Vascular-NonVascular Plant Sort worksheet - Free Printable

Solution to the "Classifying Plants" Worksheet

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#### Step 1: Classify Each Plant as Vascular or Nonvascular

Vascular Plants have specialized tissues (xylem and phloem) that transport water, nutrients, and food throughout the plant. They typically have roots, stems, and leaves.

Nonvascular Plants lack these specialized tissues and rely on diffusion and osmosis for nutrient transport. They are usually small and grow close to the ground.

Let’s classify each plant:

| Vascular | Nonvascular |
|----------------------|------------------------|
| Rose | Hornwort |
| Hydrangeas | Moss |
| Oak tree | Liverwort |
| Dogwood tree | |
| Grass | |
| Bushes | |

> ✔ Note: All of the listed plants can be classified:
> - Vascular: Rose, Hydrangeas, Oak tree, Dogwood tree, Grass, Bushes
> - Nonvascular: Hornwort, Moss, Liverwort

You can add one more example to each category if needed:
- Add to Vascular: Sunflower (or any flowering plant)
- Add to Nonvascular: Ferns (wait — ferns are vascular, so don’t add them here). A better nonvascular addition is spikemoss (though it's actually vascular), so stick with mosses, liverworts, hornworts.

✔ So, a good addition could be:
- Vascular: Tulip
- Nonvascular: Sphagnum moss (a type of peat moss)

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#### Step 2: Definitions

Vascular plant –
A plant that has specialized tissues (xylem and phloem) to transport water, minerals, and food throughout the plant. These plants usually have roots, stems, and leaves.

Nonvascular plant –
A plant that does not have specialized tissues for transporting water and nutrients. Instead, they absorb water and nutrients directly through their cells by diffusion. They are typically small and grow in moist environments.

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✔ Final Answer:

#### Classification Table:

| Vascular | Nonvascular |
|----------------------|------------------------|
| Rose | Hornwort |
| Hydrangeas | Moss |
| Oak tree | Liverwort |
| Dogwood tree | |
| Grass | |
| Bushes | |
| (Optional: Tulip) | (Optional: Sphagnum moss)|

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#### Definitions:

- Vascular plant – A plant that has xylem and phloem tissues to transport water and nutrients.
- Nonvascular plant – A plant without xylem and phloem; relies on direct absorption and diffusion.

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This worksheet helps students understand the key differences between vascular and nonvascular plants based on structure and function.