Angiosperms refer to the vascular terrestrial plants that produce seeds, flowers and fruits.
Angiosperms are the most diverse group in the kingdom Plantae with more than 250,000 identified species. Angiosperms are within the group of spermatophytes, that is, plants that produce seeds.
Angiosperms, as part of the kingdom Plantae, are multicellular, autotrophic, eukaryotic, aerobic and immobile. Angiosperms are characterized from the rest of the plant species by having:
ovules protected by their fruits modified leaves that facilitate fertilization (calyx, corolla) high capacity for adaptation showy flowers male organ (stamen) and female organ (pistil) in the same flower (mostly monoecious)
See also: Kingdom plantae and Planta.
Angiosperms are also characterized by the diversity of means they use for pollination. They use insects (entomophilous pollination), the wind (anemophilous pollination) or birds (ornithophilous pollination). After fertilization of the egg within the ovary, the ovary matures and transforms into a fruit.
Types of Angiosperms
Angiosperms are divided into two groups of plants according to the primary leaves that emerge when they germinate:
The monocotyledons: the embryo contains only one cotyledon, that is, only one leaf is born when it germinates. They are considered more evolved and among them are bulbous plants, grasses, orchids and palm trees.
The dicotyledons: They are the most common group of plants. Its embryo contains two cotyledons, which means that when it germinates, two leaves will emerge. This group is considered more primitive than the monocotyledons.