Plant Biology Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes.

Cotyledon

Part of the embryo within the seed of a plant, often becoming the embryonic first leaves of a seedling.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants; generally deciduous.

Monocot

A major group of angiosperms with a single cotyledon.

Eudicot

A major group of angiosperms with two or more cotyledons.

Gymnosperms

Naked seed plants; generally coniferous, bearing cones and needles or scales.

Vegetative Growth

Plant growth that produces roots, stems, and leaves.

Reproductive Growth

Plant growth involving flowers in angiosperms for reproduction.

Root System

The part of the vascular plant organ system found below ground.

Shoot System

The part of the vascular plant organ system consisting of stems and leaves.

Apical Bud

The bud located at the very tip of the stem where most new growth occurs.

Axillary Bud

A lateral bud where branches, thorns, or flowers develop.

Node

The area of the stem from which leaves grow.

Internode

The stem segment between each node.

Taproot

A main root usually present in eudicots.

Lateral Roots

Branch roots that extend from the taproot.

Apical Dominance

The phenomenon where the apical bud inhibits the growth of axillary buds.

Blade

The flattened part of a leaf.

Petiole

The stalk that joins a leaf to the stem.

Leaf Area Index

The ratio of total upper leaf surface of a plant divided by the surface area of land on which it grows.

Self-pruning

The shedding of lower shaded leaves when they respire more than photosynthesize.

Dermal Tissue

The outer protective covering of a plant, including the epidermis and cuticle.

Epidermis

The layer of tightly packed cells in nonwoody plants.

Cuticle

A waxy coating on leaves and stems that prevents water loss.

Vascular Tissue

Plant tissue that facilitates long-distance transport of materials and provides structural support.

Vessel Elements

Water-conducting cells found in the xylem of some plants, aligned end-to-end into long pipes.

Sieve-tube Elements

Chains of cells in phloem that form sieve tubes.

Sieve Plates

Pores between sieve-tube elements that facilitate fluid flow.

Companion Cell

A non-conducting cell alongside each sieve-tube element; its nucleus and ribosomes serve the neighboring cell.

Ground Tissue

Plant tissues that are neither dermal nor vascular, including pith and cortex.

Pith

Ground tissue internal to vascular tissue.

Cortex

Ground tissue external to vascular tissue.

Indeterminate Growth

The ability of a plant to grow throughout its life.

Meristems

Perpetually undifferentiated tissues that enable indeterminate growth.

Determinate Growth

When plant organs cease to grow at a certain size.

Primary Growth

Growth from apical meristems, leading to elongation.

Secondary Growth

Growth that adds thickness to woody plants, facilitated by lateral meristems.

Vascular Cambium

A lateral meristem that adds layers of vascular tissue, called secondary xylem and secondary phloem.