PLANT STRUCTURES AND
FUNCTIONS
Plant Classes
Mosses
Ferns
Gymnosperms plants with
seeds, but no fruit or flower
Angiosperms flowering plants
Types of Flowering Plants
Dicots 2 cotyledons (seed leaves)
True Leaves have branched veins
Flower parts in multiples of 4s or 5s
Monocots 1 cotyledon
True Leaves have parallel veins
Flower parts in multiples of 3s
Monocots
Dicot
Other Divisions in the Plant
Kingdom
Deciduous lose all their
leaves for part of the year
Tulip Poplar
Evergreen stay green all year
Douglas Fir
Other Divisions in the Plant
Kingdom
Annuals complete
life in 1 season
Biennials complete
life in 2 seasons
Perennials
complete life in 3+
seasons
Parts of the Flowering Plant
Flower
Stem
Leaf
Root
Parts of the Flowering Plant
ROOTS
Function of Plant Roots
Water & Nutrient Uptake
Support
Food Storage
Types of Plant Roots
Tap Roots Thick
primary root
Fibrous Roots Hairlike roots
Adventitious Roots
crawl, climb, & grab
Key Parts of Plant Roots
Root Hairs absorb
nutrients
Apical Meristem where
new cells form
Root Cap protects the
root as it pushes through
soil
STEMS
Functions of the Stem
Transport of Nutrients
Support of the Plant
Storage
Some Respiration
Parts of the Stem
Bud site of growth
Node site where bud form
Lenticels pores that allow
some respiration
Parts of the Stem, Root & Leaf
Phloem Transports food
from leaves to rest of the
plant
Xylem Transports nutrients
up from the roots
Cambium layer of active
cell growth
Types of Stems
Herbaceous soft, green stems
Woody hard, wood stems
Special Stems I
Bulbs short, underground shoot
Onions
Tulips
Corms short underground storage stem
Gladiolus
Yaro
Special Stems II
Rhizomes underground
horizontal stem
Iris
Ginger
Stolons above ground
horizontal
Bermuda Grass
Silverweed
Special Stems III
Tubers underground
storage stem
Irish Potato
Thorns Defensive
structures
roses
LEAVES
Functions of the Leaf
Photosynthesis
Produces Food
CO2 + H2O C6H12O6 + O2
Regulate Moisture
Respiration
Parts of the Leaf I
Stomata cells that breathe for the plant
Epidermis protective cells
Mesophyll cells where most photosynthesis takes
place
Parts of the Leaf II
Petiole leaf stem, connects leaf blade to stem
Blade main structure of leaf
Vein vascular tissue of the leaf
Margin the very edge of the blade
Types of Leaves I
Broadleaf wide flat leaves
Simple 1 blade and petiole
Compound petiole and 2+ blades
Types of Leaves II
Narrowleaf
Needle very long and thin blades
Scale look like a series of overlapping scales
Types of Leaves III
Bracts modified
leaves that act like
petals
The real petal
Leaf Margins
Leaf margins help us
identify many plants,
esp. trees
Vein Patterns
f
Leaf Arrangement
FLOWERS
Function of the Flower
Reproduction
Parts of the Flower I
Sepal green, leaf-like
structures at the base of the
flower that protect the bud
Calyx all the sepals of a
flower
Parts of the Flower II
Petal structures that
attract pollinators
Corolla all the
petals of a flower
Parts of the Flower III
Stamen the male part of a flower
Anther produces pollen
Filament supports anther
Pollen male sex cell
Parts of the Flower IV
Pistil the female part of the plant
Stigma catches pollen
Style supports stigma
Ovary produces ovules
Ovule female sex cell
Types of Flowers I
Complete/Perfect
has both pistil(s) &
stamen(s)
Incomplete/Imperfect
(male) have only
stamen
Incomplete/Imperfect
(female) have only
pistils
Ex: Melons, squash,
willows, poplars, & the
date palm
Goodding
Willow
Types of Flowers II
Solitary flowers are
individual
Inflorescence
flowers are clustered
Parts of the Gymnosperm
Cones
Leaves
Stems
Roots
Gymnosperm
Literally naked seed
Unlike flowering plants, they lack flowers and
fruit
Conifers, Ginko, Cycads
[Cycads are a very old class of palm-like plant with few surviving
modern species, like the Zamia pumila (cardboard palm )]
Types of Cones
Cones are typically
either
male
or
female
Types of Cones
Male:
Bristle Cone Pine
Ginko
Shortleaf Pine
Types of Cones
Female
Shortleaf Pine
Longleaf Pine
Ginko
THE END
Leaf Forms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Needle-shaped
Linear
Lanceolate
Elliptical
Ensiform
Oblong
Oblanceolate with acuminate tip
Ovate with acute tip
Obovate
Spatulate
fiddle-shaped
Cuneate
Deltoid
Cordate
Reniform
Orbiculate
Runcinate
Lyrate
Peltate
Hastate
Sagittate
odd-pinnate
abruptly pinnate
Trifoliolate
Palmate
Palmate
