Chapter 28 Plant Structure and Growth

A collection of flashcards summarizing key vocabulary and concepts related to plant structure and growth.

Angiosperms

Flowering plants that are primary producers and important in agriculture, split into monocots and eudicots.

Meristems

Perpetually undifferentiated tissues that allow plants to grow throughout their life, enabling both primary and secondary growth.

Apical meristems

Meristems located at the tips of roots and shoots responsible for primary growth.

Vascular tissue

Tissue system in plants that facilitates the transport of materials (water, nutrients) and provides support; consists of xylem and phloem.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that conducts water and dissolved minerals upward from the roots to the shoots.

Phloem

Vascular tissue responsible for transporting sugars from where they are made to where they are needed.

Fibrous root system

A root system consisting of many small roots, often typical in small or trailing plants.

Taproot system

A root system featuring one main vertical root and lateral roots, typically found in tall, erect plants.

Dermal tissue system

The outer protective covering of a plant, consisting of tightly packed epidermal cells.

Ground tissue system

Tissues that are neither dermal nor vascular, often involved in storage, photosynthesis, and support.

Stomata

Pores in the leaf epidermis that allow for gas exchange between the air and photosynthetic cells.

Mesophyll

The ground tissue in a leaf that facilitates photosynthesis, typically composed of parenchyma cells.

Secondary growth

Growth that increases the diameter of stems and roots in woody plants, occurring through lateral meristems.

Dendrochronology

The analysis of tree ring growth patterns used to study past climate changes.

Periderm

Protective tissue produced by cork cambium, consisting of cork cells impermeable to water and gases.

Heartwood

Old layers of secondary xylem in a tree that no longer transport water and minerals.

Sapwood

Outer layers of secondary xylem in a tree that still transport materials.

Vascular cambium

A layer of meristematic cells that adds layers of vascular tissue (secondary xylem and phloem) during secondary growth.