Classification

DOMAIN: Eukarya

MAJOR CLADE: Archaeplastida

KINGDOM: Plantae

PHYLUM: Anthophyta

CLASS: Magnoliopsida

ORDER: Lamiales

FAMILY: Boragniaceae

GENUS: Plagiobothrys

SPECIES: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus

 

Understanding the Classification of the Popcorn Flower

Domain: Eukarya; unifying features of this domain include a true nucleus and membrane-bound organelles (Campbell et. al 2008). 

Major Clade: Archaeplastida; organisms in this clade all have a secondary plastid as a result of an ancient endosymbiosis with a cyanobacterium (Campbell et. al 2008). 

Kingdom: Plantae; as implied by the name, land plants live on land, although they may also be found in aquatic environments.  The popcorn flower's subkingdom is Viridaeplantae, the green plants. This is a very diverse kingdom, including species such as Actinidia deliciosa (kiwi fruit) and Bromus hordeaceus (bull grass).

Phylum: Anthophyta; vascular plants with the true tissues xylem and phloem; as the name Anthophyta implies, these plants produce seeds (Campbell et. al 2008).

Class: Magnoliopsida; all members of this class are dicotyledons; its subclass is Asteridae (USDA 2014).  Other organisms that belong to this class are Eschscholzia californica, the California poppy, which you can learn more about here, and Lupinus bicolor, which you can learn more about here.

Order: Lamiales; four other families fall under this category, including the Mint and Verbena families (USDA 2014). 

Family: Boraginaceae; plants in this family are annual or perennial herbs that commonly have taproots (Zomlefer 1994).

Genus: Plagiobothrys; plants in this genus typically grow close to the ground and have hairy (not bristly) stems (Rickett 1971).

Specific epithet: Plagiobothrys nothofulvus; the Popcorn flower is the only species with this particular name!

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