A Map That Visualizes the Natural Complexity of Plants

Dr. Dominic Walliman of Domain of Science, who previously summarized mathematics in an illustrated map and visualized the field of modern medicine, turned his sights to the naturally complex world of plants. Walliman explained what defines a plant, the DNA differences between plants, and the methods of reproduction, whether through spore or seed. While this map is not comprehensive, Walliman did an amazing job of representing overarching plant families.

In this map of plants I summarise all of the different kinds of plants from algae all the way through bryophytes, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms, monocots, eudicots, rosids and asterids. I explain how they are related to each other due to their evolutionary history, and the features that make plants so successful, leaves, roots, a vascular system, spores, seeds, flowers and fruits.

The Map of Plants
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.