Plant DiversityTracheophytes— Flowering Plants (Angiosperms) |
What are the major characteristics of angiosperms? |
Angiosperms are seed plants whose reproductive structures are fruits and flowers. They are the most diverse plant species in the world and include about 90 percent of all plants—more than 240,000 species. When angiosperms reproduce, their sperm does not have to “swim” with flagella (for more about flagella, see the chapter “Cellular Basics”) in order for fertilization to occur, but can use numerous other ways to get the sperm to fertilize the plant, such as by wind, insects, and wildlife.