Botany Lecture Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering plant anatomy, tissue systems, root and stem modifications, vascular transport, and plant propagation based on introductory Botany lecture notes.

Botany

The scientific study of plants, derived from the Greek word BOTANE meaning herb.

Sir Francis Bacon

Scientist credited with being the first to define the scientific method and known as the Father of Modern Scientific Method.

Theophrastus

Early Greek scholar known as the Father of Botany and author of Historia Plantarum.

Carolus Linnaeus

Botanist known as the Father of Modern Taxonomy who introduced binomial nomenclature in Systema Naturae.

Robert Hooke

Author of Micrographia (1665) who coined the term "cell" and is known as the Father of Cytology.

Charles Darwin

Author of On the Origin of Species and Father of Evolution who proposed the mechanism of natural selection.

Agronomy

The branch of botany that deals with crops and agriculture.

Bryology

The scientific study of bryophytes and mosses.

Phycology

The scientific study of algae.

Palynology

The scientific study of pollen and spores.

Epidermis

The single-cell outer layer covering roots, stems, leaves, and fruits in the primary plant body.

Cuticle

A continuous outer layer on epidermal cells composed of the fatty material cutin.

Stomata

Specialized epidermal guard cells that regulate gas exchange and water loss by altering the pore size.

Periderm

The protective outermost cell layer covering woody stems or roots formed during secondary growth to replace the primary epidermis.

Meristematic Tissues

Plant tissues composed of actively dividing, undifferentiated cells with small or no vacuoles that produce new cells by mitosis.

Apical Meristem

Meristem tissue located at the tips (apex) of stems, roots, and shoots, responsible for primary growth in length.

Intercalary Meristem

Meristem tissue located at the basal portion of internodes, responsible for internode elongation.

Lateral Meristem

Meristem tissue located at the vascular and cork cambium, responsible for secondary growth or increase in plant diameter.

Parenchyma

The fundamental simple permanent tissue found throughout the plant body, involved in storage, active respiration, and protein synthesis.

Aerenchyma

Specialized parenchyma tissue containing large, numerous air spaces that provides aeration and buoyancy to aquatic plants.

Transfer Cells

Parenchyma cells featuring irregular inner wall extensions that increase membrane surface area for transport.

Chlorenchyma

Parenchyma cells containing numerous chloroplasts, commonly found in leaves and young shoots.

Collenchyma

Simple permanent tissue with primary walls thickened by pectin, providing elastic support to stems, leaves, and floral parts.

Sclerenchyma

Mechanical supporting tissue characterized by thick, lignified secondary cell walls containing cellulose and lignin.

Fibers

Elongated, spindle-shaped sclerenchyma cells with tapering ends and pits that provide structural support in vascular tissues.

Sclereids

Short, thick-walled sclerenchyma cells occurring singly or in groups that give fruits like pears a gritty texture.

Casparian Strip

A waterproof band formed by suberin and lignin deposition on the radial and end walls of root endodermal cells.

Xylem

Complex permanent tissue responsible for conducting water and dissolved mineral nutrients throughout the plant.

Tracheids

Elongated, dead xylem cells with lignified walls and bordered pits, but no perforations.

Vessel Elements

Elongated xylem cells aligned end-to-end with end perforations that form continuous tubes for water transport.

Phloem

Complex permanent tissue responsible for conducting dissolved carbohydrates and nutrients throughout the plant.

Sieve-Tube Elements

Living, enucleate phloem cells in angiosperms aligned end-to-end with sieve plates to conduct organic nutrients.

Companion Cells

Living parenchyma cells connected to sieve-tube elements via plasmodesmata that provide ATP and signals to regulate sieve-tube metabolism.

Radicle

The embryonic root of a seed plant that develops into the primary root.

Taproot System

A root system characterized by a dominant primary root that penetrates deep into the soil.

Adventitious Roots

Roots that develop from plant parts other than the embryonic radicle, such as stems or leaves.

Root Cap

A thimble-shaped parenchymatous mass protecting the root tip from abrasion, utilizing amyloplasts as gravity sensors.

Quiescent Center

A central region of cells within the root apical meristem where cell division does not take place.

Cortex (Root)

Ground tissue region located between the epidermis and pericycle that functions primarily in food storage.

Pericycle

The tissue layer between the endodermis and conducting vascular bundles that gives rise to lateral branch roots.

Stele

The central cylinder of a root containing tissues derived from procambium, including the pericycle, vascular tissues, and pith.

Apoplastic Pathway

Water transport route through interconnected cell walls without passing through plasma membranes or cytoplasm.

Symplastic Pathway

Water and mineral transport route through the interconnected cytoplasm of plant cells via plasmodesmata.

Pneumatophores

Knee-shaped modified roots containing aerenchyma that grow above water to allow gas exchange for subsurface roots.

Contractile Roots

Modified roots that contract vertically to pull bulbs, corms, or stem bases deeper into the soil.

Haustoria

Peg-like root projections of parasitic plants that penetrate host vascular tissues to extract water and nutrients.

Mycorrhiza

A mutualistic symbiotic association between plant roots and fungi that improves phosphorus absorption and pathogen protection.

Epicotyl

The region of an embryonic seed shoot located above the cotyledons from which the first stem develops.

Shoot System

The aboveground structural portion of a plant composed of stems, branches, and leaves.

Node

The specific point on a stem from which leaves or buds emerge.

Internode

The section of stem situated between two adjacent nodes.

Lenticels

Small, raised pores in stems and bark that facilitate gaseous exchange between plant tissues and atmosphere.

Rhizome

A horizontal subterranean stem growing at or beneath the ground surface used for storage and vegetative reproduction.

Tuber

An enlarged, fleshy subterranean storage organ formed at the tip of a rhizome, such as a potato.

Corm

A solid, globose subterranean stem covered with thin papery leaves, functioning in storage and perennial survival.

Bulb

A short underground stem surrounded by swollen, fleshy scale-like storage leaves, as found in onions.

Cladophylls

Flattened, leaflike stem structures adapted for photosynthesis, as seen in Ruscus.

Translocation

The movement of dissolved organic solutes, mainly sucrose, through phloem tissue from source to sink.

Pressure-Flow Hypothesis

The mechanism proposed by Ernst Munch explaining phloem transport driven by hydrostatic pressure gradients between source and sink.

Transpiration Pull Theory

Theory proposed by Dixon and Jolly attributing the ascent of xylem sap to leaf transpiration paired with water cohesion and adhesion.

Marcotting

An air layering method of vegetative propagation where roots are induced on an aerial stem before detaching it from the parent plant.

Micropropagation

An in vitro plant propagation technique where small tissue samples are cultured under sterile conditions on artificial media.