Plants that Bite and Sting
It is estimated that there are around 375,000 species of plants on our planet, of which 297,366 have been identified and named. There are about 260,000 flowering plants, (they have flowers and reproduce by pollination and seeds), and 15,000 bryophytes (they reproduce by spore production – liverworts, hornworts, and mosses).
Without plants life as we know it would not exist. This is because, through the process of photosynthesis, plants have the remarkable ability to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O), using photons of energy from the sun, to form glucose. Glucose is how plants store energy. Animals consume the plants, extract and digest the stored sugars, carbohydrates, and starches, and use the stored energy to survive. These simple sugars, glucose and fructose, are the fuel that the engine of life utilizes to sustain and maintain itself.
