CHAPTER9:PLANTMORPHOLOGY

Pl
antmorphology-i
safiel
dofstudydeal
ing otherfuncti
ons
wi
ththeext
ernalandgr
ossint
ernalst
ruct
ureof Leaf-organoft heshoott hati
sgenerall
y
pl
antor
gans. dorsi
ventral
lyfl
attenedandt hatusual
l
y
functi
onsinphot osynthesi
sandt r
anspirati
on.
Plantanatomy-ist
hestudy Leafprimordia-or i
ginofleaf,
foundwithinthe
oftissueandcel
lst
ruct
ureofpl
antor
gans shootapexandar eoftenvari
ouslymodified

Theophrastus( 370ca.285bc)-oneofthefi
rst Vei
ns-v
ascul
arbundl
esf
oundi
nleav
es
towr i
tedetai
ledplantdescr
ipt
ionsusi
ng
techni
calterminology(asi
nHistori
aPlant
arum). Budsareimmat ur
eshootsy stems,
typi
cal
ly
l
ocatedintheaxil
sofleaves.Budsmaygrowto
for
ml at
eralveget
ati
vebranchesorrepr
oducti
ve
-
-PLANTSTRUCTURE-
- str
uctur
es

Pl
antOr
gans Repr
oduct
ivePl
antOr
gans

Non-VascularPlants Sporangi
um i
sthebasi
cspor
e-pr
oduci
ngpar
tof
Rhizoi
ds-uniseri
ate,fi
lamentouschainsofcel l
s al
llandpl
ant
s.
functi
oni
nginanchor ageandwat er
/mineral
absorpti
onfoundingamet ophyteofli
verwort
s, Mi
crospor
angi
um –spor
angi
um ofmal
epl
ant
hornworts,
andmosses
Megaspor
angi
um –spor
angi
um off
emal
epl
ant
Thall
us-bodyofgamet
ophy
te,
beaf l
atmassof
cel
ls(someli
ver
wort
sandal
lhornwor
ts) Capsul
e-sporangium ofl
i
ver
wor
ts,
hornworts,
andmosses,t
ypicall
ymakesupmostofthe
Shoot-general
l
ycyl
i
ndri
cal
stem bear
ingl
eav
es spor
ophyt
e
(someli
verwort
sandal
lmosses)
ConeorSt robi
lus-i
samodi fied,determi
nate,
Costa-vein-li
kestruct
ureingametophyti
c repr
oducti
v eshootsy st
em ofmany
l
eavesconsi sti
ngofspeciali
zed(
althoughnot nonfl
oweringvascularplant
s, consisti
ngofa
tr
ulyvascular)conducti
veti
ssue. stem axi
sbearingeithersporophyll
s( i
nsimple
cones)ormodi fi
edshootsy stems( incompound
VascularPl ants cones).
Roots-presentinalmostal lvascularpl
antsand
typi
call
yfuncti
oninanchor ageandabsor ptionof Ovul
eisamegasporangi
um env
elopedbyoneor
waterandmi neral
s.Consi stofapi calmeri
stem moreprot
ect
ivei
ntegument
s
thatgi
vesrisetoapr otectiverootcap, acentr
al
endodermis-boundedv ascularsy stem, Seedist hematureov ul
eoft heseedplant
s,
absorpti
veepidermal r
oothai rs,and consi
stingofani nt
ernalembr yosur
roundedby
endogenouslydevelopedl ateralroots. nutr
it
ivet i
ssue(compr i
singfemalegametophyt
e
orendosper m)andenv elopedbyaprotect
ive
Shoots-consi stofstem plusleaves.Shoot
s seedcoat .
contai
nanapi cal merist
em ofact i
vel
ydivi
ding
cell
sthat,t
hroughcont i
nueddiffer
enti
ati
on, Flower-modi f
ied,deter
minateshootbearing
resul
tintheelongationoft hestem and sporophyl
lscalledstamensandcarpels,withor
formati
onofl eavesandbuds. withoutoutermodifi
edleaves(theper
ianth)

Stem i sagener al
lycyli
ndr
icalorganthatbears I
nfl
orescence-anaggregateofoneormor e
thephot osyntheti
cleaves.Stemst y
picall
y f
lowers,t
heboundari
esofwhi chgener
all
yoccur
functioninconduct i
onofwat erandmi nerals wit
hthepresenceofvegetat
iveleav
es.
from ther oot
sandi nsuppor tandelevati
onof
bot hl
eav esandr eproduct
ivestruct
ures, Frui
t-ovar
yoff
loweri
ngpl
ant
s,consist
ingof
althoughsomest emsar ehighlymodifiedfor theper
icar
p(matur
eovar
ywall
),seeds,
and(i
f
pr
esent
)accessor
ypar
ts.
*Otheraspectsoft hehabitatincl
udethety
peof
Pl
antHabi
t substratethattheplantisgrowinginthesl
ope,
aspect ,
elevat
ion,moistureregime,and
Planthabit-refer
stothegener
alform ofapl
ant
, surroundingvegetati
on,communi t
y,or
encompassi ngav ar
iet
yofcomponentssuchas ecosy st
em.
stem durati
onandbr anchi
ngpat
tern,
development ,
ortext
ure. ROOTS

Herb-apl anti
nwhi chanyabov egr
oundshoots, Root sareplantor
ganst hatfunct
ioni
n
whethervegetat
iveorreproducti
ve,di
ebackat anchor ageandinabsorpt i
onofwaterand
t
heendofanannual gr
owthseason.Al t
hough mi neral
s.
t
heabov egroundshootsar eannual
, t
heherb *Root sarefoundi
nalloft hevascul
arland
i
tsel
fmaybeannual ,bi
ennial
,orperenni
al,
the plantsexceptfort
hePsi lophyt
es.
l
astbymeansofl ong-l
i
vedunder gr
ound
r
ootstocks. Rootapicalmeristem -act
ivelygrowingar
eain
therootti
p,consistofacti
velydiv
idingcel
l
s,
Geophytes-perenni
alherbs,
hav
inga reasonforrootdevelopment
bul
b,corm,rhi
zome, ort
uberasthe
under
groundstem Rootcap-cov er
stheRAM f r
om theout
side,
functi
oningbothtoprot
ecttherootapi
cal
Vine-aplantwi thel
ongate,weakst
ems,t
hat mer i
stem andtoprov
idelubri
cati
onastheroot
aregenerall
ysuppor t
edbymeansofscrambli
ng, growsi nt
othesoil
.
twini
ng,t
endr i
ls,orr
oots;
v i
nesmaybeannualor
perenni
al,herbaceousorwoody . Roothairs-hair-
li
keextensi
ons,devel
opedf
rom
epi
dermal cell
sawayf rom t
herootti
p,gr
eat
ly
Li
ana( al
sospell
edl
iane)isavi
nethatis i
ncreasingthesurfaceareaavai
labl
eforwat
er
perenni
alandwoody;l
ianasar
emaj or andmi neralabsor
ption
componentsinthet
reecanopylay
erofsome
tr
opicalf
orest
s. My corr
hizae-speciesoff ungus,hassy mbi
oti
c
i
nteracti
onwi throot
sofpl ants,ai
dstheplant
Shr
ub-aper
ennial
,woodypl
antwi
thsev
eral bothinincreasingoverall
surfaceareafor
mainst
emsari
singatgr
oundl
evel absorpti
onandi ni
ncreasingtheeffi
ciencyof
mineraluptake,part
icular
lyphosphorus.
Subshrubi
sashor tshrubthati
swoodyonl
yat
thebaseandthatseasonall
ybearsnew, Vascul
arcyl
inder-madeofconduct
ivecell
s,
nonwoody,annualshootsabove xyl
em andphloem f
oundi
nthecenterofroots

Tree-agener
all
ytal
l
,perenni
al,woodypl
ant Endodermis-specialcyl
inderofcel
l
s
havingonemai
nstem (
thetrunk)ar
isi
ngat sur
roundingt
hev ascularcyl
inder
groundlev
el
Peri
cycl
e-cy l
i
ndricall
ayerofpar
enchymacel
ls
Pl
antHabi
tat l
ocatedjusti
nsidetheendodermi
s,areawher
e
l
ater
alrootsori
ginate
Pl
anthabi
tatref
erst
othegener
alenv
ironment
wher
etheplanti
sgrowi
ng. Radi
cle-oft
heembr
yo,
fir
str
oott
odev
elop

Terrestr
ial-growingonl and; Pr
imaryroot-r
adi
clet
hatcont
inuedt
odev
elop
Aquat i
c–gr owingi nwater af
terembryogr
owth
Epiphyti
c-gr owingonanot herpl
ant.,
Emer sed-occur r
ingunderwat er
; Lat
eralr
oot
s-Root
sthatar
isef
rom ot
herr
oot
s
Floati
ng-occur ri
ngatt hewatersurf
ace
Emer gent-hav i
ngr oot
sorstemsanchor edto Adventi
ti
ousroot
s-Root
sthatar
isef
rom a
thesubst r
ateunderwat erandaerial
shoots nonrootor
gan
growingabov ewat er.
 di
vi
dingcel
l
soft
heshoot

Leafpr
imordium -massoft i
ssuethatdev
elops
ROOTTYPES i
ntotheimmat ur
el eaf
Node-pointofattachmentofaleaftoastem
Taprootsy
stem -pl
antwher
ethepr
imar
yroot
becomesdominant(tapr
oot
) I
nter
node-r
egi
onbet
weent
woadj
acentnodes

Fibr
ousr ootsystem -pl
antwherethepri
mary Axi
l-j
unct
ionofl
eafandst
em
rootsoonwi t
hers,andsubsequentroot
sare
adventi
ti
ous Budpr
imor
dium -dev
elopedf
rom t
issuei
nthe
axi
l
Stor
ager oots-t
aproothasbecomegr eatly
thi
ckened,accumulati
ngreservoi
rsofhigh- Bud-developedfrom thebudprimor dium,
energystor
agecompounds( usual
lyst
arch), i
mmat ureshootsystem, of
tensurroundedby
usuall
yfoundinbienni
als pr
otecti
vescaleleaves,maydevelopi ntoa
l
ater
albranchormayt er
minatebydev el
opi
ng
Aeri
alroot
s-root
sofepi
phy
ticpl
ant
s(Ar
aceae i
ntoaflowerorinfl
orescence
and
Orchi
daceaef
amili
es) Vascularst
rands-pr
ov i
deav ascul
ar
connecti
onbetweenstem andleaf,
composedof
Contracti
ler
oots-root
sthatactuall
ycontr
act xyl
em andphloem
ver
tical
ly,
funct
ioni
ngtopull
ther ootst
ock
fur
therint
othesoil
.(pl
ant
swi t
hbul bsorcorms) Vei
ns-v
ascul
arst
randsofl
eav
es

Haustor
ia-r
ootofpar
asit
icpl
ant
sthat Cor
tex-mostl
yparenchymatoustissueext
ernal
penet
rat
etheti
ssuesofahostpl
ant tot
hevascul
ar(conduct
ive)t
issueofastem

Proproots-advent
it
iousr
ootsthatgr
owf r
om Pi
th-centr
al,most
lyparenchymat
oust
issue,
thebaseofthestem andf
uncti
ont of
urt
her i
nter
naltothest
em vasculat
ure
supportt
heplant
Groundmeri
stem -i
nterveni
ngparenchymatous
Pneumatophores-root
sthatgr
owupwar dl
y t
issueofat
actost
ele(scatt
eredv
ascularbundle
fr
om soil
toairthatf
unct
iontoobt
ainaddit
ional i
nmonocots)
oxygen
Wood-secondaryxy
lem t
issue,
der
ivedf
rom
Butt
ressroot
s-enlarged,hori
zontal
lyspreadi
ng vascul
arcambi
um
andoftenver
ti
call
ythickenedrootsatthebase
oftr
eesthatai
dinmechani calsupport
, f
oundin Bark-allt
het i
ssuesexternal
tothev ascular
marsh/swamptrees cambium, consist
ingofsecondaryphloem (inner
bar
k),l
eftovercortex,
andderivat
ivesoft hecork
STEMSANDSHOOTS cambium (thelastcompri
singtheout erbark,or
per
iderm
Stemsf uncti
onbot hassupporti
veorgans
(supporti
ngandusual l
yelevat
ingleav
esand STEM TYPES
reproducti
veor gans)andasconduct i
veorgans
(conducti
ngbot hwater/miner
alsandsugars Rootstocks-functionasst orageandpr otect
ive
throughthev ascularti
ssuebetweenleaves, organs,remainingaliveundergroundduring
roots,andreproduct i
veorgans) harshconditi
onsofcol dordrought,ser
v easthe
sit
eofnewshootgr owth,sendingoutnew
Epi
cotyl-embry
onicst
em,el
ongat
esaf
ter adventi
tiousrootsandnewaer ialshoot
sf rom
embryogrowthint
oanaxi
s(t
hestem)t
hatbear
s theapicalmeristem orf r
om previ
ouslydor mant
l
eavesfrom i
tst
ip. buds
Bulb,shootconsistsofasmal lamountof
ShootApi
cal
Mer
ist
em -r
egi
onofact
ivel
y vert
icalstem t
issue( beari
ngrootsbelow)anda
massi v
equant i
tyoft hick,fl
eshystor
ageleaves t
heboojum
(e.g.
,All
ium spp.,onions) t
r Fouqui
ee, er
iacol
umnar
is)
Cor m,shootconsi st
smost l
yofgeneral
l
y
globosest em t
issuesur roundedbyscanty,scal
e Thor
n-ashar
p-poi
ntedst
em orshoot
-l
ike
l
eav es(e.g.someI
, r
isspp.,ir
ises) Spi
ne-shar
p-poi
ntedl
eaforl
eafpar
t

Caudex,r
ootstockconsi
stsofarel
ati
vel
y Prickl
e-ashar
p-poi
ntedepi
der
mal
str
uct
ure
undi
ff
erenti
atedbutvert
ical
l
yori
entedst
em foundanywher
eontheplant

Rhizome,st
em ishorizontalandunder
ground, Areole-amodi f
ied,reduced,nonelongati
ng
ty
pical
lywit
hshortinternodes(comparestol
on, shootapicalmerist
em bearingleafspines.
below)andbeari
ngscal el
ikeleav
es(e.
g., Areolesarechar
acter i
sti
cofthecact usfamil
y,
Zingi
beroff
ici
nal
e,ginger) Cactaceae

Tuber,t
hick,undergr
oundstoragestem,usual
ly Scape-anaked( l
acki
ngveget
ati
veleaves)
notupri
ght,typi
call
ybeari
ngouterbudsand peduncle(inf
lor
escenceaxi
s),
general
lyari
si
ng
l
ackingsurroundingstor
ageleavesorprot
ecti
ve from abasalroset
teofveget
ati
veleavesand
scal
es(e.g.,Sol
anum tuber
osum, potat
o) functi
oningtoelevat
efl
owerswellabovethe
ground
Bul
bels-dev
elopedf
rom budsi
ntheaxi
l
soft
he
l
eavesofbul
bs Cul
m -thef
loweri
ngandf
rui
ti
ngst
em(
s)of
gr
assesandsedges
Bulbi
ls-t
iny,pr
opagati
vebulbswi
thi
ntheaer
ial
shootsorinf
lor
escenceofthepl
ant Til
ler-pr
oli
fer
ati
vegrassshoot,
typi
cal
l
y
growingi
nmassesf r
om axil
lar
ybudsatthe
Cormels–proli
fer
ati
vecor
mst hatdev
eloped baseofthestem.
fr
om axil
l
arybudsofcormoseplant
s
Lignotuberorburl-largelyapr ot
ecti
veand
Stolonorrunner-stem wit
hlonginternodesthat regenerati
vestem foll
owi ngfir
es,ty
pical
ly
runsonorj ustbel
owt hesurf
aceoft heground, swol l
en,woodystems, atorsli
ghtl
ybelow
typi
call
yterminati
nginanewpl ant
let,asin groundlevel,
from whi charisepersi
stent
,woody
,
Fragari
a(strawberr
y). aerialbr
anches(e.g.,someManzani t
aspp.)

Cladode-af l
att
ened,phot
osyntheti
cst em that Pseudobul
bisashort,er
ect,aeri
alstor
ageor
mayr esembleandfuncti
onasal eaf,f
ound, e.g.
, pr
opagati
vestem ofcert
ainepiphyt
icorchi
ds
i
npr ickly-
pearcacti
,Aspar
agus,andRuscus,
takeov erthepri
mar yphot
osyntheti
cfunct i
onof Shortshootorf ascicl
e(al
socalledaspurshoot
l
eav esandmayf uncti
ontoreducewat erloss ordwarfshoot)isamodi f
iedshootwi t
hv er
y
shorti
nter
nodesf r
om whichflowersorleaves
SucculentStems-containahighpercentageof areborne,enabletheproducti
onofl eavesor
parenchymat i
ssuethatmaystoregreat repr
oducti
v eorgansr el
ati
vel
yquickly,wit
h
quanti
tiesofwater,
all
owingtheplanttosurvi
ve mini
mal stem (branch)ti
ssuebeingf or
med.
subsequentdroughtperi
ods(Cactiand
Euphorbs) Tendrili
salong,slender
,coil
i
ngbranch,adapted
forcl
i
mbi ng.Tendril
saretypi
cal
lyf
oundon
Caudi ci
for
m stem -al ow, swollen,perennial weak-stemmedv inesandfuncti
oninsupport.
storagestem (atorabov e-groundl evel
),fr
om
whichar i
seannual ornonper sistent
photosynthet
icshoot s(e.g.,Cali
banus, some
Dioscoreaspp.)

Pachycaul-awoody,
trunkli
kestem t
hatis
swoll
enbasall
y,t
heswollenregi
onfuncti
oningin
st
orage(e.g.
,bot
tl
etr
ees, Br
achychi
tonspp.,and STEM HABI
T
 Pl
eonanthi
c-anindeterminat
eshootthatbear
s
Stem habiti
sachar acterdescri
bingtherel
ati
ve l
ater
alf
lowersbutthatconti
nuesvegetat
ive
posit
ionofthest em orshoot ,butmayalsobe gr
owth
basedonst em structure,growth,andori
entat
ion.
Stem habitfeatur
es, l
i
kest em types,r
epr
esent Monopodial-stem axi
si sderi
vedfr
om growt
h
adaptati
onst hatenhancesur vivaland ofasi
ngleapicalmer i
stem,indet
erminat
e
repr
oduction.
Sy
mpodi
al–
Caul
escent-apl
antwi
thanabov
e-gr
oundst
em

Acaul
escent-aplantthatl
acksanabove-
gr
oundstem,otherthantheinf
lor
escenceaxi
s

Ar
bor
escent-t
reel
i
kei
nappear
anceandsi
ze

Frut
escent-havi
ngt hehabitofashr
ub,
wit
h
numerous,woody,aeri
altr
unks

Suf
frut
escent-basal
lywoodyandher
baceous
api
call
y,t
hehabitofasubshr
ub

Clamber i
ng-(al
socall
edscandent)
,spr
awli
ng
acrossobject
swithoutspeci
ali
zedcl
imbi
ng
struct
ures

Cli
mbi ng-growingupwardbymeansoft
endr
il
s,
peti
oles,oradvent
it
iousr
oots.

Prost
rat
e-t
rai
l
ingorl
yi
ngf
lat
,notr
oot
ingatt
he
nodes

Repent-cr
eepi
ngorl
yi
ngf
latbutr
oot
ingatt
he
nodes

Decumbent-bei
ngbasal
l
ypr
ost
rat
ebutapi
cal
l
y
ascendi
ng

Cespitose-multi
pleaer
ialbutshor
t-
stemmed
shootsarisef
rom thebase,for
mingamuch-
branchedcushion

STEM BRANCHI
NGPATTERN

Indet
erminate-shoothasthepotenti
alf
or
unli
mitedgrowth,sucht
hattheapicalmeri
stem
i
scont i
nuouslyacti
ve

Det
erminate-shootterminatesgrowthaf
tera
per
iodoftime,wi
theithertheaborti
onofthe
api
calmerist
em orit
sconv ersi
onintoafl
ower,
i
nfl
orescenceorspecial
izedstruct
ure.

Hapaxanthic-Adeter
minateshoott
hat
completel
ytransf
ormsint
oaf l
oweror
i
nfl
orescence PLACENTATI
ON
 as
Placentat
ionrefer
st otheposi
ti
oningofthe Fr
agar
ia.
ovulesandtakesintoaccountthenumberand
positi
onofplacentae,sept
a,andlocul
es. Gynobasi cstyleari
sesfrom t
hebaseofthe
ovary.Gy nobasicsty
lesarechar
act
eri
sti
cofthe
Axil
e-theplacentaear
isi
ngf r
om thecolumni
n Boraginaceae, s.
s.andofmostLamiaceae,
in
acompoundov ar
ywithsepta,commoni nmany whicht hestyleari
sesfrom t
hebaseandcenter
fl
oweri
ngplantssuchast heLil
iaceae. ofast ronglylobedovary.

Apicalorpendul
ous-apl
acent
aatt
het
opof Beak-per si
stent,
ext endedstyl
eorbasal (t
o
theovary subbasal)styl
arregion,typi
call
yaccrescentand
el
ongat esduringfr
uitformation,f
uncti
oninf ruit
Apical
-axi
le-wit
htwoormor epl
acentaeatthe disper
sal,asinmember softheAst er
aceae( e.g.
,
topofaseptateovar
y,asoccur
sintheApiaceae. Taraxacum, dandel
ion)orGer ani
aceae( e.
g.,
Geranium)
Basal-wit
haplacent
aatt hebaseoft
heov ar
y,
asoccursint
heAsteraceaeandPoaceae. STI
GMA/
STI
GMATI
CREGI
ONTYPES

Free-
centr
al-wi
ththepl
acentaealongthe Sti
gma-di
scr
etestr
uct
uret
hati
srecept
ivet
o
columninacompoundov ar
ywithoutsept
a, pol
lenont
heent
ir
esurf
ace
suchasintheCary
ophyl
laceae
Stigmati
cregi
on-port
ionofalargerst
ruct
ure
Laminar-wi
thov
ulesar
isi
ngf
rom t
hesur
faceof (gener
all
yastyl
eorstyl
ebranch)thati
s
thesept
ae recept
ivetopol
len.

Marginal-wit
htheplacentaeal
ongthemargi
n Di
scoi
d-st
igma(
s)di
sk-
shaped
ofaunicarpel
lat
e(si
mpl e)ovar
y,asi
nthe
Fabaceae Gl
obose-st
igma(
s)spher
ical
inshape

Pari
etal-wi
ththeplacentaeontheovarywall
s Li
near-st
igmasorst
igmat
ict
issuel
ongand
oruponintr
udingpart
it
ionsofaunil
ocular, nar
rowinshape
compoundov ary,
suchasi ntheVi
olaceae
Plumose-stigmaswi t
hfeathery,
tri
chome-
li
ke
Par
ietal-
axil
e-witht
heplacent
aeatt hejunct
ion extensi
ons,
of t
enfoundinwi nd-
poll
i
natedt
axa
oft
hesept um andovar
ywallofat woormor e (e.
g.,i
nCyperaceae,Poaceae).
l
oculateovary,
suchasintheBrassicaceae
I
NFLORESCENCES
Pari
etal
-sept
ate-wit
hplacentaeont heinner
ovar
ywal l
sbutwit
hinseptat
el ocul
es,asin I
nflor
escence-col
lect
ionoraggregati
onof
someAizoaceae. fl
owersonanindiv
idualpl
ant.I
nflor
escences
oft
enfuncti
ontoenhancereproducti
on.
STYLEPOSI
TION/
STRUCTURALTYPE
I
NFLORESCENCEPARTS
Styl
eposit
ion-pl
acementoft
hest
yler
elat
ivet
o
thebodyoftheov
ary Infl
orescencebractisonet hatsubtendsan
i
nflorescenceaxisoragr oupofflowers.(
Bract
s
Terminalorapi
calst
yleposi
ti
onisoneari
si
ngat thatsubtendani ndivi
dualfl
owershouldbe
theovaryapex;
thi
sisbyfarthemostcommon termedf l
oralbr
act s;
howev er
,somesour cesdo
type. notmaket hedi
st i
ncti
onorwi l
luse
i
nflorescencebracttor ef
ertoeit
her.)
Subapical
styl
eari
sestooneside,
nearand
sl
ight
lybelowtheovar
yapex.
Inv
olucre-agr
ouporcl
usterofbr
act
s
Lat
eralst
yleposi
ti
oni
soneari
si
ngatthesideof subtendi
nganent
ir
einf
lor
escence
anovary,
asinmembersoft
heRosaceae,
such
I
nvol
ucel-asi
milargroupofbr
act
ssubt
endi
ng apextobase.Det
erminat
einf
lor
escencesar
e
auni
tofthei
nfl
orescence char
acter
ist
icofcymes.

Spathe-anenl ar
ged,
sometimescol
oredbr
act Indet erminateinfl
orescence-t heapical
subtendingandusual
lyencl
osi
ngan mer istem oft hepri
mar yinf
lorescenceaxisdoes
i
nflorescence notdev el
opi ntoaflower;typi
call
y,thebasal
flowermat uresfi
rst,wit
hmat urati
onoccur ri
ng
Awn-abri
stl
eli
ke,
api
calappendageont he from baset oapex.Indeterminateinfl
orescences
gl
umesorl
emmasofgr ass(Poaceae)spikel
ets. i
ncl udeanumberoft ypes,suchasspi kes,
racemes, andpanicles.
Peduncl
e(adj
ecti
vepeduncul
ate)i
sthest
alk
ofanenti
rei
nfl
orescence. I
NFLORESCENCETYPE

Compoundrecept
acle(al
socal
l
edat or
us)isa Soli
tar
yinf
lor
escence-consi
stsofasi
ngl
e
massofti
ssueattheapexofapeduncl
ethat fl
ower
bear
smorethanoneflower.
Scaposei
nfl
orescence-oneormor
efl
ower
son
Scape-apeduncl
ethatl
ackswel
l-
devel
oped anessent
ial
l
yleafl
esspeduncl
e
l
eaves,
ari
singfr
om abasalr
oset
teofveget
ati
ve
l
eaves. Cyme-usedasagener al
ter
mtodenot
ea
det
ermi
natei
nfl
orescence
Rachi
s-amaj or,
cent
ral
axi
swi
thi
nan
i
nfl
orescence. Dichasi
um -dev
elopsal
ongtwoaxes,for
ming
oneormorepairsofopposi
te,
lat
eral
axes
Rachi
ll
a-cent
ral
axi
sofagr
assorsedge
spi
kel
et Simpledichasium -thr
ee-f
lower
edcyme, hav
ing
asingl
eter mi
nal f
lowerandtwo,opposi
telat
eral
Ray-asecondar
yaxi
sofacompoundumbel fl
owers,t
hepedi celsofal
lofequall
ength;
bract
stypical
lysubtendthetwolat
eralf
lowers,
I
NFLORESCENCEPOSI
TION al
thought hebractsmaybeabsent

Axil
lar
y-theenti
reinfl
orescencei
sposi
ti
onedi
n Cy
mul
e-usedf
orasmal
l
,si
mpl
edi
chasi
um
theaxi
lofthenearestvegetat
ivel
eaf
Compounddi chasium -many-
floweredcy
meof
Terminal-theinf
lorescencedevel
opsaspar
tof repeat
edl
ybranchingsimpledichasi
aunit
s.Ina
aterminalshootthatgaveriset
othenear
est compounddichasium,thebranchesarety
picall
y
veget
ativeleav
es decussat
elyarr
angedandar ethusinmulti
ple
planes
Caul
if
lor
ous-t
heinf
lor
escencegr
owsdi
rect
ly
fr
om awoodyt
runk Compoundcy me-br anchedcyme, similartoa
compounddi chasium butlacki
ngaconsi st
ent
Infr
afol
iar-t
hei
nfl
orescencear
isesbel
owt
he di
chasialbranchi
ngpat ter
n.Somecompound
crownshaft cymesact ual
lyhavethesamebr anchingpat t
ern
asacompounddi chasium butwithcer t
ain
I
nter
fol
iar-i
tar
iseswi
thi
nthecr
ownshaf
t, i
nternodalaxesbeingreducedormi ssi
ng,
yi
eldingamor econgest edappearance.
Supr
afol
iar-i
tar
isesabov
ethel
eav
esoft
he
cr
ownshaft. Monochasi
um -cy
methatdev
elops
al
ongoneaxisonl
y.
I
NFLORESCENCEDEVELOPMENT
Heli
coidcymeorbost r
yx-monochasium i
n
Determi
nat
einf l
orescence-theapical
mer i
stem whichtheaxesdevelopononl
yonesideofeach
ofthepr
imaryinfl
orescenceaxister
minatesi
na sequenti
alaxi
s,appear
ingcoi
l
edatleastearl
yin
fl
ower;t
ypi
call
y,theterminal
flowermaturesfir
st, devel
opment
wit
hsubsequentmat urat
ionoccurri
ngfrom
 condensed,
monochasi
alcy
mes
Scorpioidcymeorcincinnus-monochasium i
n
whicht hebr
anchesdev el
oponal t
ernat
ingsi
des SECONDARYI
NFLORESCENCES
ofeachsequent i
alaxi
s,typi
call
yresul
ti
ngina
geniculat
e(zi
g-zag)appearance. Uni
tinfl
orescence-subuni
toft
hesecondary
i
nfl
orescencethatr
esemblesaninf
lor
escence
Drepanium -monochasi
um inwhi
chtheaxes
developononlyonesideofeachsequent
ialaxi
s; Thy rse-racemeofcy mes, i
nwhi chthemain
l
ikeahel i
coi
dcy me,dr
epani
atypi
call
yappear axisi si
ndeterminat
ebutt heopposite,l
ater
al,
coil
edatleastearl
yindevel
opment unitinfl
orescencesarepedicell
atecymes,
typicall
yeit
hersimpledichasia,compound
Rhi
pidium -monochasium i
nwhi chthebr
anches dichasia,orcompoundcy mes, occasional
ly
devel
oponal t
ernati
ngsidesofeachsequenti
al monochasi alcymes.
axi
s;l
ikescorpi
oidcymes, r
hipidi
atypi
cal
l
yhave
agenicul
ate(zi
g-zag)appearance. Vert
icil
lasterisessenti
allyaspikeofopposite
cymes, similartoathyrseinhav i
ngan
Spi
ke-indet
ermi
nat
einfl
orescence,consi
sti
ng i
ndetermi natemai naxi
sbutdi f
feri
nginthatthe
ofasi
ngleaxi
sbear
ingsessil
eflowers. l
ateralcymeshav everyreducedtoabsent
i
nternodal axesandpedi cel
s,gi
v i
ngacongest ed
Raceme-indet
ermi
nat
einfl
orescenceinwhi
ch appearance.Ver ti
cil
l
astersarefoundinseveral
thesi
ngl
eaxisbear
spedi
cell
ateflower
s member soft heLamiaceae,themi ntf
amily
.

Pani
cle-br
anchedraceme, def
inedasan Compoundumbel-secondar yi
nflor
escencein
i
ndet
erminat
einfl
orescencehavingsev
eral whichthepeduncl
ebearssecondaryaxescall
ed
br
anchedaxesbeari
ngpedicell
atefl
owers rayst
hatareatt
achedatonepointandunit,
simpl
eumbel satt
achedattheti
poftherays
Cory
mb-i ndeter
minat
einfl
orescenceconsist
ing
ofasingl
eaxiswithl
ater
alaxesand/ orpedi
cels SPECI
ALI
ZEDI
NFLORESCENCES
bear
ingfl
at-
toppedorconvexflowers.Corymbs
canbeeit
hersimpleorcompound Catki
n(alsocal
ledanament )i
saunisexual
,
ty
pical
lymalespikeorel
ongateaxi
sthatfal
lsas
Simplecory
mb-unbr anched, consisti
ngofa aunitaft
erfl
oweringorf
rui
ti
ng,asinQuercus,
centr
alaxi
sbear i
ngpedi
cell
atef l
owers,t
he Sali
x
coll
ecti
onofflowersbei
ngflat-toppedorconvex;
si
mpl ecor
ymbsar eli
keracemesi nwhichthe Cyathium -inf
lorescencebeari
ngsmal l
,
l
owerpedicelsaremuchmor eel ongat
ethanthe unisexual
upper. fl
ower sandsubt endedbyani nvol
ucre
(f
requentlywithpetaloi
dglands),t
heentir
e
Simpl eumbel–det ermi
nateori ndeter
minate, i
nflorescenceresembl i
ngasinglefl
ower,asi
n
fl
at-t
oppedorconv exinf
lorescencewi t
h Euphor bi
aandr elat
ives
pedicelsattachedatonepoi nttoapeduncle.
Twoi nfl
orescencesi nwhichthef l
owersatthe Headorcapi tul
um isadetermi
nateor
pointofattachmentappearcongest edarethe i
ndet er
minate,cr
owdedgr oupofsessil
eor
fascicl
eandgl omer ul
e. subsessil
eflowersonacompoundr ecept
acle,
oftensubtendedbyani nv
olucr
e.Headsare
Fascicle-racemeli
keorpani
clel
ike typical
oftheAsteraceaeandsomeot hergroups.
i
nflorescencewithpedi
cel
lat
ef l
owersinwhi
ch
i
nternodesbet weenfl
owersareveryshor
t Hypanthodi
um -infl
orescencebear
ing
numerous
Glomerul
e-infl
orescenceofsessi
leor fl
owersontheinsideofaconv exorinv
olut
ed
subsessi
l
eflowersinwhichtheint
ernodes compoundreceptacle,asinFi
cus
betweenfl
owersarev er
yshort
.
Pseudant
hium i
sauni
tthatappearsasandmay
Pseudo-
umbel-i
nfl
orescenceappear
ingl
i
kea funct
ionl
ikeasi
ngl
efl
ower,butthatt
ypi
call
y
si
mpleumbel
,butactual
lycomposedof consi
stsoftwoormor
ef l
owersfusedor
groupedtogether
Spadix-aspikewi t
hathickenedorfl
eshy Nutisaone-seeded,dryi
ndehi
scentf
ruitwit
ha
centr
alaxis,t
ypical
lywi
thcongestedfl
owers hardperi
car
p,usuall
yderi
vedfrom aone-l
oculed
andusuallysubtendedbyaspathe,asint
he ovary
Araceae Nutlet-i
sasmal l
nutli
kefr
uit

Spikel
etli
ter
all
ymeansasmal lspikeandr
efer
s Samara-i
sawi
nged,
dry
,usual
l
yindehi
scent
tothebasicinf
lor
escenceuni
tintheCyper
aceae, fr
uit
thesedges,andPoaceae,t
hegrasses.
Tryma-isanutsurr
oundedbyani
nvol
ucr
ethat
FRUI
TS dehi
scesatmaturi
ty

Frui
tsar
ethematur
eovar
iesorpist
il
sof Utri
clei
sasmal l
,bladder
yorinf
lat
ed,one-
fl
oweri
ngplant
spl
usanyassoci
atedaccessor
y seeded,dryf
rui
t;ut
icl
esareessent
ial
lyachenes
part
s. i
nwhi chtheper
icarpissi
gni
fi
cantl
ylargert
han
thematureseed
Accessor ypar
tsareor gansattachedt oafrui
t
butnotder i
veddir
ectlyfrom t
heov aryorovar
ies, Capsul
esaregeneral
lydr
y(r
arel
yfl
eshy
),
i
ncludingthebracts,axes,r
ecept acle,compound dehi
scentfr
uit
sderi
vedfr
om compound
receptacl
e(inmultipl
ef r
uit
s),
hy pant hi
um,or (mul
ti
carpel
ed)ovari
es
perianth.
Locul
ici
dalcapsul
eshavelongit
udinall
inesof
Pericar
p( r
ind,i
nthevernacul
ar)isusedforthe dehi
scenceradi
all
yal
ignedwiththelocules
fr
uitwall
,deriv
edfrom thematureov ar
ywal l
.
Theper i
carpissometimesdivi
siblei
ntolayers: Septi
cidalcapsuleshavel ongit
udinal
endocarp,mesocarp,andexocarp. l
inesofdehiscencer adi
all
yal i
gnedwi t
hthe
ovar
y
Si
mple-deri
vedfr
om asi
ngl
e sept
a( orwiththeplacentae,ifseptaareabsent
)
pi
sti
lofonef
lower
Valves-aport
ionoftheperi
carpwallthatspli
ts
Aggregat
e-der
ivedfr
om mult
ipl
epi
sti
ls off
,butdoesnotenclosetheseed(s)
;valves
ofasingl
efl
ower,t
hushavi
nganapocarpous mayr emainat
tachedtothefr
uitormayf all
off,
gynoeci
um dependingonthetaxon

Mul
ti
ple-der
ivedf
rom manycoal
escentf
lower
s ci
rcumscissil
ecapsule(alsocal
l
edapy xi
sor
pyxi
de)hasat ransv
erse(asopposedto
Uni
tfrui
t-thecomponentder
ivedf
rom an l
ongitudi
nal
)lineofdehi
scence,ty
pical
l
yformi
ng
i
ndi
vidualpi
sti
l aterminall
i
doroper cul
um

I
nfr
uctescence-usedtodenot
eamat
ure Asept
if
ragalorv
alvul
arcapsul
eisonei
nwhi
ch
i
nfl
orescencei
nfrui
t. t
heval
vesbreakofffr
om t
hesepta

SI
MPLEFRUI
TTYPES Por
ici
dalcapsul
eshav
edehi
scenceoccur
ri
ng
bymeansofpores
Acheneisaone-seeded,dry
,indehi
scentf
rui
t
wit
hseedattachedtothepericarpatonepoi
nt Crocidalcapsul
es-dehi
sci
ngbymeansof
onl
y,suchastheunitfr
uitsofsunfl
owers apicalsl
it
s

Anthocar
pisagener
all
ysi
mple,dr
y,i
ndehiscent Basici
dalcapsul
es–dehi
sci
ngbymeansof
fr
uiti
nwhichoneormoref
lowerpart
sfunction basalsl
it
s
asaccessor
yti
ssues
Fol
li
cleisadry,dehi
scentf
rui
tder
ivedf
rom one
Grai
norcar y
opsisi
saone-seeded,
dry, car
pelthatspl
i
tsalongonesutur
e
i
ndehiscentf
rui
twit
htheseedcoatadnatet
o
peri
carpwall Legumei
sadr
y,dehi
scentf
rui
tder
ivedf
rom
onecarpelthatspl
i
tsalongtwolongi
tudinal
sutur
es;l
egumesar ethediagnost
icf
ruittypeof Hesperidi
um isaseptatef
leshyfr
uitwi t
hat hick
theFabaceae,thel
egumef amil
y. -
skinned,l
eatheryout
erperi
carpwall andfleshy
modifi
edt r
ichomes(j
uicesacs)ar
isingf r
om the
Loments-spl
i
ttr
ansv
ersel
yint
oone-
seeded i
nnerwal l
s
Segments
Pepoisanonsept atefleshyf rui
twithpari
etal
I
ndehi
scentl
egumes-don’
tspl
i
topenatal
l pl
acentationandal eatheryexocar pderi
ved
fr
om ani nferi
orov ary
Sil
icl
esandsi li
quesaredr y
,dehi
scentfrui
ts Pomei saf leshyfruitwithacar ti
lagi
nous
deriv
edfrom at wo-car
peledovaryt
hatdehisces endocarpder iv
edf rom ani nferi
orovary,
withthe
al
ongt wosut ur
esbutt hathasapersi
stent bulkofthef l
eshyt i
ssueder i
vedfrom theouter,
parti
ti
on,thereplum (t
hemat ur
eseptum, adnatehy panthial
tissue
general
lywithattachedseeds)
Pseudodr upei
sanutsurr
oundedbyaf l
eshy,
Schizocar
pisadry,dehiscentf
rui
ttypeder
ived i
ndehiscentinv
olucr
e,asi
nJuglans(walnut)
;
fr
om at woormoreloculedcompoundov ar
yi n thus,pseudodr
upeshaveaccessor
ytissue
whichthelocul
esseparateatmaturi
ty. servi
ngast hefl
eshycomponent.

Schizocarpoffoll
icl
esisaf r
uiti
nwhi chthe AGGREGATEFRUI
TTYPES
(general
lytwo)carpelsofapisti
lspl
itatmatur
it
y,
eachcarpel dev
elopingint
oauni tf
oll
icl
e Aggregat
efr
uiti
sonederi
vedfr
om t
woormor
e
pi
sti
l
s( ov
ari
es)ofonef
lower
Schi
zocarpofmericarpsi soneinwhichthe
car
pelsofasingl
eov arysplitdur
ingfr
uit uni
tfr
uitcor
respondst
oasi
ngl
epi
sti
l
matur
ati
on,eachcarpel developi
ngint
oaunit
meri
carp achenecet
um i
sanaggr
egat
efr
uitofachenes

Meri
car psareporti
onsofthefr
uitthatsepar at
e dr
upecet
um i
sanaggr
egat
efr
uitofdr
upes
fr
om theov ar
yasadi sti
nctuni
tcompl etel
y
encl
osingtheseed(s);i
ntheApiaceaet hetwo f
oll
icet
um i
sanaggr
egat
efr
uitoff
oll
i
cles
meri
carpsar ety
picall
yatt
achedtooneanot her
vi
aast alkl
i
kestructur
ecall
edthecar pophore syncarpi
sanaggr
egrat
efrui
t,t
ypical
l
yofber
ri
es,
i
nwhi cht
heuni
tfr
uit
sfusetogether
Schizocar
pofnutlet
sisdi
sti
nctinthatasingle
ovarybecomeslobedduri
ngdevelopment,the MULTI
PLEFRUI
TTYPES
l
obesdev el
opi
ngatmat ur
it
yint
onut l
ets,
whi ch
spli
toff Amul t
iplefruitisonederi
vedf r
om t woormor e
f
lowerst hatcoalesce.I
ndetermi ni
ngt he
endocarp-t
heinnermostwalll
ayer mult
ipl
ef r
uittype,onemayalsoi dentif
ytheunit
mesocarp-themiddlewal
llayer f
rui
tcor r
espondi ngtoasingl
epi sti
l ofasingle
exocarp-t
heoutermostwalll
ayer f
lower;thef r
uittypemaybei ndicatedasa
mult
ipl
ef r
uitofthepart
icul
aruni tf
ruitpresent.
Berryi
sthegener
al,
unspeci
ali
zedt
ermf
ora
fr
uitwi
thasuccul
entperi
car
p Buri
samul t
ipl
efr
uitofachenesorgr
ains
sur
roundedbyapri
cklyi
nvolucr
e
Dr
upeisafrui
twit
hahar
d,st
onyendocar
pand
af
leshymesocar
p Asorosi
sisamul t
ipl
efrui
tinwhichtheunit
fr
uit
sarefl
eshyberri
esandarelater
all
yfused
Pyrenecanbeusedei t
herforafl
eshyf
ruitin al
ongacentralaxi
s,
whi cheachoft woormoreseedsisenclosedby
ausual lybony
-text
uredendocar
p,orpyrenecan syconium i
samul ti
plefr
uiti
nwhichtheunit
refertot he fr
uitsaresmallachenescoveri
ngthesur
faceof
seedcov er
edbyahar dendocar
puniti
tself
, afleshy,i
nver
tedcompoundr ecept
acle(
deri
ved
regardlessofthenumber. fr
om ahy pant
hodium)
 SEEDS

Sar
cotest
a-aseedcoatt
hati
sfl
eshyat
matur
it
y

hil
um,thescarofat
tachmentoft
hef
uni
cul
uson
theseedcoat

raphe,
aridgeontheseedcoatf
ormedf
rom
anadnatefuni
cul
us.

ari
l-afleshyoutgrowthofthefuni
culus,
raphe,
orint
egument s(butsepar
atefrom the
i
ntegument s)t
hatgeneral
lyfuncti
onsinanimal
seeddispersal
.

caruncl
e,afl
eshyout
growt
hatthebaseoft
he
seed;car
uncl
esalsof
uncti
oni
nanimalseed
disper
sal

embr
yo,
thei
mmat
urespor
ophy
te

epi
cot
yl-t
hei
mmat
ureshoot

r
adi
cle-t
hei
mmat
urer
oot

hypocotyl(
thet
ransi
ti
onr
egi
onbet
weent
her
oot
andepicotyl

cotyl
edon(s)(t
hef
irstleaf/
leav
esoftheembr
yo,
oft
enf unct
ioni
ngi
nst orageoffoodr
eserv
es)

coleopti
le,
andtheradi
clesurr
oundedbya
protect
ivesheat
hknownast hecoleor
hiza

SEEDENDOSPERM TYPE

Albuminousorendosper
mous,hav
ing
endosperm ast
hefoodreser
vei
nmatureseeds

exal
buminousornonendosper
mous-
endosper
m devel
ops,butv
eryl
it
tl
etononei
s
deposi
tedinmatur
eseeds

cotyl
esper
mous-inwhichthemainf
ood
reser
veisstor
edi
nthecoty
ledons