Plant Anatomy Summary

ROOTS

• Function: Anchor plants, absorb water/nutrients, store starch.

• Types: Fibrous (many thin roots), Taproots (central thick root).

• Roles: Stability, respiration, reproduction, symbiotic relationships (mycorrhizae, nitrogen-fixing bacteria).

AREAS OF A ROOT

• Cell Division: Active cell division.

• Elongation: Cells increase in length.

• Maturation: Cells become specialized (epidermis, cortex, vascular).

• Root Cap: Protects new cells and aids in downward push.

• Apical Meristem: Active cell division region in roots/shoots.

STEMS

• Function: Support leaves, flowers, fruits; transport water/nutrients.

• Types: Woody (hard) and Herbaceous (soft).

• Growth: Can produce new shoots; involved in photosynthesis in some cases.

GROWTH TYPES

• Primary Growth: Length and height increases.

• Secondary Growth: Width/lateral expansion (girth/thickness).

LEAVES

• Function: Main sites of photosynthesis; convert sunlight, water, CO2 into sugars and oxygen.

• Structure: Blade (flat part), Petiole (stalk), Waxy cuticle (prevents water loss).

• Layers: Epidermis, Mesophyll (photosynthesis), Veins (water/nutrient transport), Stomata (gas exchange).

• Arrangements: Alternate, opposite, whorled.

LEAF ANATOMY

• Components: Petiole, Leaf blade, Midrib, Cuticle, Epidermis, Mesophyll (palisade and spongy parenchyma), Stomata.

LEAF TYPES

• Arrangements: Simple, Pinnately Compound, Palmately Compound, Doubly Compound.

SEEDS

• Structure: Seed coat (protection), Embryo (young plant), Endosperm (food reserve).

• Function: Reproductive structures, essential for reproduction and dispersal. Germinate under suitable conditions (moisture, temperature).