Plants Flashcards
Dicots:
Net veins in leaves, floral parts in 4 or 5s, tap root.
Monocots:
Parallel veins in leaves, floral parts in 3s, fibrous root.
Tap root -
A thicker root that stores a lot of starch. The starch is used to grow a new shoot the following season.
Fibrous root -
A highly branched root that serves as a good anchor and stores less starch.
Root hairs -
Microscopic structures on roots that absorb water and minerals from the soil.
Adventitious roots -
Root found above ground or in unusual places. I.e. Corn, banyan tree.
Terminal bud
Occurs at the apex of the plant, and is followed by a compact series of nodes and internodes.
Auxiliary bud
Found in the angle between the petiole and the stem. Usually dormant.
Node
The point on the stem where the petiole of the leaf attaches to the stem.
Internode
The space on the stem between the nodes.
Apical dominance
Auxin is produced in the top 4 inches of the plant and keeps axillary buds dormant. As you move down the plant, there is a lower concentration of auxin and the auxiliary buds begin to grow. This gives plants a pyramidal shape.
Petiole
The stem of the leaf.
Blade
What you think of as a leaf.
Bulb
Often mistaken for a root, it is a series of storage leaves. I.e. an onion.
Rhizomes
Horizontal underground stems.
Stolons
Horizontal above ground stems. I.e. strawberry
Protoplast
The cytoplasm of a plant cell.
Tonoplast
The sap or water vacuole in the plant cell which exerts turger pressure when filled with water. This pressure keeps the planet standing erect.
Plasmadesmata
Tubes or channels between plant cell walls which allow communication between plant cells.
Cell wall
Composed of starch and lignin. It gives rigidity to the plant.
3 plant tissue types
- Dermal or epidermis
- Vascular
- Ground
- Dermal tissue
A single layer of tightly packed cells which cover and protect young plants parts.
Or Epidermis - “skin” of the plant
Specialized functions: root hairs - extension of root epidermis.
Stem and leaf epidermis produces the cuticle or waxy covering of the leaf and stem system. It retains water.
- Vascular tissue
Xylem and phloem
- Ground tissue
A general tissue type that is used for photosynthesis, support and storage. Young plants are composed mostly of ground tissue.
Mostly parenchyma, the bulk of the plant material.
Parenchyma
A generalized type of plant cell. This is the least specialized type of cell, but conducts most of the plants metabolism.
Collenchyma
These cells lack a secondary wall, and are grouped into cylinders. They support young plant parts.
Sclerenchyma
Cells with a thick secondary wall. They may be dead at functional maturity.
Root cap
A protective layer of cells which produce a carbohydrate slime to aid root penetration into the soil.
Apical meristem
Embryonic tissue which produces primary meristems and replaces root cap cells. Another apical meristem is found at the tip of the shoot.
Zone of differentiation
Root cells mature into 1 of 3 tissue types.
Zone of elongation
Root cells elongate to 10X their original length, and push the apical meristem of the root deeper into the ground.
Quiescent center
A group of specialized cells in the center of the apical meristem. They grow very slowly and are resistant to damage by radiation and chemicals. They are a foundation of youth of forever embryonic cells.