2 tp - Plant Morphology g Kingdom Plantae Cryptogams Phanerogams {Cryptos = hidden) | | Thallophyta Bryophyta Pteridophyta eee aera Thallus = flattened Bryon = Moss Prerid = fern anne taked Pees! Sperma= seed Monocotyledons Dicotyledons Thallophyta: (Thallus = flattened ; phyton = plant) 1. This group consists of plants which are all aquatic. 2. The plant body is flattened and is called ‘thallus’. 3. The plants under this include single celled Chlamydomonas, filamentous Spirogyra, Sargassum, etc. 4, The cells of theplant also contain cell wall. They are uni-nucleate and possess pigments such as. chlorophyll, phycocyanin (blue coloured pigment) 5. These plants reproduce by fragmentation or spore formation. Bryophyta (Bryon=moss; phyta= plant) Bryophytes grow in moist regions. Though they are terrestrial plants, they need water to complete their life cycle. Hence they are called “amphibians of the plant kingdom”. The plant body is green in colour and is distinguished into root like, stem like, leaf ike structures. They reproduce by means of spores. Eg: mosses and liverworts. Preridophyta: (Pterid = fern) Pteridophytes are the first terrestrial plants to have developed vascular tissues — xylem and phloem They include ferns which grow in moist places. They reproduce by means of spores which are found on the underside of the leaf. Gymnosperms: (Gymnos = naked; sperma = seed) ‘gymnosperms include cycads and conifers eymnosperms have very well developed vascular system. They are evergreen perennial and grow in cold, dry climates. The trees bear cones as reproductive structures. There are two types of cones ~ male cones bearing microsporophylls and female cones bearing megasporophyls. The microsporophylls bear microspores, equivalent to the pollen grains borne by a flower. The megasporophyils bear megaspores equivalent to the ovum borne by flowers. ‘The fusion of microspores with the megaspore results in the formation of the zygote which directly develops into a seed. The seed is not enclosed by a fruit. Angiosperms: (Angio = case; sperma = seed) ‘Angiosperms are the most evolved plants They bear flowers as structures meant for reproduction The seeds are present inside the fruit. Depending on the number of cotyledons that the seed has, angiosperms are divded into menocotyledons and dicotyledons.PLANT MORPHOLOGY IK ICSE : 2) The plant body is differentiated into distinct parts such as roots, stem, branches, leaves and flowers. These parts carry out distinctive functions and contribute as a whole forthe existence and continuation of the plant. 2) The functions of plant parts may be broadly distinguished into ~ vegetative functions and reproductive functions. +3) Vegetative functions are mainly concerned with the nutrition and growth of the plant body while the reproductive function is concerned with the formation of new plants for the purpose of continuation of the race. Since roots , stems , branches and leaves directly or indirectly carry on vegetative functions, they are said to be the vegetative parts of the plants and form the root system and shoot system; while the flowers being concerned with reproduction are said to be the reproductive part of the plant. 44) The habit of the plant ~ depending on the nature of the stem, the height that the plants attains and the duration of life the plants are classified as herbs , shrubs and trees. a) Herbs ~ are small plants with soft perishable stems. They are classified as i) Annuals- are plants that attain their full growth in one season’ and live for a few months or at the most one year only. Within this period the produce flowers ahd seed and die at the end of the season. Eg — sunflower, pea, paddy, wheat, jute, bean, mustard, ragi..ete ii) Biennials- these plants live for 2 years. They attain their full vegetative growth in the first year and produce flowers and seeds in the second year and die off. Eg- beetroot, cabbage, carrot, radish, turnip. Note in tropical climates these behave as annuals. iii) Perennials- are those plants that persist for several years overcoming unfavourable conditions. Season after season they produce flowers and fruits. The aerial parts of the plants die down every year but new shoots arise from the underground stems with the onset of favourable conditions. Eg- Canna, ginger , banana, arrowroot, turmeric etc. b) Shrubs ~ these are medium sized plants with hard , woody stems which branch profusely from near the ground so that the plants often become bushy in habit ‘without having a clear trunk. All are perennials. Eg- China rose, garden croton ete. ¢) Trees - these are very tall plants with clear trunk and have hard woody stems and branches. All are perennials. Eg- mango, neem, oak ete. 5) THE ROOT- the root is the descending portion of the axis of the plant and develops from the radicle of the seed. The direct prolongation of the radicle forms the primary root. If it persist and grows it is called the tap root. The tap root is normally formed in dicotyledons. in monocotyledons the primary root arising from the radicle of the embryo soon perishes and is replaced by a cluster of thin roots arising from the node closest to the soil surface. These are known as the fibrous roots. 6) ADVENTITIOUS ROOTS- roots arising from any part of the plant other than the radicle of the embryo are called as adventitious roots. }a teristics of roots- i) Roots grow away from light(positively geotropic and negatively phototropic) ii) They are non-green in colour iil) The roots do not bear buds iv) The root endsare always protected by root cap. v} The roots bear unicellular root hairs which absorb the water from the soil. vi) Lateral roots always develop from inner layers hence are said to be endogenous. i) Nodes and internodes are absent . unctions performed by the roots- i) The root system of the plant anchors the plant in the soil. ii) The roots possess unicellular root hairs which absorb water and minerals from the soil, i ‘The absorbed water and minerals are conducted by the xylem tissue in the roots to the xylem of the stem. — iv) Incertain plants the roots are modified to carry out specialized function like- storage of food- in carrot, radish, beet root. Some aerial roots may become green and hence photosynthetic. 9) THE STEM- The stem is the as ‘the axis of the plant, developing directly from the plumule of the embryo leaves , branches , flowers and fruits. 10) Characteristics of stems- " we i) Stems always grow towards light( positively phototropic) = ii) Young stems are green in colour and hence photosynthetic. ili) The stems possess nodes and internodes. Node is the region on the stem from where a leaf develops. The leafless region of the stem between two nodes is called inter-node. iv) The branches arise from a few outer layers of the stem and hence are termed exogenous. v) The stems bear multi-cellular hairs. vi) Stems bear axillary and terminal buds. a= vii) The stems could be aerial, sub- aerial, underground 11) Functions of the stem- i) The stems bear the leaves , branches, flowers and fruits and exposes them to sunlight. ii) The xylem tissue in the stems conduct water absorbed by the roots to all parts of the plant and phloem tissue in the stems conduct the food prepared by the leaves toall other parts. iii) ‘The stem when green is photosynthetic. iv) Stems get modified to carry out certain special functions. In cacti the stems become green and succulent and take over the photosynthetic functions of the leaf. In potato, ginger , onion , yam the stem grows underground and is modified to store food. The underground stem also helps in vegetative propagation. 12) THE BUD-a bud is 2 condensed or an underdeveloped shoot in which the nodes have not yet elongated; the young rudimentary leaves , which are in the course of development, are closely crowded together and give rise to a compact structure. The normal position of a bud is at the apex of the stem( terminal bud), or in the axil of the Jeak{ axillary bud) . if the bud develops into a leaf or a branch it is termed a vegetative bud. If the bud develops into a flower, itis termed floral bud.