Lab 2: Floral Structures and Terminology Flashcards
Acaulescent vs. caulescent
Acaulescent: having an inconspicuous stem (ex. onion, garlic, dandelions)
- stem usually not above ground
Caulescent: having a distinct stem, usually referred to when describing patterns of leaf attachment on a plant.
Adelphous
suffix indicating fusion of parts
Adnate
unlike parts are stuck together
Adventitious
New plant tissues grown from mature, nonmeristematic tissue; especially roots produced out of a stem tissue
- If an adventitious plant is pulled up, it can grow new roots, wherever it is placed, as long as good conditions exist.
Bulb vs. corm
Bulb: a short, erect, underground stem surrounded by thick, fleshy leaves or leaf bases
- comprised of a plant’s stems and leaves.
- The bottom of the bulb is a compacted stem, with roots growing from it.
- Layers of nutrient-filled leaves sit at the bottom of the bulb and surround a bud that eventually becomes a flower.
- example: onion
Corm: a short, erect, underground stem covered with thin/inconspicuous, dry leaves or leaf bases
- Corms are swollen stem bases, solid units
- example: taro
Rhizome vs. stolon vs. tuber
Rhizome: a horizontal, underground (sometimes part-way out of the ground) stem with scale-like or inconspicuous leaves
- form roots from the bottom and send shoots upwards
- Example: ginger
Stolon: similar to a rhizome, but above the ground.
Tuber: a fleshy, thickened, underground modified stem (or root section) used for storage.
- formed from a stem or root
- Buds sprout from tubers (think of the “eyes” on a potato). Shoots grow upwards from many different places on the tuber.
- example: potatoes
–> all of these modified stem types are capable of vegetative reproduction
Node vs. internode
Node: the region of the stem where the leaf and bud are attached
Internode: the portion of the stem between nodes
Peduncle vs. Pedicel vs. Petiole
Peduncle: the stem of an inflorescence or of a compound fruit produced from one
Pedicel: the small stem of an individual flower or fruit
Petiole: the small stem of a leaf
Trichome vs. Indumentum vs. Glabrous vs. Pubescent vs. Glaucus
Trichome: a plant hair
Indumentum: a covering of plant hairs (covering of trichomes)
- plural: indumenta
Glabrous: lacking plant hairs
Pubescent: with a covering of hairs (description of plant)
Glaucus: with a waxy cover
Actinomorphic vs. zygomorphic
Actinomorphic: radially symmetrical, as in a sun flower; regular
Zygomorphic: having only one plane of symmetry, as in a pea or snapdragon
- bilaterally symmetrical
Androecium vs. gynoecium
Androecium: all of the male parts (stamens) of a flower
Gynoecium: all of the female parts (pistils) of a flower
Anthesis
The stage of flowering when the flower is ready to shed or receive pollen
Apetalous vs. asepalous
Apetalous: Without petals
Asepalous: without sepals
Apocarpous
Wit distinct carpels (that is, the carpels are not attached to each other)
Apomixis
Seed production without fertilization (a clone of the parent plant is produced in seed-like form in place of a sexually produced embryo)
Dehiscent vs. Indehiscent
Dehiscent: opening when mature
Indehiscent: staying closed when mature
Flower
the reproductive structure of an angiosperm plant
Inflorescence
All of the flowers together on a stem, in this case, each flower is often referred to as a floret, especially when the flower is small
Stamen
An individual male part of a flower, composed of the anther and the filament (filament connects the anther to the rest of the flower)
Anther
the part of a stamen that bears the pollen
Pistil
the pistil is the female portion of a flower
composed of the stigma, style, ovary
May be composed of one or several fused carpels
Stigma
pollen is received
Style
connect the stigma to the ovary
Ovary
structure that contains the ovules/seeds
Perianth
the outer, usually colourful parts of a flower consisting of the Calyx and the Corolla
Calyx
Sepals collectively
Corolla
Petals collectively
Sepals
the outermost whorl, often they are green
Petals
the innermost whorl, often they are colourful
Monoecious vs Dioecious
Monoecious: male and female flowers are on the same plant
Dioecious: male and female flowers are on different plants
–> These two terms only apply to species with separate male and female flowers, otherwise plants are said to have “perfect” flowers. There are also polygamous species that have perfect and unisexual flowers on the same plant.
Achene
A dry fruit, often contains only one seed
Seed coat can be separated from the seed (e.g. sunflower seeds)
May have hairs to aid in wind dispersal (these hairs are called a papus)
Aggregate fruit
Fruit produced from more than one carpel of a flower
These are close to each other, but not joined at maturity.
Could be dry or fleshy at maturity.
- example: raspberry
Aggregate fruits may also be Accessory fruits, where the fleshy tissue of the fruit is not produced from the ovary (example hips, flesh is from the rose fruits)
Berry
a soft, fleshy fruit (flesh produced from the ovary wall) with one to many seeds, technically only applicable to fruits produced from a single pistil, such as grapes, blueberries, and cranberries, but also tomatoes and eggplant
In common usage any small, soft fruit, which would include raspberries and blackberries (which are aggregate drupes) and strawberries (several achenes on a fleshy receptable; technically an accessory fruit)
Drupe/stone fruit
a fruit produced from the ovary wall with a hard inner pericarp (the stone) and fleshy outer layer (many Rosaceae fruits: cherries, plums, apricots, peaches)
Capsule and three types
a dry fruit produced from fused carpels, opens at maturity
There are several types of capsules:
- Loculicidal: capsules opens only near the top by lengthwise splitting (e.g. iris)
- Septicidal: capsules split lengthwise the whole length of the capsule
- Poricidal: capsules open by holes near the top (e.g. poppy)
Caryopsis or grain
a fruit with a hard outer shell, not splitting open at maturity, produced from a simple pistil
Seed coat sticking to the seed at maturity
Follicle
fruit dry at maturity, splitting open at maturity
From one simple pistil (i.e. a flower with one carpel)
Splitting on one line (ex. milkweeds)
Hesperidium
a berry with septa evident, and a leathery outer layer (many Rutaceae, lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit)
Nut
a fruit with a hard outer shell, not splitting open at maturity
Produced from a compound pistil
Pepo
a berry with a hard outer layer, and no septa evident (many Cucurbitaceae fruits: squash, pumpkin)
Pod/legume
fruit dry at maturity, splitting open at maturity
From one single pistil (i.e. a flower with one carpel)
Splitting on two lines (Fabaceae fruits: beans, peas, alfalfa, clovers)
Lomentum
a pod that when mature breaks up into segments, each with one seed
Pome
flesh of fruit derived from the hypanthium, surrounds papery carpels which contain the seeds (Rosaceae fruits: apple, pear, amelanchier, aronia, hawthorn)
Silicle/Silique
a dry fruits with two fused carpels, splitting open at maturity along with a thin partition (the septum)
Brassicaceae have this fruit type
Samara
achene with a wing for wind dispersal (e.g. maple, ash, elm)
Schizocarp
dry fruit from a compound pistil (carpels two or more)
carpels separating at maturity, but each retaining its seed(s)
Umbeliferaceae: carrot, parsnip
Ovary superior
attached above the other points of attachment on the receptacle
floral parts hypogynous (attached below the ovary)
Ovary inferior
floral parts epigynous (in this case receptacle tissue surrounds ovary, and floral parts are above the ovary)
ovary superior
floral parts form an hypanthium
perigynous
ovary placentation
pattern of ovule attachment within the ovary
