaticae (he-pat'ise) (L. hepaticus, liver) (Liverworts) 



(Figs. 43 and 44) 



