Plant Basics
The study of plants
What is Botany?
Cells that have not specialized in any particular function and are found in the Meristematic Region of the root.
What are undifferentiated cells?
This type of leaf venation not only has veins that branch out from the midrib, but those also have branches on them.
What is palmate?
This is the main job of the leaves of a plant.
What is photosynthesis?
What is at least 1 main difference between perennial plants and annual plants?
Perennial plants typically have woody parts, and they grow year after year.
Annual plants are herbaceous (with no woody parts) and typically live for only one year.
These plants grow year after year and usually have woody parts.
What are perennial plants?
The parts of a plant (such as stems, roots, and leaves) that are not involved in reproduction
What are vegetative organs?
This leaf shape looks like an upside-down heart
What is cordate?
This is the function of the guard cells
What is to open and close the stomata?
Name 1 difference between a Fibrous Root system and a Taproot system
In Fibrous Root Systems, the primary root begins branching until the root system looks like an underground bush.
In Taproot Systems, the primary root continues to grow without branching.
In plants with woody stems, this cracks to allow for its growth.
What is bark?
Living vascular tissue that carries sugar and organic substances throughout a plant
What is the phloem?
This leaf margin has more pronounced teeth that point outward rather than just towards the apex
What is dentate?
This structure in a deciduous tree causes the leaves to die and fall off in the autumn
What is the abscission layer?
Name 2 differences between Xylem and Phloem.
Xylem is nonliving vascular tissue. It carries water and dissolved minerals from roots to plant's leaves. Its cells have thicker walls. Its cells die when they mature.
Phloem is living vascular tissue. It carries sugar and organic substances throughout the plant. Its cells have thinner walls. Phloem cells continue to live after they mature.
The 3 characteristics that Botanists use to classify a plant
What are shape, margin, and venation?
The process of cutting away a ring of inner and outer bark all the way around a tree trunk
What is girdling?
This leaf margin does not have teeth but tends to be wavy
What is undulate?
This leaf pigment turns a leaf either blue, purple, or pink
What are anthocyanins?
Name 1 difference between plants found in phylum Coniferophyta and phylum Anthophyta
Both are seed-making plants.
phylum Coniferophyta are evergreen trees and reproduce by making cones.
phylum Anthophyta are "flowering plants" where their seeds are produced in their flowers
This part of the plant not only performs photosynthesis, but also supports and manufactures the leaves and conducts water and nutrients to/from the leaves.
What is the stem?
A "seed leaf" which develops as part of the seed, provides nutrients to the developing seedling, and becomes the first leaf of the plant
What is a cotyledon?
This leaf shape looks like a triangle
What is deltoid?
What is the function of spongy mesophyll and which side of the leaf is it found on?
It allows for the exchange of gases necessary for photosynthesis. It is found loosely packed on the bottom of the leaf where it will be a lighter shade of green.
Name 3 differences between Monocots and Dicots
What are # of cotyledons produced in the seed, venation of the leaves, the fibrovascular bundles, and the # of petals on their flowers?