Morphology Flashcards
Geophyte
Life form.
Perennial herb with underground perennating rootstock such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes
Therophyte
Life form.
Annual plant.
Epiphyte
Plant growing on another plant
Mycorrhizae
Roots with Symbiotic relationship with fungi
First root to develop after embryo growth
Radicle
Stem plus associated leaves
Shoot
Flower. Short tube and short limb
Rotate
Flower. Long tube and long limb
Salverform
Flower. Long tube and short limb
Tubular
Habit
General form of a plant
-herb, vine, liana, shrub, or tree
plant habitats
Aquatic (floating or submersed), terrestrial, epiphytic
Plant life forms
therophyte (annual), geophyte (perennial herb), epiphyte, halophyte (salt adapted), xerophyte (dry adapted), succulent (fleshy stems)
adventitious roots
roots arising from an organ other than the root, usually from a stem
taproot vs fibrous root
Taproot = primary root (radical) develops into dominant root Fibrous = primary root soon withers and is replaced by other adventitious roots
Taproot becomes thickened accumulating reservoirs of high energy storage compounts
Storage root
adventitious roots that don’t enter the soil and can absorb water and minerals from the air
Aerial roots
Roots of parasitic plants
haustorial roots
roots growing from the base of a stem (corn)
prop roots
roots growing up to obtain additional oxygen in swamp areas
pneumatophores
horizontally spreading roots, often thickened vertically to aid in support
buttress roots
wood
secondary xylem tissue
bark
secondary phloem, leftover cortex, and derivatives of the cork cambium
rootstock
underground stems of some perennials that function in storage and protection
shoot with a small amount of vertical stem tissue and a large amount of thick, fleshy, storage leaves
bulb
ex: allium (onion)
shoot mostly of generally globose stem tissue surrounded by some scale-like leaves
Corm
ex: Iris
horizontal, underground stem, typically with short internodes and with scale like leaves
rhizome
ex: ginger
thick, underground storage stem bearing outer buds and lacking storage leaves
tuber
sharp pointed stem or shoot
thorn
stem with long internodes that run on or just below ground
stolon
strawberry
flattened succulent stem
Cladode
Ex: prickly pear cactus
acaulescent
lacks an above ground stem except for a peduncle/inflorescence axis
caulescent
with an above ground stem
basally woody, apically herbaceous
suffrutescent
trailling or lying flat
prostrate
flat and rooting at the nodes
repent
basally prostrate and apically ascending
decumbent
tow or more axillary buds that are oriented sideways
Collateral buds
two or ore axillary buds oriented vertically
superposed buds
A leaf that is modified in shape and usually smaller than the major photosynthetic leaves. typically associated with flowers
Bract
small, non-green leaf usually for protaction
scale
coiled twining leaf of leaf part
tendril
sharp pointed leaf or leaf part
spine
stipular spine = modified stipules
leaf flattened side-to-side and having a left and right side, often sheathing at the base
unifacial leaf
central axis
rachis
leaflets arranged on a central axis
pinnately compound
odd # of leaflets
imparipinnate
even # of leaflets
parapinate
leaf attachments
petiolate, sessile, sheathing, amplexicaul, perfoliate, connate-perfoliate
perfect flower
both stamens and carpels
imperfect flowers either staminate or pistillate
plant with only bisexual flowers
hemaphroditic
Plant with only unisex flowers, both staminate and pistillate individuals on the same plant
monoecious
plant with only unisex flowers but each sex on separate plants
dioecious
polygamous
plant with both bisexual and unisexual flowers
no fusion of sepals
aposepalous
no fusion of petals
apopetalous
fusion of sepals
synsepalous
fusion of petals
sympetalous
urn shaped flower
urceolate
butterfly like flower
papilionaceous
bell shaped flower
campanulate
two lipped, generally with an upper and lower
bilabiate
stamens adnate to petals/corrola
epipetalous
two groups of stamens each connate by their filaments only
-fabaceae
diadelphous
monadelphous one group of stamens connate by filaments
anthers connate but filaments distinct
syngenesious
general determinate inflorescence type
cyme
indeterminate inflorescence type with a single axis bearing sessile flowers
spike
indeterminate inflorescence type with a single axis bearing pedicellate flowers
raceme
branched raceme; has several branched axes bearing pedicellate flowers
panicle
inflorescence with single axis with lateral axes and/or pedicels bearing flat topped or convex flowers (all coming to the same height)
corymb (simple of compound)
a raceme of cymes (grapes)
thyrse
determinate or indeterminate inflorescence type with the pedicels attached at one point to the peduncle
umbel
inflorescence with whorls at each node (sessile)
verticillaster
planar shapes
linear, elliptic, lanceolate, ovate (egg), obovate (upsidedown egg), cordate (heart), falcate, reniform (notched), spatulate
base shapes
truncate, rounded, cordate, reniform, auriculate, hastate, sagittate, oblique, peltate
apex shapes
acuminate, acute, obtuse, truncate, rounded, emarginate
margins
entire (smooth), serrate (saw), serrulate (little saw), doubly serrate, dentate (teeth), denticulate (little teeth), crenate (wavy), crenulate (little waves), spinose, praemorse, ciliate, ciliolate, filiferous
sand papery
scaberous
thick hairs bent over
strigose
