W3 - Plant Longevity & Botany Topic 2 Flashcards
What are Annuals?
Plants that complete their lifecycle (grow, flower, set seed, die) in one year or less
Examples include Petunia x hybrida and Cosmos bipinnatus.
What defines Biennials?
Plants that take two years to complete their lifecycle, with growth in the first year and flowering in the second
Example: Parsley (Petroselinum crispum).
What are Perennials?
Plants that live for more than two years, most flower each year
Some are monocarpic, flowering once before dying.
What are the characteristics of Soft Wooded Plants?
Stems don’t get thicker each year, often remain green, and may become tough and fibrous
All monocotyledons, ferns, and simpler plants are soft wooded.
What are the two types of Soft Wooded Plants?
- Soft Wooded and Evergreen
- Soft Wooded and Herbaceous
What defines Hard Wooded Perennials?
Stems become thicker with age and produce secondary growth
Most trees, shrubs, and climbers are hard wooded.
What are the two types of Hard Wooded Perennials?
- Evergreen Hard Wooded
- Deciduous Hard Wooded
What is a Subshrub?
A plant with a woody base and lower branches, with soft wooded upper stems
Intermediate between shrub and soft wooded perennial.
What is the structure of a Capitulum?
A group of many small flowers (florets) surrounded by bracts at the base
What are the types of florets in the ASTERACEAE family?
- Ray florets
- Disc florets
What is Heteroblasty?
Marked difference between juvenile and adult growth, important in plant identification and development
What are the differences between Simple and Compound Leaves?
- Simple: Single leaf blade
- Compound: Multiple leaflets on one leaf
What are the venation patterns in leaves for Dicots and Monocots?
- Dicots: Netted/reticulate
- Monocots: Parallel or penninerved
How are leaves arranged in Whorled, Decussate, and Alternate arrangements?
- Whorled: 3+ leaves at one node
- Decussate: Opposite pairs on square stems
- Alternate: Single leaves alternating sides
What is an example of a herbaceous soft wooded perennial?
Dahlia cultivars
Known for various flower colors and forms, flowering from late spring to autumn.
What is the flowering period for Argyranthemum frutescens?
Winter to early summer flowering
What is the flowering period for Cosmos bipinnatus?
Summer to autumn flowering
