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Flowering plants, or angiosperms (1, 2), dominate
large areas of the land surface and represent the
climax of vascular plant evolution. They occupy a
wide range of habitats and about a quarter of
a million species have been recognized so far.
However, many more, particularly from tropical
regions, await scientific description. Angiosperms are
very diversified in their form, and range in size from
a few millimetres in diameter in the aquatic Lemna
(3) to 90 m or more in height in Eucalyptus (4). Some
complete their life cycle in less than 2 months while
some specimens of Quercus (oak) may live nearly
a thousand years (5).
Flowering plants provide the vast majority of those
consumed by humans (6, 7) or utilized for domestic
animal fodder. Likewise, angiosperms provide
various very important commercial hardwood
timbers such as Acacia, Carya, Eucalyptus, Fagus,
Juglans, and Quercus (4, 8, 9), fibres (e.g. Corchorus,
Linum; 10) and drugs (e.g. Papaver, Coffea; 7). Most
decorative garden plants are grown to provide floral
displays