Lecture 18: Angiosperm Floral Diversity

Question 1

A complete flower

Answer 1

has all 4 floral series present (calyx, corolla, ardroecium, gynoecium)

Question 2

An incomplete flower

Answer 2

lacks one or more floral series

Question 3

A perfect flower

Answer 3

has a functional androecium and gynoecium (bisexual)

Question 4

An imperfect flower

Answer 4

lacks a functional androecium or a functional gynoecium (unisexual)

Question 5

A sterile flower

Answer 5

lacks a functional androecium and a fucntional gynoecium. (usually found in clusters where some flowers are sterile and some not)

Question 6

A staminate flower

Answer 6

has a functional androecium but not a functional gynoecium

Question 7

A pistillate flower

Answer 7

has a functional gynoecium but not a functional androecium

Question 8

Actinomorphic

Answer 8

Radially symmetrical

‘regular’ flowers show no variation in size, shape, and orientation of parts within each floral series.

(standard orientation is looking down axis of strobilis)

Question 9

Zygomorphic

Answer 9

bilaterally symmetrical, or ‘irregular’

divisible into mirror images along only one plane, also applied to asymmetrical flowers

(standard orientation is looking down axis of strobilis)

Question 10

why are angiosperms so diverse?

Answer 10

1) the 4 floral series have become modified during evolution
2) changes in the number of each floral part per flower, attachment of parts to the receptacle, and how these parts are fused

Question 11

stamens

Answer 11

microsporophylls, but do not resemble leaves.

comprised of a filament and an anther

Question 12

carpels

Answer 12

megasporophylls that are folded and fused along margins

Question 13

some primitive carpels are not fused

Answer 13

and instead have glandular trichomes, and a stigmatic crest along which pollen germinates

Question 14

hypogyny

Answer 14

floral parts below gynoecium

ovary superior

Question 15

perigyny

Answer 15

floral parts attached to the rim of a hypanthium that surrounds some or most of the gynoecium

ovary superior

Question 16

epigyny

Answer 16

hypanthium fused to ovary, with floral parts attached above it

ovary inferior

Question 17

dioecious

Answer 17

a species with imperfect flowers is diocious if staminate flowers are borne on one sporophyte and pistillate flowers are born on a different sporophyte

Question 18

monoecious

Answer 18

a species with imperfect flowers is monoecious if staminate and pistillate flowers are borne on one and the same sporophyte

Question 19

Inflorescence

Answer 19

a cluster of flowers