Botany Science Olympiad

K strategy

Few offspring, large investment of time and energy in offspring, survivorship high

r-strategy

A reproductive strategy characterized by rapid reproduction of many small offspring and little or no parental care. Ex. Rabbits, bacteria.

absorption zone

root: zone of root hairs

Achene

small one-seeded fruit or naked seed of plant

adventitious roots

originate from stem

Anatomy

The study of body structure

anomolous secondary growth

when there are multiple short lived layers of cambium

apical meristem

Embryonic plant tissue in the tips of roots and in the buds of shoots that supplies cells for the plant to grow in length.

Apogamy

development of a plant without the union of sexual organs or cells

Apoximis

asexual production of seeds

Apospory

Development of the gametophyte from the sporophyte without the formation of spores

ataktostele

vascular bundles dispersed

bipolar plant body

both root and shoot systems present

botany

the scientific study of plants

brachyblasts

shortened shoots of pines, larches and some other Pinaceae conifers

Bract scales

sterile bracts under seed scales in conifers

buds

embryonic shoots

bulb

a short, underground stem surrounded by fleshy leaves that contain stored food

calciphytes

plants adapted to over-presence of CaCO3

Casparian strip

waterproof strip that surrounds plant endodermis cells

central cell

biggest cell of embryo sac, with two (or sometimes one) haploid nuclei

Cladophylls

leaf-like, flattened shoots

cleistogamous

self-pollinated flowers which do not open

Collenchyma

a living ground tissue that offers flexible support for primary growth

companion cells

nucleated cell that helps the mature sieve tube member function in transporting dissolved substances in the phloem of vascular plants

complex tissues

tissues with more than one type of cells

compound fruit

fruit originated from the whole inflorescence: infrutescence

contractile roots

roots that pull plant deeper into the soil

Corm

A short, thickened underground stem specialized for food storage and asexual reproduction

cortex

external layer of primary stem or root

cotyledon

embryonic leaf inside of a seed

cross-pollination

pollination of a flower or plant with pollen from another flower or plant.

Cuticle

plastic-like isolation layer

dehiscent

a dry fruit that breaks apart at maturity

dichotomous

A branching pattern in which the shoot divides at the apex producing two equivalent branches that subsequently never overlap.

double fertilization

process of fertilization in angiosperms in which the first event produces the zygote, and the second, the endosperm within the seed

elongation zone

root: zone of expanding cells

embryo sac

female gametophyte within the ovule of a flowering plant

endodermis

The innermost layer of the cortex in plant roots; a cylinder one cell thick that forms the boundary between the cortex and the vascular cylinder.

endophytic fungi

fungi that live inside a plant's tissues

endosperm 1

haploid nutrition tissue originated from female gametophyet

endosperm 2

triploid (sometimes diploid) nutrition tissuee originated from second fertilization

epicotyl

first internode of the stem

Epidermis

complex surface tissue

eustele

vascular bundles in a ring

exodermis

The outermost layer of the cortex

fibers

long and narrow sclerenchyma cells

fibrous root system

A root system common to monocots consisting of a mat of thin roots spreading out below the soil surface.

fiddleheads

spiral tops of young fern leaves

floral units (FU)

elements of generative system, fructifications

flower

compact generative shoot with sterile, male and female zones, specifically in that order

fronds

leaves of ferns

fruit

ripe floral unit

fusiform initials

Cells within the vascular cambrium that produce elongated cells such as trocheids, vessel elements, fibers, and sieve-tube members.

general characters

in leaf description, characters which are applicable only to the leaf as a whole

generative shoot system

all generative shoots together

ground meristem

gives rise to the ground tissue system

ground tissue

tissue system that makes up the majority of a plant

Halophytes

salt tolerant plants

Haustoria

sucker roots of parasitic plant

Heartwood

non-functional part of wood

Heliophytes

Plants that grow best in full sunlight

Hemiparasites

A parasitic plant that can photosynthesize, but derives water and mineral nutrients from the living body of another plant.

Heterophylly

different leaf forms on the same plant

heterosporic

with male and female spores

Homiohydric

plants that save water

hydrophytes

plants that have special adaptation's to allow them to live in areas often saturated by water

hygrophytes

terrestrial or partly submerged plants adapted to the excess water

hypocotyl

root/shoot junction

idioblasts

solitary cells dissimilar from surrounding cells

indehiscent

fruit does not split open when ripe

indusia

covers of groups of sporangia (sori)

inflorescence

isolated generative shoot

integument

extra cover of megasporangium

intercalary

a meristematic region between more highly differentiated regions

internodes

the stem segments between nodes

lateral meristems

A meristem that thickens the roots and shoots of woody plants. The vascular cambium and cork cambium are lateral meristems.

lateral veins

secondary veins in a leaf

leaf

lateral photosynthetic organ of shoot with restricted growth

leaf primordia

embryonic leavs

leaf scars

reveal where leaves were attached to the stem in previous years

leaf traces

connections from vascular bundles in the stem

Lenticels

Openings in the bark which allow air to enter the stem, providing a means of respiration

Leptosporangia

A specialized sporangium that develops from single cell and has an outer sterile layer that is one cell thick

main vein

central, most visible vascular bundle of leaf (midrib)

marginal

meristems which are located on margins

maturation zone

root: oldest part of root

Megaphyllous

with leaves originated from joint branches

Megasporangia

female sporangia

megaspore

female spore

megasporophylls

modified leaves that contain megasporangia which produce megaspores

meristems

sites of cell division

merosity

multiple of flower parts numbers

mesophyll

photosynthetic parenchyma

Mesophytes

plants adapted to the average water

microspores

male spores

microsporangia

male sporangia

Monilophytes

all Pteridophyta except lycophytes

Monopodial

branching: when terminal bud continues to grow every year

Morphology

visible, external structure