Video Transcript
The photo shows Mangifera
indica or the mango plant. What plant group does it belong
to? Why? (A) It belongs to Gymnospermae,
because it produces flowers. (B) It belongs to Angiospermae,
because it produces flowers. (C) It belongs to Gymnospermae,
because it does not produce flowers. Or (D) it belongs to Angiospermae,
because it does not produce flowers.
We can see that the answer choices
for this question all relate to whether the plant is a gymnosperm, belonging to
Gymnospermae, or an angiosperm, belonging to Angiospermae. Also, the reasoning provided for
each of these answers relates to whether the plant produces flowers or does not
produce flowers. Letβs quickly review what we may
remember about gymnosperms and angiosperms.
βGymno-β is a word part that means
naked, and gymnosperms are often referred to as having naked seeds. This means that the seeds are not
enclosed in a mature ovary, or a fruit. One good example of a gymnosperm is
a pine tree that releases seeds from its cones, which, of course, are not fruits,
but more of a modified leaflike structure.
Angiosperms, on the other hand, are
the flowering plants. In these plants, the seeds that are
produced are enclosed within a mature ovary or a fruit. The flowers produced by angiosperms
are designed to help pollination occur. Once that has happened, much of the
flower tends to wither and the maturation of the ovary portion of the flower
structure forms a fruit.
We may only know about the mango
plant what we see in the picture. We donβt see any flowers in this
picture, but we do see a bundle of mango fruits. Since mango plants form fruits,
which enclose its seeds, we know that mango plants must be angiosperms. And likewise, we also know that
they must produce flowers, since the fruit is formed from part of the flower
structure and also because angiosperms are flowering plants.
Therefore, the correct answer to
this question must be (B). The mango plant belongs to
Angiospermae because it produces flowers.
