Difference Between Redwoods & Dandelion

Cones vs. Flowers

• Gymnosperm seeds are naked: The seed is not covered by fleshy cells from a fruit. Gymnosperm seeds develop on the base of a scale in a scale group: a cone. Angiosperm seeds are hidden: The seeds develop within enclosed fruit. Fertilization of cones and flowers is different. Gymnosperm pollen lands outside the ovary, but angiosperm pollen lands on a structure called the stigma of the flower and must grow a tube to the ovary.

Trunks vs Stems

• Dandelion stems have a circular arrangement of cells that move liquids around inside the plant: Xylem toward the middle and phloem toward the outer edge of the stem. Dandelion stems do not enlarge after they are grown. Redwood trunks begin life as a stem with an arrangement similar to dandelions but redwoods put on more cell layers of xylem and phloem each season. The layers die and harden, forming wood.

Leaf Differences

• Redwood leaves are protected from hot and freezing temperatures. They have less water and a waxy coating. Redwood leaves have resin ducts that produce a turpentine type of resin that acts as antifreeze. It keeps the leaf from freezing. Resin repels insects. Dandelions have resin ducts that produce a milky, gummy juice that repels insects. It is different chemically from resin and does not keep the plant from freezing.

Perennials vs Annuals

• Redwood trees are perennials. Perennials live several seasons and reproduce many times. Redwoods live hundreds of years and reproduce yearly after they reach maturity, in about 200 years. One redwood cone produces 14 to 24 seeds. They also reproduce by forming shoots from their roots and the sides of their trunks. Dandelions are annuals. They germinate from seed, grow, reproduce and then die in one season. One flower produces hundreds of seeds.