Plant anatomy Flashcards
Vegetative morphology
refers to all non-reproductive parts of a plant
How many species of green plants are there?
500,000
Who was the first to develop a nomenclatural system? What was it called?
-Linnaeus
-Species Plantarum
Tree and shrub are a gradation of aborecent habits with a ____.
woody stem
What’s the difference between a tree and a shrub?
an arbitrary decision on size
What makes a woody plant?
its ability to undergo secondary growth in the vascular cambium
What are the layers of xylem/phloem in a woody plant from center outwards? Whats in between them?
primary xylem, secondary xylem, vascular cambium, secondary phloem, primary phloem
What defines an herb? How common are they?
-a diverse assemblage of non-woody habits
-most plants are herbs
Vines
a general term for any climbing plant, can be woody or herbaceous
Lianas (where are they common)?
-a subset of vine which is always woody
-tropics
Perennial (what classes does this include?)
-long lived
-all woody plants & many herbs
Annual (what classes does this include?)
-lifespan of ~1 year
-includes many herbs, but no woody plants
Biannual
lifespan ~2 years
How can you tell if an herb is an annual or perennial?
root system/rhizome
Are annuals or perennials more common?
annuals
Taproot
Primary root system derived from the root radicle. Usually there is one, large root axis.
Fibrous roots
roots that never undergo lateral growth
Adventitious roots
not derived from the radicle
Shoot
the entirety of an above ground growth (stem & leaf)
Are there different kinds of shoots?
Yes, they can differentiate into long and short based on internode length
Axillary buds
buds appearing in the leaf axils
Terminal buds
appear at the end of a shoot
Stipule
A leafy structure sometimes paired on either side of the leaf at the axils. Sometimes they dry up, fall off, & leave a scar behind.
Petiole
the stalk that joins the leaf to the stem
Pulvinus
an inflated portion at either the base of the petiole or the part that connects to the leaf
Blade
the leaf
Adaxial surface
upper side of the leaf
Abaxial surface
lower side of the leaf
Apex
point of the leaf
What does a leaf scar tell you?
-the plant is deciduous
-the shape can be indicative of species and the position of the leaf
What does the alternate leaf arrangement look like?
one leaf at each node, altering on either side of the stem
What does the opposite leaf arrangement look like?
two leaves at each node on opposite sides of the stem
What does the whorled leaf arrangement look like?
three or more leaves per node
Phyllotaxy
counting the rows of leaves
Even pinnate vs odd pinnate
Both have opposite leaf arrangement, with even ending the branch with two leaves and odd ending the branch with one terminal leaf.
Palmate
more than 3 leaflets attached at a single point
Trifoliolate
three leaflets attached at a single point
Unifoliolate
one leaf on the end of a branch
Twice pinnate (bipinnate)
a main stem with multiple other stems growing off of it as if they were leaves in a pinnate pattern
What’s the most common type of leaf complexity?
simple
Simple leaf
leaf not dissected to the midrib (can be highly dissected or lobed as long as it’s not fully dissected)
Palmatifid
(palmately divided) with lobes cut palmately ¾ to almost completely to the midrib
Pinnatifid
(pinnately divided) with lobes cut pinnately ¾ to almost completely to the midrib
Lenticels
epidermal stem organs used for gas exchange
What is the central portion of the stem called? What is its most common form?
-pith
-simple, solid
Tendrils
any twining organ, can be derived from lots of different things
Spines
modified leaves or leaf parts
Prickles
epidermal outgrowths
Thorns
modified shoots/stems
What are the distinguishing characteristics of spines?
-grows at a node
-multiple stacked on each other (sometimes)
What are the distinguishing characteristics of prickles?
grows between nodes
What are the distinguishing characteristics of thorns?
grows out the axil of the leaf
Isodiametric
veins that are all the same size
Dichotomous
veins that split evenly in two
Reticulate venation
tertiary venation that looks like city blocks
Scalariform venation
tertiary venation that looks like a ladder
Ovate
wide near base
Obovate
wide near apex
Elliptic
wide near middle
Oblong
wide near middle with straight-ish sides
Filiform
needle-like leaves
Acute
leaf tip/base less than 90º
Obtuse
leaf tip/base more than 90º
Emarginate vs retuse
cleft at the leaf tip
wider cleft vs narrower cleft
Attenuate vs acuminate
-slowly narrowing tip, curving in
-longer
-shorter
Truncate
the apex is flattened
Mucronate
the apex has a tiny hair-like appendage
Peltate
the base is fused to itself, umbrella-like
Cordate/lobate
-lobed at the base, heart-shaped
-lobate has deeper lobes than cordate
Truncate
flattened at the base
Decurrent
base of the leaf blends into the pediole
Sagitate
Arrowhead shaped leaf
Asymmetric
different on either side of the attachment point
Entire
no teeth
Serrate
teeth pointing in a direction
Doubly serrate
the teeth have teeth
Dentate
broad teeth that are more symmetrical than serrate
Erose
nonsense margin
Crenate
gentle, rounded teeth
Undulate
wavy
Revolute
curled over to the underside
Glabrous
no hairs
Glaucous
the blue-white waxy covering over succulents
Stelle
star-shaped hairs
Urticating
sharp hairs filled with irritating chemicals
Peltate
umbrella-shaped, scale-like hairs
Domatia
clusters of hairs in axis of veins
Uncinate
recurved hair tips, hookers
Stipitate glands
glands on a stalk
Sessile glands
glands in the leaf
Pellucid glands
glands in the mesophyll
Multicellular glands
bigger glands that will commonly secrete sugar to attract ants for protection
