For the first time ever, scientists have assessed the state of all vascular plants in the world — all plants (except algae, mosses, liverworts and hornworts) that have specialized tissues to transport food and water.
According to the report titled “State of the World’s Plants”, released by researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom, there are about 391,000 species of vascular plants currently known to science. Of these, about 369,000 species (or 94 percent) are flowering plants.
The report provides — for the first time — baseline information on all vascular plants, including new plant discoveries and threats.
“We already have a ‘State of the World’s …birds, sea-turtles, forests, cities, mothers, fathers, children even antibiotics’ but not plants,” Kathy Willis, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said in a statement. “I find this remarkable given the importance of plants to all of our lives– from food, medicines, clothing, building materials and biofuels, to climate regulation. This report therefore provides the first step in filling this critical knowledge gap.” 