Plant Structure and Diversity Vocabulary

Flashcards covering anatomical terms for angiosperms, gymnosperms, ferns, leaves, monocot stems/roots, and dicot stems/roots based on lecture slides.

Perianth

The non-reproductive part of a flower providing protection and signaling, composed of the petals and sepals.

Stamen

The pollen-producing male reproductive organ of a flower, composed of an anther and a filament.

Pistil

The egg-producing female reproductive organ of a flower, composed of the stigma, style, and ovary.

Anther

The pollen-bearing structure located at the top of the stamen in angiosperms.

Filament

The stalk-like structure that supports the anther within a flower stamen.

Stigma

The sticky surface at the top of the pistil that receives pollen during pollination.

Style

The elongated tube of the pistil connecting the stigma to the ovary.

Ovary

The swollen base structure of the pistil that contains ovules and produces female reproductive eggs.

Pollen Cones

Male gymnosperm structures containing pollen grains and a branch tip with apical meristem.

Ovulate Cones

Female gymnosperm structures containing ovules, progressing from immature to mature cone stages.

Gametophyte

The haploid generation phase in ferns that supports the developing sporophyte.

Sporophyte

The diploid spore-producing generation phase in ferns that grows attached to the gametophyte.

Sori

Clusters of sporangia located on the underside of fern fronds (singular: sorus).

Sporangium

An individual spore-producing enclosure contained within a sorus on a fern leaf.

Vascular Bundles

Discrete transport strands containing xylem and phloem scattered throughout a monocot stem cross-section.

Endodermis

An inner cellular boundary layer in plant roots surrounding the vascular tissue (xylem and phloem).

Cuticle

A waxy protective layer covering the epidermis of a leaf.

Palisade Mesophyll

A tissue layer in leaves containing long, tightly packed photosynthetic cells.

Spongy Mesophyll

A tissue layer in leaves characterized by loose cell organization with lots of air space between cells.

Vein

A leaf vascular bundle consisting of xylem and phloem.

Xylem

Vascular transport tissue for water, which appears red under microscopic staining in leaf cross-sections.

Phloem

Vascular transport tissue for nutrients, which appears blue-green under microscopic staining in leaf cross-sections.

Pith

The central tissue layer present within the stem cross section of a dicot plant.