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Gymnosperms

The gymnosperms ("naked seed") are vascular plants which produce seeds but not flowers. This group contains four Divisions of plants. The largest, most widespread, and most familiar group are the conifers, Division Coniferophyta, with about 550 species in 50 genera. Conifers include many familiar trees such as pines, firs, hemlocks, Douglas firs, cypress, junipers, and yews. The other three Divisions of gymnosperms are much smaller and rather obscure. Division Cycadophyta contains about 140 species of mainly tropical palm-like plants called cycads. Division Ginkgophyta contains but one species, an 80 million-year-old evolutionary leftover known as the maidenhair tree. Finally, Division Gnetophyta contains about 70 species, some with some very odd charcteristics. Taxonomists sometimes group all the gymnosperms into a single Division called Pinophyta.

• Division Pinophyta
  From the Survey of Plant Kingdoms site.
• Gymnosperm Database
  Although still under construction, this is a fantastic resource for gymnosperm information. Databse fields include: taxon, family name, common names, description, range, big tree, oldest known, dendochronology, ethnobotany, citations, photos, and more. Enter the main datbase through the "Taxonomic Tree" option.
• The Virtual Foliage Homepage: General Botany Directory, Gymnosperm Subdirectory
  Set of photos arranged taxonomically on a gopher. Images available for all four Divisions of gymnosperms. Part of a larger set of images from the University of Wisconsin.
• Dinosaur Food and Maidenhair
  Part of a series of lectures from a plant biology course. I haven't been cross-listing each of these syllabus topics (they are listed under All Species and/or General Plant Inforamation.) But I love the name of this one, so it getting it's own listing! Overview of the gymnosperms. Mostly text with a life cyce diagram.
• The Seeds of Life
  A beautiful on-line book about seeds.
• Kingdom Plantae (II): The Seed
  A study guide from a college course.

  Cycads

• Introduction to the Cycads: Legacy of the Mesozoic
  Part of the Berkeley Phyologeny of Life site.
• Cycads: Survivors from the Dinosaur Era
  Nice overview and a photo from the Macquarie University Biological Sciences Museum.
• Palms and Cycads: A Graphics Library
  Large set of photos and illustrations from The Interantional Palm Society, devoted to the "study, culture and preservation of palms around the world."
• Palms and Cycads
  Apparently for sale from American Desert Plants, Inc. A few nice photos.
• Cycads of Mexico
  WWW trial of a CD by the same title. Very nice, but in Spanish. [The CD is available in Spanish and English.]
• Aamazing Cycads by Steve
  Brief overview of cycads, and information on where to purchase them.

  Ginkgo

• Brief Notes on Ginkgo bioloba
  Excellent, very thorough all-text overview of the species and its evolutionary significance.
• Ginkgo Biloba- The Maidenhair Tree
  A ton of information about biology and cultivtation from a ginkgo enthusiast. A few photos and links.
• Ginkgo
  Drawing and a link to an article about ginkgo. The article is part of the Time-Life Plant Encylopedia.
• University of Delaware Ginkgo Photos
  Set of photos on a gopher menu. From the University of Delaware Botanical Garden. Also see their description of the tree.
• Ginkgo Biloba
  Brief overview of the tree and its medicinal uses. Ginkgo capsules for sale.

  Conifers

• Christmas Tree History and Characteristics
  Posted by the National Christmas Tree Association, this site contains a surprising amount of biological information about several conifers. It also offers an overview of naming trees and a handy glossary of tree terms. But I just think it's neat that there is such a thing as a Christmas Tree Association!
• University of Delaware Conifer Photos
  Extensive set of photos on a gopher menu. From the University of Delaware Botanical Garden.
• Conifer Growth
  An interesting essay from Jeff's Journal of Dinosaur Paleontology.
• Trees of the Northwest Pacific
  Features descriptions of common Oregon conifer genera, a dichotomous key, and a "mystery tree."
• Conifer Identification Tips
  Nice identification key for northwestern conifers, with photos. From the Wenatchee Chapter Washington Native Plant Society.
• Cypress
  Links to articles about bald and Italian cypress. The articles are part of the Time-Life Plant Encylopedia.
• The Pacific Yew
  Description of biology, uses, and threats facing this species. Also includes a throrough overview of taxol, a cancer-fighting drug extracted from yew trees. Posted as part of a student project.

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Skip the introduction and jump to flowering plant subtopics: general information and taxonomy | images | groups and species

The largest and most familiar group of plants are the angiosperms, or flowering plants, classified as Division Anthophyta or Magnoliophyta. Members of this Division are vascular plants which produce seeds, flowers, and fruit. Angiosperms are divided into two classes. Class Monocotyledones or Liliopsida contains about 65,000 species known as monocots, including lilies, orchids, agaves, palms, and grasses. Class Dicotyledones or Magnoliopsida includes about 170,000 speces known as dicots. Just about all the familiar trees, shrubs, and herbs which are not mosses, ferns, conifers, or monocots belong to the dicot group.

Flowering Plant General Information and Taxonomy

• Division Magnoliophyta
  From the Survey of Plant Kingdoms site.
• Introduction to the Anthophyta: the flowering plants
  Part of the Berkely Phylogeny of Life site.
• Index to Displays
  Nice overview and photos of monocots and dicots from the Macquarie University Virtual Biology Museum.
• Monocots versus Dicots
  Part of the Berkely Phylogeny of Life site.
• Introduction to the Liliopsida: The Monocots
  Part of the Berkely Phylogeny of Life site.
• Monocots
  This is a great database for monocot taxonomy. Features lists of families, genera, and species. Click on any item from one of these lists, and you get a terminal screen for the family, listing the family's characteristics and all its genera and species. All text.
• Flowering Plant Gateway
  "The selection options at the base of this page provide various paths for exploration or comparison of two major systems of flowering plant classification. Family-level data include links to WWW information for those families for which information is available." Or select from an alphabetical index of families. Links provided for families of non-flowering vascular plants.
• The Families of Flowering Plants
  This is not a flashy page, but there is a TON of information. All the families are listed alphabetically. Click on one for anatomy, reproduction, taxonomy, etc.
• Flower Identification
  Photos of representative species for each flowering plant family. Posted for a college course.
• Flowering Plant Family Recognition
  Posted for a college course in plant taxonomy, this site offers family characterists and photos of representative species for all the flowering plants.
• Anthophyta: More on Morphology
  Part of the Berkely Phylogeny of Life site. Flower, seed, and fruit information.
• The Seeds of Life
  A beautiful on-line book about seeds.
• Kingdom Plantae: The Seed
  A study guide from a college course.
• Fruit Key
  Use this system to determine the official botanical name for various types of fruits. Posted for a college course. Also see this quick set of rules governing plant nomenclature.
• How Flowers Changed the World
  A teacher's curriculum guide to accompany an essay by the same title, which was originally published in The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley (1957, Random House). From The Friends Of Loren Eiseley.

  Flowering Plant Images

• The Virtual Foliage Homepage: General Botany Directory, Angiosperm Subdirectory
  Set of photos arranged taxonomically on a gopher. Look under "Various Flowers" for a large selection of monocots and dicots. Part of a larger set of images from the University of Wisconsin.
• Flower Identification
  Photos of representative species for each flowering plant family. Posted for a college course.
• Flowering Plant Photos
  Fairly large collection of photos arranged by family. Posted for a college course.
• Wildflower Photography
• Menu of Wildflowers for Mr. Slichter's Biology Classes at Gresham High School
  Neat overview of northwestern wildflowers. Each week offers photos and biological information for ten species. The review for each week features an ID quiz for those ten plants. Fun, colorful, and interesting.
• Dave's Photographic Herbarium
  Medium-sized collection of West Virginia flowering plant photos posted by a high school teacher.
• Smithsonian Catalog of Botanical Illustrations
  A huge archive of illustrations for the genera of Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, Melastomataceae. The one I looked at was in color.
• Plants Toxic to Animals
  Nice set of photos for each of several dozen toxic plant species. Listed by common or scientific name. Part of a veterinary medicine site.
• Orchid Picture Gallery
  Beautiful collection of orchid photos. Focus on horticulture.
• Palms and Cycads: A Graphics Library
  Large set of photos and illustrations from The Interantional Palm Society, devoted to the "study, culture and preservation of palms around the world."
• Palms and Cycads
  Apparently for sale from American Desert Plants, Inc. A few nice photos.
• Palm Photos
  Nice set of photos changed monthly. Part of Palms of the World.
• Cacti Photos
  Small set of photos from the Wenatchee Chapter Washington Native Plant Society.
• Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats
  My favorite of the carnivorous plant pages. Photos of these fascinating plants in the wild.
• Bladderwort
  Scanning electron micrograph.

  Groups and Species of Flowering Plants

  Wildflowers

• Pacific Northwest Wildflowers
  Simple identification key with some nice photos of select species. Posted by Gresham High School.
• Menu of Wildflowers for Mr. Slichter's Biology Classes at Gresham High School
  Neat overview of northwestern wildflowers. Each week offers photos and biological information for ten species. The review for each week features an ID quiz for those ten plants. Fun, colorful, and interesting.
• Wildflower Page
  What a fun site! A photo and brief description of the "wildflower of the week."

  Carnivorous Plants

• Carnivorous Plant Database
  "This database includes over 3000 entries giving an exhaustive nomenclatural synopsis of all Carnivorous Plants." Searchable.
• Carnivorous Plant FAQ
  Information on ecology, taxonomy, cultivation. Plus photos.
• Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats
  My favorite of the carnivorous plant pages. Photos of these fascinating plants in the wild.
• Carnivorous Plant Archive Page
  Lots of links for carnivorous plant information, books, societies, list-serves, horticulture, homepages, and poaching.
• Peter's Carnivorous Plant Page
  Photos, links, and more. Horticultural focus.

  Orchids

• OrchidWeb
  Information about each genera available under "All About Orchids." Posted by the American Orchid Society, and affiliated with the Time Life Virtual Garden.
• AnTec Laboratory
  This is apparently a company which breeds and sells Orchids, Paphiopedilum, and Phragmipedium. Their page features lots of information about Paphiopedilum, including many nice photos and a discussion of taxonomy. There is also some orchid artwork. I hold back the star only because of the commercial nature of the site.
• Orchids on the WWW
  Lots of orchid links, largely horticultural.
• Pollinia: Network Orchid Resources
  Another orchid links site.

  Cacti and Succulents

• Cactus Walk
  Explore four groups of cacti from the Sonoran desert: saguro, cholla, barrel cacti, and prickly pear. Photos and text.
• Cacti and Succulents
  Information and photos of select genera.
• Cactus and Succulent Plant Mall
  LOTS of links for cactus and succulent societies, dealers, and information.
• Cactus Home Page
  Cactus photo gallery and information. Focus is horticultural. Except for this English homepage, this site is in Japanese.

  Miscellaneous Groups and Species

• The Asclepiad Page
  "The Asclepiadaceae comprise a large and diverse group of about two-thousand species of plants split into 300 genera. The Asclepiads deserve wider recognition by plant enthusiasts for their unusual and often brightly coloured flowers, with a characteristic five-fold symmetry." Information on select genera, lots of photos, some links, including one to the International Asclepiad Society
• The Bromeliaceae Web Pages
  Taxonomy, ecology, geography, photos and more. Nice layout.
• THE FLOWERING PLANT FAMILY LYTHRACEAE, THE LOOSESTRIFES
  "THE GENERA OF NORTH AMERICA INCLUDING MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA." Includes family characteristics, references, photos, and a key to genera.
• International Legume Database & Information Service
  This organization is developing a database of all legume species worldwide. Site offers basic information about the family and ILDIS services. However, the on-line database is just getting off the ground, with listings for only three genera to date. For the one species I examined, fields included taxonomy, geography, references, and a teriffic collection of color and line drawings.
• Rosaceae Homepage
  A slide show with interesting information and some nice photos. Posted to accompany a college lecture about the rose family.
• Palms of the World
  Information, links, and a nice photo gallery, updated monthly. Focus is horticultural.
• Seagrass
  Taxonomy, pictures, distribution, issues, and more.
• Western Australian Seagrass Website
  
• The American Bamboo Society
  Features an Introduction to Bamboo, a discussion of Bamboo Taxonomy, lots of links, and more. Focus is horticultural.
• The Pecan Tree
  A quick, all text overview of the tree, its characteristics, and its uses. Includes a bibliography. From Dorhman Pecan Farms.
• The Amazing Story of Kudzu

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• The Virtual Foliage Homepage: Dendrology Directory
  Extensive set of photos, organized alphabetically by genus on a gopher meun. There were several views for the one species I examined. Part of a larger set of images from the University of Wisconsin.
• The Virtual Foliage Homepage: General Botany Directory,
  Shrubs and Trees Subdirectory
  Yet another excellent collection of photos from the prolific Botany Department of U. Wisconsin.
• University of Delaware Woody Plant Photos
  Extensive set of photos on a gopher menu in the following categories: braod-leaved evergreens, conifers, shrubs, trees, and small flowering trees. From the University of Delaware Botanic Garden. Also offers a search engine.
• Tree Species of the Month
  Agroforestry focus.
• Tree Book: Learning to Recognize the Trees of British Columbia
  Nice guide from the Canadian government.
• Trees of California
  Part of a forest ecology class project, this is a fairly long list of trees. Most are hypertext links to some extensive information, and ususally a photo. Unfortunately, links to upclose photos (cones, bark, etc.) appear to be dead.
• British Trees
  Long list of trees native to the British Isles, indexed by Latin and common name. Each entry includes habitat, distribution, phenology, uses of wood, and more. Site also features a photomicrograph collection of seeds and flowers, a bibliography, and links to all sorts of tree groups- commercial, conservation, and forestry.
• ULTIMATE WEB PAGES ABOUT TREE RINGS AND TREE-RING RESEARCH
  Extensive site. Topics include resources, links, software, refernces, jobs, and an image gallery. Plus a great introduction to dendochronology prinicples, and a huge index to the whole site.
• Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research Bibliography of Dendrochronology
  Searchable database.
• USDA Forest Service Home Page
  
• Forestry information resources on the Internet
  
• Tree World HomePage
  From TreeWorld: Specializing in the Care and Maintenance of Trees. Features a nice glossary.
• Forest & Shade Tree Pathology
  Everything you ever wanted to know about tree diseases. From State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

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