1 Bio 100: General Botany Laboratory

Exercise No. 6

EXTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE STEM

Introduction
The stem is the part of the plant that bears the leaves and flowers. It consists of an alternating system of nodes, the
points at which the leaves are attached, and internodes, the stem segments between nodes. Some plants have stems with
additional functions such as food storage and asexual reproduction. These modified stems, which include rhizomes, bulbs,
stolons, and tubers, are often mistaken for roots. The stems are maybe herbaceous or woody, subterranean (underground)
or aerial. Subterranean stems are: horizontally creeping (rhizomes); vertically growing thickened with buds at the sides
(tuber); short tuber-like with the leaf and flower scars (corms); or plate-like stem. The aerial stem maybe: climbing (tendril,
twiner and climber with root) or erect like a tree or shrub with hook or scramblers.

Objective
The objective of this activity is to examine various herbaceous and woody stems; classify them as subterranean
(rhizomes, tuber, corms or plate) or aerial stems, and locate in them the following structures: buds, scars, nodes, internodes,
and lenticels.

Materials
Zingiber officinale (Ginger) Rosa sp. (Rose)
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Gumamela) Colocasia esculenta (Gabi)
Allium cepa (Onion bulb) Zea mays (Corn)
Solanum tuberosum (Potato) Helianthus annuus (Sunflower)

Procedure

1. Examine stems of Zingiber officinale, Colocasia esculenta, Solanum tuberosum, Rosa sp., Allium cepa,
Helianthus annuus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Zea mays. Draw the plant materials and label the external structures (#3a-
h). The drawing should be numbered as Fig. 5.1 ginger and gabi, Fig. 5.2 potato and onion, Fig. 5.3 corn and sunflower,
Fig. 5.4 gumamela and rose. Write the scientific name inside the parenthesis after the common name.

2. Classify them as herbaceous or woody; subterranean (rhizomes, tuber, corms or plate) or aerial [climbing (tendril, twiner,
climber with root) or erect with hooks or scramblers].

3. Locate and label the following external structures:

a. Terminal buds – are composed of leaf or flower primordium and apical meristem which are responsible for its growth
in length that occurs at the tip. The branches may have terminal bud. The bud scale is a modified leaf that encloses and
protects the leaf or flower primordium and apical meristem forming the bud.
b. Bud scale scars – are formed when bud scales fall off.
c. Leaf scars – are corky layered scars left on the twig where the petiole or base of the leaf was once attached.
d. Vascular bundle scars- are the pinhed-size corky bumps within the leaf scar. These are the scars of the broken ends of
the vascular bundles that passed between the leaf and the stem.
e. Nodes – where the leaf scars occur, as this is the region on a twig where one or more leaves are borne.
f. Internode – the portion of the twig between two successive nodes.
g. Lateral buds – are leaf and flower primordium and apical meristem that occur on the upper margin of the leaf scar on
the side of the twig. When the leaf is present, this bud is in the axil between the petiole of the stem, so it is also known as
axillary bud. It is made of the same parts as the terminal bud.
h. Lenticels – are raised areas of loose cork cells. In trees with deeply furrowed barks they are not visible. These are
avenues for gas exchange.

4. Give your conclusion.

2 Bio 100: General Botany Laboratory

Name: ____________________________________________________ Date: _______________

Course/Yr/Section: _______________________________ Lab Section:__________

Exercise No. 5

EXTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE STEM

Figure 5.1. _______________________________________________________________________________

Figure 5.2. _______________________________________________________________________________

3 Bio 100: General Botany Laboratory

Figure 5.3. _______________________________________________________________________________

Figure 5.4. _______________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion
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