Botany Vocab

vascular

specialized tissue in plants that carries water and nutrients

Phloem

Living vascular tissue that carries sugar and organic substances throughout a plant

Xylem

Nonliving vascular tissue that carries water and dissolved minerals from the roots of a plant to its leaves

vascular bundle

a unit strand of the vascular system in stems and leaves of higher plants consisting essentially of xylem and phloem

stoma

opening that regulates gas exchange and water evaporation between leaves and the environment, typically situated on the underside of leaves

Cuticle

A waxy covering on the surface of stems and leaves that acts as an adaptation to prevent desiccation in terrestrial plants.

pollen

A fine dust that contains the sperm of seed-producing plants

Monocotyledon

A subdivision of flowering plants whose members possess one embryonic seed leaf of cotyledon

Dicotyledon

A subdivision of flowering plants whose members possess an embryonic seed leaf made of two halves or cotyledons

Stamen

the male reproductive organ of a flower

filament

the stalk of a stamen

Anther

the part of a stamen that contains the pollen.

fruit

A mature ovary of a flower that protects dormant seeds and aids in their dispersal.

vegetable

A plant part that is used as food, but that is not classified botanically as a fruit.

Cellulose

A substance (made of sugars) that is common in the cell walls of many organisms

cotyledon

first leaf or first pair of leaves produced by the embryo of a seed plant

seed

The plant structure that contains a young plant inside a protective covering

Pollination

transfer of pollen from anther to stigma

Pistil

The female reproductive part of a flower

Stigma

The part of the pistil where pollen germinates.

Style

An enlongated part of a carpel, or group of fused carpels, between the ovary and the stigma

root

An organ in vascular plants that anchors the plant and enables it to absorb water and minerals from the soil.

stem

supporting structure that connects roots and leaves and carries water and nutrients between them

leaf

the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

Transpiration

Evaporation of water from the leaves of a plant

Auxins

Plant hormones that lead to phototropism by elongating the dark side of the plant

Gibberellins

Plant hormone that promotes stem elongation

Hormones

Chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect another

ethylene gas

Hormone which helps ripen fruits

palisade mesophyll

layer of cells under the upper epidermis of a leaf

spongy mesophyll

layer of loose tissue found beneath the palisade mesophyll in a leaf

guard cell

Pairs of cells that surround stomata and control their opening and closing.

Tropism

A growth response of a plant toward or away from a stimulus

Phototropism

A plant's response to light

Thigmotropism

A growth response to touch

Geo/gravitropism

response to earth's gravity

shoot system

consists of stems and leaves

root system

all the roots of a plant

dermal

"skin" of plant. Covers plants entire body; serves to protect.

turgor pressure

The pressure that water molecules exert against the cell wall

nitrogen cycle

The transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere

carbon cycle

The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

Ovary

A flower structure that encloses and protects ovules and seeds as they develop.

Petals

modified leaves which are usually bright in color to attract pollinators.