A Map That Visualizes the Natural Complexity of Plants

Dr. Dominic WallimanofDomain of Science, who previously summarizedmathematics in an illustrated map andvisualized 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.