Morphology of Flowering Plants

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to the morphology of flowering plants.

Aestivation

The mode of arrangement of sepals or petals in a floral bud with respect to other members of the same whorl.

Inflorescence

The arrangement of flowers on the floral axis.

Gynoecium

The female reproductive part of the flower, made up of one or more carpels.

Androecium

The male reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of stamens.

Placentation

The arrangement of ovules within the ovary.

Morphology

The study of the structure, form, and configuration of organisms.

Venation

The arrangement of veins and veinlets in the lamina of a leaf.

Calyx

The outermost whorl of the flower made up of sepals.

Corolla

The whorl of petals that is usually brightly colored to attract pollinators.

Phyllotaxy

The pattern of arrangement of leaves on the stem or branch.

Tap root

A type of root system where the primary root grows deep into the soil.

Fibrous root system

A root system in which many thin roots arise from the base of the stem.

Compound leaf

A leaf whose blade is divided into several leaflets.

Simple leaf

A leaf with an undivided blade.

Pinnately compound leaf

A leaf with leaflets arranged along a common axis.

Palmately compound leaf

A leaf with leaflets attached at a single point at the tip of the petiole.

Actinomorphic flower

A flower that can be divided into equal halves by multiple planes through the center.

Zygomorphic flower

A flower that can be divided into two similar halves only in one specific plane.