Diversity of Flowering Plants

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the diversity and classification of flowering plants, their adaptations, and life cycles.

Flowering Plants

The largest phylum in the plant kingdom, characterized by unique adaptations like flowers and fruits.

Cotyledon

An embryonic leaf inside a seed, often called a 'seed leaf'.

Monocot

Flowering plants whose embryos have one seed leaf, typically with parallel veins, flower parts in multiples of three, and scattered vascular tissue.

Dicot

Flowering plants whose embryos have two seed leaves, typically with netlike veins, flower parts in multiples of four or five, and vascular tissue arranged in rings.

Wood

A fibrous material made up of dead cells that are part of the vascular system of some plants, providing stiffness due to lignin and cellulose.

Fruit

A flower's ripened ovary that surrounds and protects the seed or seeds, playing an important role in seed dispersal.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen from one flower to another, often facilitated by animals or wind.

Nectar

A sugary solution produced in the flowers of some plant species, often serving as a food source for pollinators.

Seed Dispersal

The process by which seeds are moved away from the parent plant, often aided by fruits, animals, or wind.

Woody Plants

Plants that develop stiff stems and branches from wood, such as trees, shrubs, and most vines.

Herbaceous Plants

Plants that do not produce wood and have non-woody stems, such as cucumbers, cacti, and marigolds.

Annuals

Flowering plants that mature from seeds, produce flowers, and die all in one year.

Biennials

Flowering plants that take two years to complete their life cycle, producing leaves and food reserves in the first year and flowers and seeds in the second.

Perennials

Any flowering plant that lives for more than two years.