Arabidopsis thaliana Common Name: Mouse-ear Cress or Thale Cress
Reason for Use as a Model: Small genome, easily grown in lab, self-fertile (does not require a pollinator) Year of Genome Sequence: 2000 (first plant to have its genome sequenced)
Brachypodium distachyon
Common Name:Purple False Brome Reason for Use as a Model: Small genome, small physical size, self-fertile, grass family, Monocot. Year of Genome Sequence: 2010
Lotus japonicus
Japanese common name: Miyakogusa Reason for Use as a Model: Nitrogen fixer, different symbiotic relationship from Medicago
Medicago truncatula
Common Name: Barrel Clover Reason for Use as a Model: Nitrogen fixer, different symbiotic relationship from Lotus, small genome and physical size.
Picea abies
Common Name: Norway Spruce Reason for Use as a Model: Conifer, used for somatic embryogenesis.
Selaginella moellendorffii
Common Name: Spikemoss Reason for Use as a Model: Smallest genome of any plant species, lycophyte - a primitive vascular plant. Year of Genome Sequence: 2008
Populus trichocarpa
Common Name:Western Balsam Poplar Reason for Use as a Model: Tree, important in paper manufacturing. Year of Genome Sequence: 2006 (first tree genome sequenced)
Physcomitrella patens (Moss)
Reason for Use as a Model: Non-vascular plant, used for investigating tip growth and cell polarity. Year of Genome Sequence: 2006
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Green alga)
Reason for Use as a Model: Single-celled alga. Study of its flagellar system has been important in revealing the basis of some human ciliary diseases. Year of Genome Sequence: 2010
