Angiosperms

The angiosperms, or flowering plants, are by far the most successful of all the major plant groups. There are about 275,000 species, the majority of which are not trees but herbs. Even so, there are around 80,000 species of angiosperm tree, making them by far the most diverse group. The group includes the familiar broadleaved trees of Northern temperate areas, such as the oaks, beeches, ashes and birches, the Eucalyptuses of Australia and the many thousands of tropical rainforest trees such as mahogany and balsa.

Angiosperms have fully enclosed seeds (hence their name which means 'container seed') which protects the seed from drought. Compared with trees that rely on the wind to disperse their seeds, they are efficient pollinators because their flowers attract animals to do that job. The flowers not only produce pollen that animals can eat, but also nectar. They advertise its availability with showy petals and enticing scent. Insect pollination is particularly effective in warm climates and helps angiosperms dominate tropical rainforests.