One way to think about the diversity of plant forms is in the context of adaptations to life on land. The green algae are probably the least changed from the ancestors of modern day land plants, and many of the branches in the plant evolutionary tree relate to adaptations that give them advantages for living on land. For example, vascular tissues allow water to be delivered to parts of the plant not immersed in water, seeds provide a nutrition source so that a plant can wait to germinate until conditions are good, enclosed seeds, protected inside the ovary, often produce fruits that encourage animal dispersal, and flowers are of use in attracting pollinators.

Flowering Plant Families

plant_families.xlsx

Clade1	Clade2	Family	Common Name	Number of Species	Familiar Representatives
Magnoliid		Annonaceae	custard apple	2220	custard apple, cherimoya, soursop, sweetsop, ilama
Magnoliid		Lauraceae	laurel	2500	laurel, avocado, sassafras, cinnamon
Magnoliid		Piperaceae	pepper	3600	black pepper
Monocot		Araceae	arum	4025	skunk cabbage, taro, peace lily, philodendron, duckweed
Monocot		Arecaceae	palm	2361	coconut palm, date palm, palmetto
Monocot		Cyperaceae	sedge	4350	water chestnut, papyrus sedge
Monocot		Iridaceae	iris	2025	iris
Monocot		Orchidaceae	orchid	21950	orchid, lady's slipper
Monocot		Poaceae or Gramineae	grass	10035	bamboo, corn, wheat, rice, barley, millet
Eudicot		Aizoaceae or Ficoidaceae	ice plant	2020	ice plant
Eudicot		Amaranthaceae	amaranth	2050	spinach, beet, quinoa
Eudicot		Cactaceae	cactus	1500	prickly pear, saguaro, agave
Eudicot		Caryophyllaceae	pink	2200	pink, carnation
Eudicot		Proteaceae	protea	1600	macadamia
Eudicot		Ranunculaceae	buttercup	2525	buttercup, poppy, clematis, columbine, larkspur, peony
Eudicot	Asterid	Acanthaceae	acanthus	3500	mangrove
Eudicot	Asterid	Apiaceae or Umbelliferae	parsley	3780	anise, caraway, carrot, celery, cilantro, cumin, dill, hemlock
Eudicot	Asterid	Apocynaceae	dogbane	4555	vinca, plumeria
Eudicot	Asterid	Araliaceae	Aralia or ivy	1450	ginseng
Eudicot	Asterid	Asteraceae or Compositae	daisy	22750	lettuce, sunflower, artichoke, dandelion, chrysanthemum
Eudicot	Asterid	Boraginaceae	borage	2740	forget-me-not
Eudicot	Asterid	Campanulaceae	bellflower	2380	campanula, lobelia
Eudicot	Asterid	Convolvulaceae	bindweed	1600	bindweed, morning glory, sweet potato, water spinach
Eudicot	Asterid	Ericaceae	heath	3995	heath, heather, azalea, blueberry, huckleberry, cranberry
Eudicot	Asterid	Gentianaceae	gentian	1650
Eudicot	Asterid	Gesneriaceae	gesneriad	3870	African violet
Eudicot	Asterid	Lamiaceae or Labiatae	mint	7175	basil, mint, rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, lavender, teak
Eudicot	Asterid	Orobanchaceae	broomrape	2060	broomrape
Eudicot	Asterid	Rubiaceae	madder	13150	coffee, cinchona (source of quinine), gardenia
Eudicot	Asterid	Scrophulariaceae	figwort	1700
Eudicot	Asterid	Solanaceae	nightshade	2460	eggplant, potato, tomato, chili pepper, tomatillo, tobacco
Eudicot	Rosid	Brassicaceae or Cruciferae	cabbage	3710	broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, turnip, radish, horse radish
Eudicot	Rosid	Euphorbiaceae	spurge	5735	cassava, castor oil plant, Barbados nut, poinsettia
Eudicot	Rosid	Fabaceae or Leguminosae	bean	19400	string bean, alfalfa, clover, lentil, pea
Eudicot	Rosid	Malvaceae	mallow	4225	cotton, cacao, kola nut, okra, durian, hybiscus, baobab
Eudicot	Rosid	Melastomataceae or Melastomaceae	melastome	5005
Eudicot	Rosid	Myrtaceae	myrtle	4625	myrtle, clove, guava, allspice, eucalyptus
Eudicot	Rosid	Phyllanthaceae	phyllanthus	1745
Eudicot	Rosid	Rosaceae	rose	2830	apple, pear, quince, apricot, plum, cherry, peach, raspberry, strawberry, almond
Eudicot	Rosid	Rutaceae	rue	1815	orange, lemon, lime, kumquat, grapefruit
Eudicot	Rosid	Sapindaceae	soapberry	1580	lychee, rambutan, longan
Eudicot	Rosid	Urticaceae	nettle	2625	stinging nettle

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/clademap/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiosperm_Phylogeny_Group