Plant Biology Basics

Question 1

Define Annual

Answer 1

A plant that completes its life cycle in one year

Question 2

Define Biennial

Answer 2

A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle

Question 3

Define Broadleaf plants

Answer 3

Plants with broad, rounded or flattened leaves with netted veins. e.g. dandelions and roses

Question 4

Define Conifers

Answer 4

needle-leaved or scale-leaved, mainly evergreen, cone-bearing trees or shrubs including pines, spruces, and firs

Question 5

Define Deciduous

Answer 5

Plants that lose their leaves at the end of each growing season

Question 6

Define Herbaceous plants

Answer 6

any plant with a non-woody stem that dies back to the roots in winter

Question 7

Define Meristem

Answer 7

Rapidly growing plant tissue

Question 8

Define Perennial

Answer 8

A plant that survives from year to year

Question 9

Define Pollination

Answer 9

The sexual propagation of a plant, resulting when pollen (sperm) enters the pistil (ovary) of a flower

Question 10

Define Rhizomes

Answer 10

An underground stem that spreads to produce new above ground shoots

Question 11

Define translocation

Answer 11

the movement of water and nutrients through the organs of a plant

Question 12

Define woody plants

Answer 12

Plants with basic stem structures that are perennial with annual growth rings visible in a cross section of the stem

Question 13

List the 6 basic requirements for plant growth

Answer 13

1) Nutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
2) temperature
3) water and humidity
4) light
5) space
6) air

Question 14

list the plant parts that help you identify weeds and cultivated plants

Answer 14

stems (woody or herbaceous)
nodes and internodes 
buds
leaf type (simple or compound)
distinguishing between monocots and dicots

Question 15

describe how pesticides are transported within plants

Answer 15

transported either through the leaves or the roots. enters the meristem where the plant is actively growing and kills the plants

Question 16

describe how leaf structure can affect pesticide uptake by plants

Answer 16

if leaves have a waxy cuticle or leaf hairs it will minimize the penetration of a herbicide. You may need a surfactant to penetrate leaves

Question 17

describe the difference between annuals, biennials, and perennials

Answer 17

annuals: complete life cycle every one year, grows from seed, forms flowers and produces seed, dies at end of season
biennials: need two growing seasons for life cycle, germination and vegetative growth in first season, second season production of flowers and fruits, and then they die.
perennials: live from year to year, herbaceous or woody, die back to the ground each year then regrow

Question 18

identify where meristems are located in plants

Answer 18

apical meristems (growing tips) tip of stem of woody plants and root tip

lateral meristem (outward growth) growth in diameter

marginal meristems are located near nodes and areas of leaf attachment

Question 19

explain what makes the meristems susceptible to chemical damage

Answer 19

it is the active growing part of the plant. cell division happens here, and is killed by chemicals