Angiosperms (Flowering)

Overview of Angiosperms

• Latin "Angio - sperm" = contained seed
• enclosed fruit
• Flowering plants
• Single phylum
• Anthophyta
• "Anthos" = flower
• largest taxa of seed plants
• Includes smallest and tallest of seed plants
• Reproduction
• Flower and Fruit: novel adaptation
• Most widespread and diverse of plants
• Monoecious: Male and Female parts together on same plant
• Dioecious: Male and Female parts on separate plants

Evolution of Angiosperms

• Non-Vascular Plants (~475 MYA; Paleozoic)
• Seedless Vascular Plants (~420 MYA; Paleozoic)
• Gymnosperms (~300 MYA; late-Paleozoic)
• This is when angiosperms split from gymnosperms (~300 MYA)
• Angiosperms (~145 MYA; mid-Mesozoic)
• Cretaceous Period: (140 - 70 MYA)
• Lots of Angiosperms
• Decline of Gymnosperms
• Related to Bennettitales: extinct seed plants with flower-like structures

• Darwin
• Sudden appearance of angiosperms was a mystery
• No obvious pre-cursers to flowers
• possibly because flowers are soft tissue, hard to preserve (fossil)
• Modern evidence shows angiosperms evolved from gymnosperm-like ancestors