BASIC

PLANT
PARTS
1
 Basic Plant Parts
● Root - absorbing/ anchoring organ (sometimes
storage)
● Stem - supportive, conductive organ (sometimes
storage)
● Leaf - photosynthetic organ (sometimes modified)

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3
 Plant Habit
= general form of a plant, encompassing stem duration
and branching pattern, development, or texture.

● Herb - plant with annual above-ground parts

● Geophyte - perennial herb with rootstock
● Vine - weak stemmed
● Liana - woody vine
● Shrub - woody, multiple stems from base
● Subshrub - woody just above ground
● Tree - woody, one trunk
4
 Plant Duration
= how long a plant lives.

● Annual- ≤ 1 year
● Biennial- 2 years
● Perennial- 3 or more years

5
 Plant Habitat
= environment where plant lives.
● Terrestrial
● Aquatic
● Submersed
● Floating
● Emergent
● Epiphytic
● Saxicolous
6
 Plant Life Form
= structure, life cycle, physiology.

● Therophyte – annual
● Geophyte – perennial herb
● Epiphyte – plant growing on another plant
● Halophyte – salt-adapted plants

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 Plant Life Form
= structure, life cycle, physiology.

● Succulent – plant with fleshy leaves or

stems
● Xerophyte – plant living in dry, hot
environments

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ROOTS
 Roots
● Function - absorption, anchorage
● Structure - root cap, root hairs,
endodermis
● Adventitious roots - arise from
non-root organ
● Lateral roots - arise from another root
10 (1˚, 2˚, etc.)
11
 Root Types/Parts

taproot fibrous prop haustorial

12
 Root Types/Parts

storage roots
Raphanus sativus,
radish

13
 Root Types/Parts
●

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buttress roots Ficus rubiginosa, rusty-leaved
 Root Types/Parts

15
 Root Types/Parts

prop roots
(also adventitious)

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SHOOTS
 Shoot
● stem + associated leaves

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19
 Each leaf
primordium
develops into
one leaf.

Caryota sp.
Arecaceae

20 20 feet long!
 Stem (Shoot) Types

areole bulb caudex caudiciform stem

21
 Stem (Shoot) Types
●

cladode corm culm fascicle/ rhizome

short shoot
22
 Stem (Shoot) Types
●

scape stolon/runner thorn tiller tendril tuber

23
 Stem (Shoot) Types

24 pachycaul pseudobulb
 Stem Habit
=relative position of stem (+ growth, structure)

prostrate

caulescent cespitose
repent

25
 Stem Branching Pattern

sympodial

monopodial dichotomous sympodial

26
 Twig Structure

collateral superposed

27
 Leaf Structural Type
●

bractlets
scale
bract

phyllode
spine tendril (leaf) unifacial leaf
28
 Leaf Structural Type
●

29 Bract (flower) Epicalyx Bud Scale

 Leaf Structural Type

Phyllode - Acacia spp. (Fabaceae)

30
 Leaf Structural Type

Tendril -
Lathyrus
(Fabaceae)

31
 Leaf Structural Type

Stipular Spine -
Euphorbia spp.
(Euphorbiaceae)

32
 Leaf Structural Type

Petiolar Spine - Fouquieria splendens Ocotillo (Fouquieriaceae)

33
 Leaf Structural Type

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Leaf Spine (arising from areole) - Cactaceae
 Outgrowths
● thorn - sharp-pointed stem/shoot (fr.
axillary bud)
● spine - sharp-pointed leaf or leaf part
leaf spine (also leaflet spine)
stipular spine
petiolar spine
● prickle - sharp pointed
35
epidermal appendage
 Leaf Structural Type
●

Pitcher Leaf - Nepenthes (Nepenthac.) Sarracenia (Sarraceniac.)

36
 Leaf Structural Type
●

37 Tentacular Leaf - Drosera spp Sundew (Droseraceae)

 Leaf Structural Type

38
Trap Leaf - Dionaea muscipula Venus Fly Trap (Droseraceae)
 Leaf Structural Type

Dionaea
muscipula Venus
Fly Trap
(Droseraceae)

39
 Leaf Structural Type

unifacial Iris sp.

40
 Seismonasty

Mimosa pudica
Fabaceae

41
 Leaf Type / Parts
●

imparipinnate

42 simple pinnately paripinnate bipinnately

 Leaf Type / Parts
●

palmate-ternate pinnate-ternate biternately palmately

43 compound compound
 Leaf Type / Parts
●

geminate

44 unifoliolate bigeminate geminate-pinnate costa-palmate

 Leaf Attachment
●

petiolate sessile sheathing decurrent amplexicaul perfoliate connate-pe

rfoliate

45
 Leaf Venation

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47
 “ A society grows great
when old men plant trees
in whose shade they know
they shall never sit”

-Greek proverb

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