Plant

Plant Parts
Parts and
and
Functions
Functions
Plant Identification

• Roots, Stems,
Leaves and Flowers
are the Criteria.
 Plant Identification
– Dicots - most – Monocots –
of the other grasses, grain
plants such as crops, lilies,
the shrubs, gladiolas, and
trees, and palm trees
flowers.
 Types of Roots
• Tap Root • Fibrous
– Have a main central – Have many roots of equal
root and may have some size and a lot of lateral
lateral branching branching
– E.g. Carrots – Fibrous roots are generally
much more diffuse and
– Penetrate the soil to closer to the surface
various depths - some – prevent any other plant
only a few feet, others from becoming established
like the mesquite to as
deep as 114 ft.
 Other Types of Roots
• Adventitious Buds - • Prop Roots -
commonly develop on augment regular
stems or roots - ex: roots for anchorage
stolons and rhizomes aid - ex: corn - roots
(Bermuda grass, come out above soil
cherry tree, Sumac and help hold plant
and raspberry up
suckers)
 Other Types of Roots
• Aerial Roots - • Pneumatophores-
extend down from stick up from the
the branches into mud for the
the soil - ex: purpose of
absorbing oxygen –
banyan trees
ex: cypress and
mangrove
 Other Types of Roots
• Mycorrhizal fungi roots - found
on trees in temperate forests
such as pines and also on ferns,
lettuce, white clover, perennial
rye and orchids
 Other Types of Roots
• Haustorial - parasitic roots
which not only anchor but also
penetrate into the hosts
vascular system for water and
nutrients – ex: mistletoe
 Other Types of Roots
• Storage roots - starch and
other molecules are stored for
growth or flowering needs (ex:
carrots, beets and turnips)
 Other Types of Roots
• Nitrogen fixing roots - members of the
Leguminosae family (alfalfa, peas and
clover) have a bacteria that infects
their roots and forms nodules. The
bacteria are able to fix atmospheric
nitrogen, to a form, that the plant can
use.
 Roots from seeds
• Tap Root – Forms one primary
– Seeds contain an root
undeveloped plant – two leaves emerge
(embryo) from embryo
– Seed germination -
embryonic root
(radicle) grows by
dividing and
elongation of cells
• Fibrous root – All of these branch
– Embryos of grasses to form the fibrous
have a single root
radicle (root shoot) – one leaf emerges
– Also has other from embryo
embryonic roots
(seminal roots)
forming just above
the radicle
 Stem
• For identification: type of stem
(woody or herbaceous), monocot or
dicot, has pubescence (hair) or not
(glabrous), shape of stem (square –
round), or contains glands.
Stem
Monocot stem
Stem
 Mature Structure of
Woody vs Herbaceous
Stems
• Herbaceous stems
– Lack secondary growth - because plants
only live one year/growing season (annuals)
– Stems remain soft and flexible.
– Buds lack protective scales (don’t need to
survive harsh conditions)
 Mature Structure of
Woody vs Herbaceous
Stems
• Woody stems
– Plants living and growing over
multiple seasons have secondary
growth (xylem, phloem)
increasing diameter of the stems
 Specialized Stems
• Rhizomes - underground horizontal
stems (ex: perennial grasses, bamboo)
- may also serve as a storage function
(irises) – will grow a plant and roots at
a node.
 Specialized Stems
• Stolons - runners - usually above
ground, horizontal stems (really
elongated internodes) – will grow
a plant and roots at a node - ex:
strawberries
 Specialized Stems
• Tubers - several internodes at the
end of an underground rhizome (ex:
potatoes) - eyes are axillary buds –
where the tuber will grow a plant
 Specialized Stems
• Bulbs - large bud with small
stem at lower end - storage in
the form of numerous, fleshy
leaves - ex: onion, lily, tulip
 Specialized Stems
• Corms - look like bulbs, but are
mostly stem tissue with a few,
papery leaves on the outside -
ex: gladiolus, crocus
 Leaves
• Parts of a Dicot Leaf
– Leaf blade – expanded, usually flat portion
of a leaf – contains chloroplasts
– Petiole – connects the blade of a leaf to a
stem or branch – holds leaf up for better
air flow and to catch the light
– Veins – threads of vascular
tissue (xylem & phloem)
– Node – place on a stem where
leaves or branches normally
originate
– Stem – used for support of leaf
Where leaf would
be attached to Petiol
the branch or e
stem at the node.

Veins
Leaf
Blade

Dicot Leaf
Parts of a Monocot Leaf

• Node – where leaf arises or

originates from
• Blade – leaf blade – flat upper
portion of leaf
• Stem – used for support of leaf,
inflorescence, and seed heads
 Parts of a Monocot Leaf

• Sheath – part of leaf that holds leaf to stem –

encases stem
• Ligule – membrane-like tissue extending up
from the sheath (on inside) – keeps dirt and
moisture out – clear membrane on leaf where
attaches to stem
 Monocot
Blad
Leaf
e Sheat
h

Nod
e

Coll Auricl
ar e
Ste
m
Ligul
 Parts of a Monocot Leaf

• Auricle – small appendages that

extend out and sometimes around
the stem – found at the junction of
the blade and sheath – can be
clasping or non clasping appendages
 Parts of a Monocot Leaf

• Collar – area between the leaf

blade and sheath – auricles and
ligules are on the inside of this
area
Picture showing parts of a grass
plant.
 Two Types of Leaves
• Simple leaves – composed of a
single leaf and a petiole
 Blad
e

Petiol
Simpl
e
e Leaf
 Two Types of Leaves

• Compound leaves – are composed

of a blade that includes several
leaflets and a petiole – also contain
a rachis (connects leaflets to the
petiole) – two types:
 Two Types of Leaves
– Palmately Compound –
(chestnut) – the lobes or
divisions come together and are
attached at one place at the
base
Leaf
Blade
Palmatel
y
Compou
nd Leaf

Petiole
 Two Types of Leaves

– Pinnately Compound – compound

leaf with the leaflets on two
opposite sides, but off of one node
– ex: ferns, ash, hickory
 Leaflets

Leaf Blade

Pinnatel
Petiole
y
Compou
 Leaf Arrangement

• Monocots – have only one type of

arrangement – leaf comes off of
a node – ex: grasses and grain
crops
 Leaf Arrangement
• Dicots – flowering plants
– Alternate – one leaf per node
– Opposite – two leaves per node
– Whorled – three or more leaves per node
 Leaf Arrangements
• Whorl – look like helicopter blades –
ex: Bedstraw
• Alternate – one on each side of the
stem, are not opposite of each other
but every other one
• Opposite – one on each side of the
stem and opposite of each other
 Arrangement of Veins
• Four types of vein arrangements:
– Parallel veins – veins are small and
run more or less parallel – most are
long and narrow – ex: Buckhorn
Plantain, grasses and Iris – mostly
monocots
 Arrangement of Veins

– Netted veins – are large and

small – the small ones connecting
to each other to form a net –
mostly dicots
 Arrangement of Veins

– Pinnately veined – with one

larger midvein and smaller veins
coming off along its length –
mostly dicots
 Arrangement of Veins

– Palmately veined- with two or

more large veins arising at or
near the base of the leaf blade
(palm) – leaves are usually broad
or fat – mostly dicots
Parallel
Veins

Netted
Veins

Palmately
Veined
Pinnate
ly
Veined
 Monocot Leaf
-Vein
Arrangement
Vein

Dicot Leaf –
Vein Smaller
Arrangement lateral
vein
Midvein
 Flowers
• Petals – are highly colored portions of the
flower.
– May contain perfume (rose) or nectar
glands –to attract pollinators.
– Number of petals on a flower is often used
in the identification of plant families and
genera.
 Flowers

– Dicots –have sepals and/or petals

in multiples of four or five
– Monocots – have sepals in
multiples of threes
 Parts of a Flower

Sepals Petals

Stamens (anther
& filaments)

Pedicel Pistil
(stigma,style &
ovaries)
Parts of a Flower

Pedicel

Sepals
Receptacle
 Types of Inflorescence
(Flowers)
• Raceme – inflorescence with the flowers
single on pedicels (stems) arranged along
an elongated stem (rachis – this is the stem
that is between the flowers) – alternate –
oldest are at the bottom and the youngest
are at the top. Ex: snapdragon, foxglove
 Types of Inflorescence
(Flowers)
• Umbel – flat-topped
inflorescence with the rachis
non-existent. Ex: wild carrot, dill
Foxglove Raceme Snapdragon
Dill
Umbel
 Types of Inflorescence
(Flowers)
• Spike – type of inflorescence with the
flowers sessile (without a stalk) along the
rachis. Ex: gladiolus
• Head – a dense cluster of sessile or nearly
sessile (no stalk) flowers on a very short
rachis. Ex: sunflower, clover
 Spike

Gladiolus
Clover
Sunflower

Head
 Types of Inflorescence
(Flowers)
• Panicle – inflorescence with two or more flowers
on each branch which are attached to a rachis
(elongated stem). Ex: wild oats, downy brome
• Corymb – is made up of florets whose stalks and
pedicles are arranged at random along the stalk
in such a way that the florets create a flat,
round top. Ex: yarrow
 Wild Oats

Downy Brome

Panicle
Corymb