annual
plants living for one year or less (one growing season)
entire life cycle from seed to flower within one growing season (germinate, bloom, set seed, and die all in one year)
biennial
plants living for two years, typically flowering and fruiting the second year (germinate and grow one year, bloom and die following year)
perennial
plants living for three years or more (grows and flowers for many years)
asparagus (herbaceous perennial)
pine (woody perennial, grows every year above ground and underground)
herbaceous perennial: above ground part dies at end of the season, underground part is still alive
deciduous
plants which shed all their leaves at the end of each growing season, applied to plant parts which fall off
oaks, maples, beeches
when leaves fall off, energy can be focused on woody growth (advantage)
evergreen
remaining green during the dormant season, plants never without leaves
herbaceous perennial
above ground part dies at the end of season, underground part is still alive
woody perennial
grows every year above ground and underground
woody plants
plants with live above-ground stems, increase with size each year
shrub
tree
liana
shrub
woody plants with more than one stem rising from the ground
tree
woody plants with single main stem/trunk
a small tree is usually less then 15 feet tall
liana
woody plants with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stem
english ivy, grape vines
woody climbing plants that are climbing onto trees typically
decumbent
branches come upwards
procumbent
branches on ground, don’t come up
plant parts
roots
stems
leaves
flowers
fruits
seeds
roots
underground portion of plant
major component in terms of function and absolute bulk (dry weight)
anchors plant, essential for nutrition and water uptake, food and storage
root systems
taproots and fibrous roots
taproots
main root axis and smaller branches
main root axis from which smaller root branches arise
priary root that more or less enlarges and grows downward
usually go very deep
fibrous roots
root system with all branches of roughly same thickness
root system where all roots are about the same size
not dominating root
fleshy roots and tuberous roots
fleshy roots
relatively thick and soft fibrous roots (daylily)
tuberous roots
enlarged with storage tissue (sweet potatoes)
examples of three other roots
heart root, flat root, aerial root
stems
main axes of plant
have nodes and internodes
usually have leaves with buds in leaf axis
may bear flowers (fruits)
six features of stems
main body
support branches
leaves
flowers
fruits
transport carbohydrates, nutrients, water
bark
outermost layers of woody stem, including all living and nonliving tissues external to the cambium
can be smooth, scaly, colorful
nodes
position on stem where leaves and branches come from
internode
portion between two nodes
leaf scar
scar remaining on branch after leaf falls
lenticel
slightly raised, slightly corky, lens-shaped area on surface of stem
lens-shaped warlike patches of paranchymatous tissue on surface of stem
pith
spongy, parenchymatous central tissue in stems
three types
continuous (solid)
chambered
diaphragmed
continuous pith
solid throughout
chambered pith
tissue between plates has disappeared
diaphragmed pitch
continuous pitch with firmer cross plates at intervals
collateral bud
lateral to axillary bud
superposed bud
located immediately above axillary bud
adventitous bud
developing from somewhere other than node or tip of a stem
dormant bud
inactive; maybe due to dry weather or winter condition
flower bud (reproductive bud)
containing or producing embryonic flower(s)
leaf bud
containing or producing leaves
vegetative bud
containing embryonic leaves (stems) and flowers
scaly bud (covered bud
covered by bud scales
naked bud
not covered by bud scales
infrapetiolar bud
axillary bud surrounded by base of petiole
pseudoterminal bud
axillary bud immediately next to terminal bud
bud scale scar
scar remaining after bud scales fall
eight modified stems
bulb
corm
rhizome
runner (stolon)
scape
tendrils
thorn
cladophyll
bulb
short, basal, underground stem surrounded by thick fleshy leaves
corm
a shoft, upright hard or fleshy bulblike stem, usually covered with paper, thin, dry leaves
rhizome
horizontal, prostrate, or underground stem with reduced scalelike leaves
runner (stolon)
horizontal aboveground stem, usually rooting and producing plants at nodes
scape
leafless peduncle arising from ground levek, sometimes with small scale-like leaves
tendrils
small, twisting appendage that attaches a scandent plant to other plants or subjects
thorn
reduced, sharp, pointed stem
cladophyll
stem with form and function of a leaf
trunk
main stem of tree below branches
twig
small shoot or branch from a tree
prickle
sharp pointed extension of cortex and epidermis