plant dev glossary

Question 1

adventitious roots

Answer 1

roots that rise in unusual positions e.g. from stem or leaf

Question 2

annual

Answer 2

plants preform their entire life cucle in a single growing season

Question 3

apical meristem

Answer 3

the highest or most extreme meristem on a shoot or root

Question 4

axilliary bud

Answer 4

a bud located at the intersection of a stem,leaf etc

Question 5

what is a biennial and its pattern

Answer 5

plant that requires up to two years to complete the life cycle typical pattern is germinates in spring grows over summer and Autumn, vernalised in winter and seeds flowers and dies in the second spring/summer

Question 6

cotyledons

Answer 6

a seed leaf that is part of the plant embrio and contains a large portion of the feed reserves

Question 7

crowm

Answer 7

top part of a tap root of an herbaceous plant where meristems that generate primary stems are situated.

Question 8

cultivar

Answer 8

a group of plants from one species that are distinctive distinguishable from each other

Question 9

day neutral plant

Answer 9

a plant which flowering is not effected by day length

Question 10

determinate growth

Answer 10

when the apical meristem of a shoot becomes reproductive. terminates the life of this shoot

Question 11

dicotyledons or dicots

Answer 11

One major type of flowering plants (angiosperms); they have 2 cotyledons in their seeds; some are herbaceous
(e.g. clovers, buttercups) & some are woody; some are evergreen

Question 12

emergence

Answer 12

The appearance of a seedling through the soil surface

Question 13

ephemeral plant

Answer 13

extreme annual. goes from seed to seed in a few weeks

Question 14

epicotyl

Answer 14

The part of the seedling above the cotyledons; it will develop into the shoot

Question 15

epigeal germination

Answer 15

when cotyledons are carried above the soil

Question 16

floret

Answer 16

a group of flowers

Question 17

germination

Answer 17

the physilogical process after the uptake of water by a dry seed. will result in roots and a seedling

Question 18

harvest index

Answer 18

part of the economical useful part of the plant expressed as the portion above the ground or the useful part of there root for root crops

Question 19

hypogeal germination

Answer 19

when the cotyledons stay beneath the ground

Question 20

intermediate growth

Answer 20

when the apical meristem remains vegetative and only lateral meristems turn reproductive thus flowering occurs over a longer period.

Question 21

induction

Answer 21

the physical change due to the environment triggers such as changing photo period or chilling that allows for the development of reproductive cells

Question 22

inflorescence

Answer 22

the way the plant groups its flowers

Question 23

legume

Answer 23

herbage and grain plants and fabaceae most have root fixing nodules and nitrogen fixing rhizobium

Question 24

ligule

Answer 24

thin membrane at the junction of a leaf blade and sheath of grass

Question 25

meristem

Answer 25

a part of the plant where cell division is concentrated.

Question 26

perennial

Answer 26

lives for more than two seasons.

Question 27

photoperiodism

Answer 27

In many plant species, floral induction occurs in response to changing day length or photoperiod.

Question 28

phytochrome

Answer 28

the protien pigment found in plants, it is a photo-receptor for red and far red light that is invovled with a number of timing processes.

Question 29

phytomer

Answer 29

a basic module or building block of plant growth consisting of a: node, leaf, axillery bud and joined to the next phytomer by an inter node.

Question 30

population density

Answer 30

The number of plants per unit area of ground

Question 31

primary roots

Answer 31

or seminal roots, develop from seedling axis

Question 32

Rhizobium

Answer 32

bacteria that colonize legume roots that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia for use by the
legume

Question 33

secondary growth

Answer 33

Growth arising from the cylindrical cork cambium meristem that causes an increase in girth of stems & roots of
woody dicots

Question 34

spikelet

Answer 34

The basic unit of a grass flower, consisting of 2 glumes or outer bracts at the base and one or more florets
above

Question 35

stratification

Answer 35

seed require a cold moist period before germination so that it doesn’t occur in winter. can be induced artificially.

Question 36

summer annual

Answer 36

germinates in spring grows flowers and seeds over summer before it dies in autumn

Question 37

tiller

Answer 37

the functional unit of a grass plant: true stem, leaves and roots. after parent tiller grows from a seed tillering occurs from dromant axillary buds of phytomers that receive red light signal.

Question 38

vernalisation

Answer 38

the induction or promotion of flowering through exposure to low tempratures.

Question 39

winter annual

Answer 39

plant that germinates in Autumn grows vegetatively and is vernalised over winter flowers in spring and dies early-mid summer.