The initial stage of a grown tree is the plant, so we can say that ‘plant may or may not grows into a tree‘, but vice versa is not true. Among the five-kingdom classification, plants and tree fall into the same kingdom ‘Plantae‘.
This is one of the major kingdoms which includes grass, herbs, shrubs, vines, bushes, mosses, ferns, green algae and trees. Plants and trees are multicellular, eukaryotes. They both have stems, leaves, roots and vascular system for transporting the food and water. If we discuss their survival, plants are divided into three categories: ruderal, circumventor and stress-tolerant.
The annual and perennial plants that reproduce quickly and produce numerous seeds are known as ruderals. The plants and trees that are less productive in seed production, preventive against disease and pests, tolerant to the surroundings are known as circumventor. The plants and trees that protect themselves from being eaten and grows in less water and fertilizers are known as stress-tolerant plants.
Trees and plants are helpful in many ways, as they clean air, they provide oxygen, they maintain the temperature in the atmosphere, they conserve energy, prevents soil erosion and deforestation, provides food and medicines.
So we can say that plants and trees have invaluable importance to living beings and an atmosphere. In this article, we will discuss the difference between plants and trees and their significance.
Content: Plants Vs Trees
Comparison Chart
| Basis for Comaprison | Plants | Trees |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Plants are associated to the kingdom Plantae. | Trees are tall plants with woody tissue. |
| Size | Plants vary in sizes. They can be of few inches or closer to the grounds like grasses or long like shrubs. | Trees are generally taller than plants. They can be of few feet or more towering up to 300 feet like coast redwood. |
| Stems | Plants have soft, tender stems, single or multiple, or maybe pseudostem. | Trees are known for their hard and woody stems which are known as the trunk, and it provides support in holding the weight of a tree. |
| Mode of Nutrition | Autotrophic, though few are heterotrophic also (Pitcher plant). | Autotrophic. |
| Lifespan | Plants do not have a long life span, some plants are also seasonal, and so they can survive just for one growing season, bi-annuals (for two seasons) or perennials (five to hundred years). | Trees have a long life span and can live up to hundreds of years under favourable conditions. |
Definition of Plants
Plants (Plantae), are the multicellular eukaryotes, they are one of the essential life forms of the ecosystem. They are characterized by photosynthetic nutrition (except few parasitic plants, insectivorous plants), where the chemical energy is produced with the help of water, sunlight, minerals and carbon dioxide. Secondly, they are immobilized, which results in stationary existence. They can grow widely in a localized region.
Plants have well defined vascular system which helps in transporting water and food throughout the body. Their size varies from few millimetres (duckweed) to the 90 metres (giant sequoias) to even more. There are varieties of plants, which are found in different regions of the world; they are present in the dry zone, cold region, underwater, high lands, low lands, etc.
Till now approx. 390, 900 species of plants are known, and there are more to be explored in different areas of the world. They all serve and support the life form in many ways. Directly or indirectly, all types of energy consumed by the living organism rely on the process of photosynthesis performed by the green plants.
Definition of Trees
A type of woody plant that continues its growth (perennial). Trees (Plantae), have a single trunk that supports its weight, the trunk has woody tissues and the secondary limbs or branches are also produces by the trunk of a tree.
Physiologically we can describe the tree as the trunk of a tree has dead tissues that serve to maintain the weight of the treetop. The xylem and phloem present within the band of tissues and supports in transporting the food and water from roots to other parts of the tree. Xylem is present inside the cambium, while phloem is present outside the tissue.
The tree grows two annual rings every year; one is in summer, which is a thick layer known as summerwood, and second is in spring, which is a vast and thin layer known as springwood forms.
The trees represent the fundamental and most massive diversity on Earth. The biosphere directly or indirectly depends on the activity of the tree-like metabolism, photosynthesis, recycling, as well as their products (pulp, fruits, leaves, flowers, wood, etc.) Approximately there are 3 trillion mature trees all around the world.
Key Differences Between Plants and Trees
Following are the essential points between plants and trees:
- Plants are associated to the kingdom Plantae. Trees are tall plants with woody tissue.
- Plants are of different sizes. They can be of few inches or closer to the grounds like grasses or long like shrubs. Trees are generally taller than plants. They can be of few feet or taller up to 300 feet like coast redwood.
- Plants have soft, tender stems, single or multiple, or maybe pseudostem. Trees are known for their hard and woody stems which are known as the trunk, and it provides support in holding the weight of a tree.
- Plants and trees are autotrophic as they can prepare their food by the process of photosynthesis, though few plants are heterotrophic also like Pitcher plant.
- Plants do not have a long life span, some plants are also seasonal, and so they can survive just for one growing season, bi-annuals (for two seasons) or perennials (five to hundred years). Trees can live up to hundreds of years under favourable conditions.
Similarities
- Plants and Trees belong to the same kingdom ‘Plantae’.
- They are eukaryotes and multicellular.
- Plants and Trees are immobile.
- They contain chlorophylls and chloroplast.
- They perform photosynthesis to produce energy, so-called as photoautotrophs.
- The body of plants and trees have a vascular system.
- Most kinds of plants and trees are helpful in many ways.
Conclusion
We can sum up by saying that Trees are also the kinds of plants, and so share many standard features. Plants and trees belong to the same kingdom ‘Plantae’, and they use sunlight, air and water to make their food. These are beneficial to nature, as well to other living beings because plants, trees and their products like fruits, vegetables and flowers are used as food, medicine and industrially.
John Rimamnyang says
Thanks for having all this answer