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A [[florum]] (pronounced {{IPA|/&#x02C8;fl&#x0254;&#x02D0;r&#x0259;m/}}; plural ''flora'', {{IPA0|/&#x02C8;fl&#x0254;&#x02D0;r&#x0259;/}}) is a member of an [[etory|etorical]] [[kingdom (etory)|kingdom]] (or comparable [[taxon]]) most members of which are characterized by a sedentary, [[autotrophy|autotrophic]] lifestyle.  [[motility|Motile]] and/or [[heterotrophy|heterotrophic]] [[life form]]s belonging to a floral kingdom&mdash;ambulatory and/or [[carnivorous plant]]s, for instance&mdash;are traditionally still considered flora; the [[word]] describes the typical characteristics of the [[clade]], not those of every individual [[species]].

Flora are often mentioned in contrast to [[faunum|fauna]], creatures belonging to kingdoms most representatives of which are mobile and heterotrophic.  No standard term exists for kingdoms characterized by motility and autotrophy, or sessility and heterotrophy, although a few proposals have been made, such as [[furinum|furina]] for the former and [[feronium|feronia]] for the latter.  (Such kingdoms are rare in any case; because motricity requires [[energy]], and larger amounts of energy are typically acquired through heterotrophy than through autotrophy, motility and heterotrophy do in general tend to go together.)

On [[Earth]], the word "flora" is sometimes used to refer exclusively to [[plant]]s, but floral kingdoms in the broader sense also include [[fungus|fungi]] and [[alga]]e.  The microscopic [[Bacterium|bacteria]] and [[arch&aelig;on|arch&aelig;a]] are also usually considered flora.  Other types of flora, of course, exist on other [[world]]s.

==Etymology and synonymy==
The word florum frequently comes ultimately from the [[Latin]] word ''[[Wiktionary:fl&omacr;s|fl&omacr;s]]'', meaning "[[flower]]"&mdash;or more specifically from either its [[genitive]] [[plural]] ''fl&omacr;rum'' or its [[accusative]] [[singular]] ''fl&omacr;rem''.  On many worlds, the [[plural]], "flora", came first, and "florum" emerged as a [[back formation]].  The people of some of those worlds have settled on a different [[singularization]], "floron" (pronounced {{IPA0|/&#x02C8;fl&#x0254;&#x02D0;r&#0252;/}}), and there are many [[world]]s where neither back formation has caught on, and only the plural "flora" is in common use.  The latter include [[Earth]], where the word "flora" arises more directly from the name of a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[god]]dess of flowers and the [[season]] of [[spring (season)|spring]] (which name of course can be traced back to the aforementioned ''flos'').  

The word "[[vegetable]]" is sometimes used as a [[synonym]] for florum.  This usage is obsolescent at best on many worlds, given that many people associate the word "vegetable" specifically with ''[[ingestion|edible]]'' plant matter&mdash;and often more specifically with edible plant matter as used in savory dishes.  (This latter, informal definition sometimes leads to confusion, as people mistakenly try to draw a sharp distinction between [[fruit]]s and vegetables, not realizing that ''many'' vegetables used in savory dishes are also fruit, a common [[classification error]] which lent its name to the phenomenon of [[tomatism]].)

On worlds where it is not recognized that all flora do not form a [[clade]] (or on worlds where all flora in fact ''do'' form a clade, though this is rare), flora are often collectively referred to as the "vegetable kingdom".  Often a three-way distinction is drawn between the "vegetable kingdom" (flora), the "[[animal]] kingdom" (fauna), and the "[[mineral]] kingdom" ([[organic chemistry|inorganic]] [[matter]]).  Once [[scientist]]s develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relationships between different [[organism]]s, this categorization falls into disuse.

==Ecology==
Flora generally compose the bottom of the [[food chain]], though this role may be shared by (much less common) furina.  Lacking any ability to flee or hide, let alone to actively fight back, flora may seem largely defenseless against heterotrophs that would feed on them.  Indeed, many floral species ''are'' largely defenseless, and survive simply by growing or [[reproduction|reproducing]] quickly enough to replenish their losses to browsers.  Other flora, however, do develop defenses.  Some common floral defenses include sharp [[thorn]]s, [[toxicity|toxic]] [[chemical]]s such as [[poison]]s and [[irritation|irritants]], and growing hard [[shell]]s around particularly vulnerable parts.  Some flora are also capable of [[communication|communicating]] with each other through various means, including [[air]]borne chemicals, [[electricity|electrical]] signals, or even [[sound]].  They may use this communication to alert other plants in the vicinity to adverse conditions that they can prepare for.

While many faunal species may [[ingestion|feed]] on flora, flora may also rely on fauna for their survival.  Some flora in areas with poor [[soil]] may even eat [[animal]]s or other fauna, luring them close and then closing their [[leaf|leaves]] in on them, entrapping them in sticky fluid, or otherwise capturing them.  (The [[Venus flytrap]] is perhaps the best known example, but by no means the only one.)  Flora that don't eat fauna may still rely on them in other ways, such as for [[seed]] dispersion; some flora, for example, grow their seeds inside spiky [[burr]]s that can stick to an animal's [[fur]] and thus be carried far from the original [[parent]].

But the relationship between flora and fauna can go both ways; many flora and fauna have [[mutualism|mutualistic]] relationships.  For example, some flora grow their seeds inside [[fruit]] that are eaten by fauna that then either discard or [[excretion|excrete]] the seeds in new locations.  The fauna get a tasty and nutritious meal; the flora get their seeds dispersed far from the parent [[organism]].  Other flora develop more complex relationships with fauna; a famous example is the bullhorn [[acacia]] ''Vachellia cornigera'', which grows hollow [[thorn]]s that provide homes for [[ant]]s, which also get food from the tree's secretions.  In return, the ants defend the tree from [[herbivory|herbivorous]] animals and from competing plants.

Relationships between different [[species]] of flora can be similarly complex.  Flora often compete for [[resources]] such as [[sun]]light and nutrients.  Some flora may [[parasite|parasitize]] others, or at least rely on them [[commensality|commensally]] for support, such as the [[epiphyte]]s that grow in the joints of [[tree]]s.  But like flora and fauna, different flora may also have mutualistic relationships.  [[Lichen]], a common phenomenon on Earth and other [[terrestrial world]]s, is actually a complex of two or three different [[species]] of flora: one or two species of [[fungus]] and one species of [[cyanophyte]].

==Local flora==
The word "flora" is also used to describe all the floral organisms of a particular area or environment.  When it is necessary to disambiguate this from the general plural "flora", the flora of an area can be called "local flora".  One may therefore refer to [[forest]] flora, or [[ocean]] flora, or the flora of a specific forest or locale.  The term can be applied not just to places and to [[terrain]]s and [[biome]]s but also to other specialized environments; a common example is "[[gut flora]]", a collective term for the [[microorganism]]s living within the [[digestive tract]]s of [[human]]s or other animals.

[[Book]]s are frequently published describing the local flora of particular areas.  Perhaps confusingly, these books are also called [[flora (book)|flora]]s&mdash;though in this case "flora" is used as a [[singular]] [[noun]], with a [[grammatical regularity|regular]] plural.

Collectively, the flora, fauna, and other organisms of an area or environment may be referred to as the local [[biota]].

==Reproduction==
Many flora can and do reproduce by [[budding]], with offshoots of the florum separating from the [[parent]] and growing into separate [[life form]]s.  However, floral [[organism]]s, like other such organisms, benefit from [[procreation|sexual reproduction]], as it increases their [[gene]]tic diversity and adaptability.  Such reproduction requires one organism to [[fertilization|fertilize]] another, which potentially poses a problem for the stationary flora, since a florum cannot move toward a mate.  Some flora simply reproduce with those that grow close enough for the two to come into contact, but others must find a way to distribute their genetic material, which they may do either by relying on [[wind]] and [[current]]s or by co&ouml;pting fauna (or furina) to do the distribution for them.

Once fertilization occurs, a florum is faced with the same issue of dispersal of its offspring.  This problem may be solved in similar ways to the initial fertilization&mdash;the initial stage of the plant takes the form of a (usually) tiny capsule which can then be distributed by wind, water, or fauna, among other methods.  These germinal capsules are often called [[spore]]s if they are relatively simple, generally [[cell|unicellular]] structures, or [[seed]]s if they are more complex constructs that involve [[embryo]]s enclosed in [[shell]]s or other coverings.

Of course, flora of abiotic [[kingdom]]s&mdash;as well as some floral organisms&mdash;may not require sexual reproduction, but may instead be artificially created or [[spontaneous generation|spontaneously generated]], or they may be [[metagenosis|transformed]] from other creatures&mdash;among other possibilities.

==Uses==
Flora can be and widely are harvested by humans and other [[folk]]s for many reasons.  Many flora are edible, or can be made edible with the proper treatment&mdash;[[acorn]]s, for instance, the [[nut]]s of [[oak]] [[tree]]s, contain chemicals called [[tannin]]s that render them inedible to humans, but that can be removed through a process of soaking and leaching them in [[water]].  Herbivorous and [[omnivory|omnivorous]] folks therefore may eat a wide variety of flora from different kingdoms&mdash;on Earth, most of the flora in a human's diet may be plant life, but humans do also eat fungi, algae, and even bacteria (in the form of bacterial [[culture (etory)|culture]]s in [[yogurt]]s and [[cheese]]s&mdash;this, of course, is not including the countless bacteria that are incidentally consumed on and in other food).  Of course, folks may not just eat flora directly, but may also use them to feed fauna they are raising.  [[History|Historically]], the widespread cultivation of flora played an important role in human [[civilization]] on Earth, and in that of many other folk on many other worlds; growing [[grain]]s and other [[crop]]s in tended fields, rather than [[gathering]] them from the wild, was the initial step in the [[Agricultural Revolution]] that would reshape human lifestyles.  [[Agriculture]] would later include the [[livestock|cultivation of fauna]] as well as flora, but the flora came first.

But food is not the only use to which flora can be put.  [[Chemical]]s extracted from flora&mdash;or simply ingested along with the floral parts to which they pertain&mdash;can have [[medicine|medicinal]] or recreational uses, though the latter often come with some danger, or to the [[manufacture]] of [[dye]]s, [[flavoring]]s, and other utilious substances.  Some parts of flora can also see use as building material, most notably [[wood]] harvested from [[tree]]s.  

Even aside from any resources that can be extracted from them, flora, particularly trees and other larger flora, may serve useful purposes by their mere presence.  People may benefit from such flora in their capacity as [[wind]]breaks or providers of shade, or by the mere fact that they help hold the [[soil]] together and prevent or at least reduce [[duststorm]]s and destructive [[erosion]].
[[Category:Ataxa]][[Category:Flora |Flora ]]