FLORA 
GROUPING OF FLOWERING PLANTS 
Among the plants familiar to us are found some which do not 
produce seeds, that is, seeds in the sense that the grains of wheat 
or of mustard are seeds, each containing the embryo of a future 
plant. Such plants as ferns, mosses, mushrooms and a great num- 
ber of less conspicuous forms do not produce seeds of this kind, 
and, therefore, since a flower is a collection of organs essential to 
the evolution of the seed, these plants which are not reproduced 
from seeds have no occasion for flowers and consequently do not 
produce them. 
Plants producing neither flowers nor seeds constitute a great 
group by themselves, while those commonly known as “the higher 
plants ” constitute another well defined group. 
This latter group, characterized by the production of flowers and 
seeds is known as the Grand Division of Flowering Plants. 'Tech- 
nically the Grand Division is known as Embryophyta, the word 
meaning Hmbryo-plants or Phanerogamia, meaning plants having 
manifest flowers. 
In the introductory part of this work more detailed information 
regarding the principles of grouping in this Grand Division will 
be found. This should be carefully studied. 
The following table includes the Sub-divisions, Classes and 
Orders of this primary plant series so far as the orders are repre- 
sented by native plants in our area. 
The word Order as employed in the table and throughout this 
work is applied to a larger group than that to which it was applied 
in text-books a few years ago. The groups then known as orders 
are now known as families and an order, as the term is now used, 
may include several families. 
THE GRAND DIVISION OF FLOWERING PLANTS 
(EMBRYOPHATA, PHANEROGAMIA) 
Plants which produce seeds. They are provided with fully devel- 
oped or with rudimentary stamens and pistils which are the essen- 
tial elements of flowers. They are grouped into two Sub-divisions 
1 This grand or primary division is also known as Phanerogamia, meaning visible 
flowers, while the primary series, not endowed with such flowers is known as Crypto- 
gama, or hidden flowers. 
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