Plant Reproduction Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for plant reproduction based on lecture notes.

Vegetative Stage

The non-reproductive stage of a plant's life cycle.

Reproductive Stage

The stage of a plant's life cycle where it produces flowers.

Alternation of Generations

A life cycle in plants involving both diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte) stages.

Diploid

Having two sets of chromosomes (2n).

Haploid

Having one set of chromosomes (n).

Sporophyte

The diploid (2n) generation in plants that produces spores through meiosis.

Gametophyte

The haploid (n) generation in plants that produces gametes through mitosis.

Spores

Haploid cells produced by the sporophyte through meiosis.

Gametogenesis

The process by which gametes are formed.

Flower

The reproductive structure of angiosperms.

Petals

Modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers; usually brightly colored to attract pollinators.

Sepals

Outer protective layer of a flower, often green.

Stamen

The male reproductive part of a flower, consisting of an anther and a filament.

Anther

The part of the stamen that produces pollen.

Filament

The stalk that supports the anther.

Carpel

The female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of an ovary, style, and stigma.

Ovary

The base of the carpel that contains the ovules.

Ovules

Structures within the ovary that contain the egg cells and develop into seeds after fertilization.

Style

The long neck of the carpel connecting the stigma to the ovary.

Stigma

The sticky tip of the carpel where pollen lands.

Receptacle

The part of the flower stalk to which the flower parts are attached.

Complete Flower

A flower that has all four main parts: petals, sepals, stamen, and carpel.

Incomplete Flower

A flower that is missing one or more of the four main parts (petals, sepals, stamen, or carpel).

Perfect (Hermaphroditic) Flower

A flower that has both male (stamen) and female (carpel) reproductive parts.

Imperfect Flower

A flower that has either male (stamen) or female (carpel) reproductive parts, but not both.

Monoecious

Having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

Dioecious

Having male and female flowers on separate plants.

Inflorescence

A cluster of flowers arranged on a stem.

Rachis

The main stem of an inflorescence.

Spikelets

Small clusters of flowers within an inflorescence, especially in grasses.

Florets

Individual flowers within a spikelet.

Glumes, Palea, and Lemma

Protective layers surrounding the florets in grasses.

Pollination

The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma.

Pollen

A structure containing the male gametes (sperm cells) of a plant.

Ovules

Structures found in the ovary containing the female gametes (egg cells).

Double Fertilization

A process unique to flowering plants, where one sperm cell fertilizes the egg cell, and the other fertilizes the central cell to form the endosperm.

Micropyle

A small opening in the ovule through which the pollen tube enters.

Central Cell

A cell in the ovule that gets fertilized by a sperm cell to form the endosperm.

Endosperm

A tissue in seeds that provides nourishment for the developing embryo.

Seed

A structure that develops from the ovule after fertilization, containing the plant embryo and food reserves.

Seed Coat (Testa)

The protective outer layer of a seed.

Cotyledons

Embryonic leaves or leaf-like structures in seeds.

Radicle

The embryonic root in a seed.

Hypocotyl

The part of the plant embryo below the cotyledons.

Fruit

A mature ovary containing seeds.

Germination

The process by which a seed begins to grow and develop into a plant.

Imbibition

The absorption of water by a dry seed, triggering metabolic activity.

Epicotyl

The part of the plant embryo above the cotyledons.

Epigeal Germination

Germination in which the cotyledons emerge above the ground.

Hypogeal Germination

Germination in which the cotyledons remain below the ground.

Dormancy

A condition in seeds that prevents germination even when environmental conditions are favorable.