Plant Science
This small scale scientific discipline is a practice that countless people, scientists or otherwise, conduct every day in caring for ornamental plants.
Horticulture
These large tree-like cacti often grow over 40 feet tall. They also produce the state flower of Arizona.
Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
A permanent and often random alteration in the DNA sequence of an organism, occurring due to replication errors, environmental factors, or viral infections.
Mutation
Microscopic pores, primarily found on the underside of leaves, that regulate gas exchange and transpiration in plants.
Stomata
Largely due to its name, this small red aggregate fruit is often mistaken for a berry.
Strawberry
This discipline studies the scientific methods of chronological dating through tree ring analysis. In the United States, this discipline was revolutionized here at the University of Arizona.
Dendrochronology
Despite its cute name, you likely won't want to hug this cholla cactus common in Arizona.
Teddy-bear Cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii)
The entire set of DNA instructions found in a cell, containing all the information needed for an organism to develop and function. For the vast majority of plant species, these sets have yet to be fully sequenced.
Genome
A large, central, and dominant root from which other roots sprout laterally and horizontally.
Taproot
This plant species produces the following culinary vegetables through a vast array of cultivars: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprout, collard, and kohlrabi.
Wild cabbage (Brassica oleracea)
What is Ethnobotany the study of?
The relationship between humans and plants.
This is a genus of thorny, drought-tolerant trees and shrubs in the legume family, one of the few sources of fixed Nitrogen in the desert. Their pods were historically ground into flour.
These are the four nucleotides found in DNA.
A, T, C, G.
(Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guanine)
A specialized cluster or inflorescence—most commonly in tomatoes and strawberries—where multiple flowers, and subsequently fruits, develop along a shared stalk.
Truss
The section of a plant stem situated between two consecutive nodes (which are the points where leaves, branches, or buds attach).
Internode
This is the branch of botany dealing with the recovery and identification of plant fossils from geological contexts.
Paleobotany
This genus of monocots conducts CAM photosynthesis and has succulent leaves to hold onto water.
Agave (or Yucca)
The condition where plant cells contain more than two complete sets of chromosomes. Unlike animals, this is typically a benefit.
Polyploidy
The arrangement of veins within a leaf blade, crucial for transporting water, nutrients, and providing structural support.
Leaf Venation
These flowering plants are harvested for their seeds, a common ingredient in pastries. However, you shouldn't eat too many of their seeds before a drug test due to their trace morphine and codeine content.
Poppies (Papaveroideae)
The teachings of this ancient Athenian philosopher is considered to be the origin of Botany.
Theophrastus
This endangered cactus is known for its small sized disc-shaped body similar in appearance to a sand dollar. It is also known for its hallucinogenic effects when ingested.
Sand Dollar Cactus or Star Peyote (Astrophytum asterias)
Gain-of-function (GoF) research refers this type of scientific experimentation.
Inducing and observing novel functions in species through genetic mutations.
This adjective may be used to indicate the often juvenile stem that is furthest from the point of attachment.
Distal
A MiG-29 launches an R-77 All Aspect missile at you from 15 kilometers away at an altitude of 2,500 meters. What do you do?
A: Turn your nose around and take the MiG-29 in a head-on dogfight
B: Notch the missile and begin to climb
C: Deploy countermeasures and hit the deck
B: Notch the missile and begin to climb