BOT 313 Terms

Cal Poly BOT 313 - Winter 2023 - Grossenbacher

annual

growing and reproducing in a single season, for risky habitats

biennial

A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and fruit the second.

perennial

lives for 3 or more years and usually flowers repeatedly; can be determinate or non-determinate

habit

general appearance (category of shape)

tree

woody, one main trunk, more than 20' high, you can walk under it

subshrub

plant having the stature of a shrub but not completely woody

shrub

multi trunks, less than 20' feet, walk around/on it

herb

no above ground woody tissue; dies to the ground every year; annual, biennial or perennial

adventitious root

roots arising from stem or leaf tissue

Rhizome

underground horizontal stem that spreads and perennates the plant.

Tuber

Solid, enlarged, horizontal, shortened stem usually underground.

Stolon

Horizontal stem at or just above the surface on the ground that gives rise to a new plant at its tip or from axillary branches.

Bulb

Thickened, short vertical stem axis with large fleshy storage leaves attached. Below ground

Corm

Solid, erect, enlarged underground stem

spine

modified leaf; occupies position of leaf

prickle

outgrowth of epidermis; not in a place where either leaf/bud would be

thorn

modified stem, above leaf, occupies position of bud

involucre

A group of bracts below a flower or inflorescence

Often cup- or ring-like

Can intergrade with perianth in appearance

adaxial

top/dorsal of leaf

connate-perfoliate

pair of opposite sessile leaves fused to each other around the stem

pedicel

The stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence

petals

corolla

sepals

calyx; more leaf like

tepals

undifferentiated petal and sepal; similar color

androecium

male parts; anther + filament \= stamen

staminodes

sterile stamens

complete flower

all whorls present (calyx, corolla, stamen, pistil)

incomplete flowers

some or all whorls absent

monoecious

male and female flowers on the same plant (different flowers)

dioecious

male and female flowers on different plants

bracts

modified leaves subtending a flower or inflorescence

determinate inflorescence

Terminal meristem ends in a flower

Buds furthest from the terminal meristem buds develop first

Simple and scorpioid cymes

indeterminate inflorescence

The terminal meristem continues growing

Lower/outermost/buds furthest from terminal meristem open first

Spike, raceme, umbel, head

solitary flower

1 flower on a peduncle

May be axillary (indeterminate) or terminal (determinate)

spike

Indeterminate simple inflorescence

Elongate

Sessile flowers

raceme

Indeterminate simple inflorescence

Elongate

Pedicels

panicle

Indeterminate compound inflorescence

Elongate

Pedicels

Main axis is indeterminate

Secondary axis is indeterminate

Etc

“A raceme of racemes”

corymb

flat-topped, youngest flower in center, indeterminate

cyme

Determinate simple inflorescence

No rachis

Pedicels

Oldest flowers at the apex

umbel

Indeterminate simple inflorescence

No rachis

Pedicels attach at one point

Oldest flowers are on the outside

fruit

Pericarp + seeds

simple fruit

Derived from a single pistl/carpel (monocarpus and syncarpous)

\

aggregate fruit

derived from multiple pistils of a single flower

E.g.: raspberries (of drupe), strawberries (of achene)

multiple fruit

derived from many flowers/pistils

E.g.: pineapple

types of symmetry

radial bilateral asymmetric

staminode

infertile stamen

opposite stamens/staminodes

stamens are directly in front of petals

alternate stamens/staminodes

stamens are off set from petals, stamens and petals alternate around flower

epipetalous

adnate to petals

types of placentation

axile
marginal
free central
parietal
basal
apical

superior ovary

Ovary above other flower parts

inferior ovary

Ovary below other flower parts

Hypanthium

fused androecium and perianth

perfect flower

flower has both functional androecium and function gynoecium

imperfect flower

flower has only one functional androecium or gynoecium

synoecious

male and female reproductive parts within the same flower - perfect flower

septum

dividing walls between fused carpels

ovule

contains the egg

pericarp

AKA ovary wall

endocarp + mesocarp + exocarp

locule

ovary chamber

ovary axis

plane along which carpels are fused or attached

Bud

external meristem- give rise to leaves or flowers

Leaf blade

large flat portion of leaf, where photosynthesis occurs

petiole

thin stalk by which a leaf blade is attached to a stem

Compound Leaf

A leaf with more than one blade per petiole or leaf base

Leaflet

Each small blade on a compound leaf

Rachis

The central axis of a compound leaf or an elongated inflorescence (elongate = has rachis)

Pinnately compound

compound leaf with leaflets attached like the veins of a feather

Bipinnately compound

a compound leaf divided twice with leaflets attached to secondary rachises

palmately compound

A compound leaf with all of the smaller leaflets attaching to a single point, radiating outward like fingers on a hand.

petiolate

leaf with a petiole/stalk

sessile

attached directly by the twig without a stem/petiole

Perfoliate

stem going through center of leaf

Clasping

sessile leaf with lobes of blade tissue projecting backwards on either side of the stem

Sheathing

a leaf blade or petiole that is prolonged and wrapped around the stem. this is the typical attachment of most grass leaves

Basal

leaves are attached to an underground stem. some appear to arise directly from the ground.

Whorled

three or more leaves symmetrically distrubuted around the stem at the same node

Palmate venation

when a leave's veins not only branch out from the midrib, but those branches also have branches on them

parallel venation

An arrangement of veins in a leaf in which the larger veins are all parallel to each other.

needle-like

linear, generally pointed leaves typical of pines and other gymnosperms

scale-like

small, flat or succulent triangular leaves with no differentiation between blade and petiole

Linear

long and narrow leaf, sides parrallel, leaf blade more than 4x longer than broad

Oblong

Nearly rectangular 2x to 4x longer than broad with sides nearly parallel

Lanceolate

shaped like a spearhead, 3x to 4x longer than broad, widest at base and tapering to point

oblanceolate

the inverse of lanceolate, widest at tip and tapering at base

elliptic

shaped like an ellipse, widest near middle and tapering at both ends

reniform

Leaf Shape- Kidney shaped, and broader than long.

Stipule

one or a pair of appendages sometimes developed at the base of a leaf in many dicotyledons; can be leaf-like, scarious or spinose.

Linear Leaf Shape

2 side margins parallel to eachother along the entire length of the leaf

Lanceolate Leaf Shape

wide base that narrows to tip

Ovate Leaf Shape

Wide base with broad tip (egg shape)

Cordate Leaf Shape

heart shape with lobes at base and tip at the end of the leaf

Pinnate

A leaf vein pattern that looks like a feather. There is one main vein that has smaller veins branching off sideways from it.

Parallel Leaf Venation

a type of broad leaf that has long veins that do not intersect (monocots) e.g. grass

Entire (leaf margin)

The margin of a leaf that is smooth with no indentations or teeth

Serrate

leaf margins are ridged to resemble a saw blade with the tips pointing towards the end of the leaf

Dentate

(Leaf Margin) Sharp marginal teeth projecting at right angles.

Lobed (leaf margin)

edges of leaf deeply indented with curves forming lobes

Crenate

having a margin with rounded scallops

Glabrous

Smooth; having a surface without hairs, projections, or any unevenness.