Plant Anatomy: Vocabulary Flashcards

20 vocabulary flashcards covering key plant anatomy concepts from the lecture notes.

Cell wall

Rigid layer made of cellulose that provides strength and rigidity to the plant cell; protects the protoplast and gives the cell its shape.

Plasma membrane

Semipermeable boundary of the cell that controls the entry and exit of substances; site of diffusion and active transport.

Nucleus

Large organelle that coordinates cellular activities and stores genetic information (DNA/RNA); passes genetic material to daughter cells.

Ribosomes

Small particles that synthesize proteins; can be free in the cytoplasm or attached to rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

ER with ribosomes on its surface; synthesizes proteins destined for secretion or membranes.

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

ER lacking ribosomes; involved in lipid synthesis and detoxification processes.

Golgi apparatus

Stack of flattened sacs that modify, package, and ship proteins and lipids to their destinations.

Protoplast

Living component of the plant cell, i.e., the cell without its cell wall.

Cytoplasm

Content of the cell between the plasma membrane and the nucleus; site of many metabolic activities and organelles.

Chloroplast

Plastid responsible for photosynthesis; contains chlorophyll and internal membranes called thylakoids.

Thylakoids

Disc-shaped membranes inside chloroplasts where the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis take place.

Chlorophyll

Green pigment that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.

Chromoplast

Pigment-containing plastids with carotenoids that give yellow, orange, and red colors to flowers, fruits, and aging leaves.

Mitochondria

Organelle that provides energy via cellular respiration; essential for living organisms.

Vacuole

Central storage organelle that can occupy up to ~90% of mature plant cell volume; contains vacuolar sap and tonoplast; helps maintain turgor and stores pigments.

Tonoplast

Membrane surrounding the vacuole that regulates movement of substances into and out of the vacuole.

Meristematic tissue

Undifferentiated, actively dividing plant tissue that differentiates into other tissues; found in regions of active growth.

Xylem

Vascular tissue that conducts water and dissolved minerals from roots to all parts of the plant.

Phloem

Vascular tissue that conducts food and metabolites from leaves (sources) to other parts of the plant (sinks).

Parenchyma

Simple tissue with thin cell walls and living cytoplasm; contains chloroplasts and can be meristematic for wound healing.