Botany 101: The Basics of Botany

Last updated: Aug 05 2026

Key takeaways

Botany is the scientific study of plants, including their structure, growth, reproduction, classification, and relationships.

Plant cells contain structures such as cell walls, chloroplasts, and vacuoles that distinguish them from animal cells.

Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds each perform specialized functions that support plant growth and reproduction.

Botany is defined as the study of plants. Over the centuries, it has evolved and today includes several areas of specialization:

Physiology: The study of plant growth and development
Morphology and Anatomy: The study of plant structures
Taxonomy and Systematics: The study of the naming and classification of plants
Genetics and Breeding: The study of genes and inheritance
Ecology: The study of relationships between plants and their environments
Horticulture: The art or practice of garden cultivation and management

This body of work deals primarily with vascular plants. There are two basic groups of vascular plants:

Angiosperms: About 300,000 species of flowering plants whose seeds are typically enclosed in a dry or fleshy fruit which develops from the flower
Gymnosperms: About 1000 species of non-flowering plants that produce exposed seeds that are not completely enclosed in fruits

Of these two groups of vascular plants, gymnosperms are the more primitive. In addition to including conifers like pines, junipers, cedars, and cypress trees, gymnosperms also include cycads and ginkgo trees.

Angiosperms are commonly grouped based on the number of seed leaves or cotyledons they produce. Most angiosperms are called dicots because they produce cotyledons in pairs. These include tomatoes, apples, oaks, and rhododendrons, to name a few. Other angiosperms produce a single cotyledon and are therefore called monocots. These include species of orchids, lilies, bamboos, and cereal grains like oats, wheat, and rice to name a few.

Written by

Abby Healy

Abby is an avid plant lover and the Director of Content at Trees.com. She grew up in Maine, graduated from Davidson College, and now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two dogs. Her previous roles include leading content teams at Red Ventures, a large digital media company, and launching the content and marketing functions at an ecommerce analytics start-up.

While her indoor plant collection is always growing, she also loves landscaping tips and learning more about plant care and maintenance. Her favorite plants are Japanese maples, roses of all kinds, and unique house plants.