GRADE 11

Chapter 5 MORPHOLOGY OF FLOWERING PLANTS-NOTES

Morphology refers to the study of the external structure of an organism. The plant body of Angiosperms is
differentiated into roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds.
The Root
Formed by elongation of radicle. Anchors the plant and absorbs water and minerals from the soil.
Types of roots
1. Tap roots: The primary root elongates and develops branches. Seen in Dicots like Mustard.
2. Fibrous root system: The primary root is short-lived and gets replaced by a large number of roots
originating from the base of the stem. Seen in Monocots like Wheat.
3. Adventitious roots: Roots arise from a part other than the radicle. Seen in Banyan, Monstera and Grasses.

Regions of the Root

The apex is protected by a root cap.
I. Region of meristematic activity: Seen above the root cap. Small thin-
walled cells with abundant protoplasm. The cells divide repeatedly.
II. Region of elongation: Located proximal to region of meristematic
activity. Cells elongate and enlarge and cause the increase in length.
III. Region of maturation: Located proximal to region of elongation. The
cells differentiate and mature. Root hairs originate from here.
Root modifications: -
1. For storage of food – Tap roots of Carrot and Turnip and adventitious roots of sweet potato get swollen and
store food.
2. For support – Prop roots of Banyan and Stilt roots of Sugarcane and Maize provide support.
3. For breathing – Pneumatophores of Rhizophora grow upwards and help to get oxygen for respiration.
The Stem
Develops from the plumule of the embryo. Bears nodes and internodes. Spreads out the branches with leaves,
flowers and fruits. It conducts water, minerals and photosynthates.
The Leaf
Develops at the node and has a bud at the axil. Vegetative organs for
photosynthesis. Has three main parts – leaf base, lamina and petiole.

The swollen leaf base in leguminous plants is called the pulvinus.

Venation -The arrangement of veins and veinlets.
Reticulate – The veinlets form a network (Dicots)
Parallel –Veins run parallel to the lamina (Monocots)
Types of leaves
Simple – Lamina is entire and even if incised, the incisions do not touch the midrib.
Compound – The incisions of the lamina reach the midrib breaking it into leaflets.
It can be
Pinnately compound – Leaflets are arranged on either side of the rachis. (Neem)
Palmately compound – The leaflets are attached at a common point at the tip of the petiole. (Silk cotton)

Phyllotaxy
Arrangement of leaves on stem or branch.
Alternate – Single leaf from each node in an alternate manner. (Mustard)
Opposite –A pair of leaves opposite to each other at each node. (Calotropis)
Whorled – More than two leaves at a node as a whorl. (Alstonia)
The Inflorescence
The arrangement of leaves on the floral axis.
Racemose – The main axis continues to grow and the flowers are
laterally borne in acropetal succession.
Cymose – The main axis terminates in a flower and the flowers are
borne in basipetal order.

The Flower
The reproductive unit in
Angiosperms. The stalk
or pedicel has a swollen
end called the thalamus. The four whorls Calyx, Corolla, Androecium
and Gynoecium are arranged successively on the thalamus.

Perianth – Calyx and corolla are fused and not distinct. (Lily)

Actinomorphic – Can be divided into two halves through any radial planes passing through the centre.
(Mustard)
Zygomorphic – Can be divided into two halves through a single vertical plane. (Pea)
Asymmetric – Cannot be divided into two halves through a vertical plane through the centre. (Canna)
Bracteate – Reduced leaf at the base of the pedicel.
Ebracteate – Bracts are absent.
Based on the position of the ovary flowers are classified into three,
Hypogynous flower – The gynoecium occupies the highest position and other parts are situated below it.
(Mustard)
Perigynous flower- The gynoecium is at the centre and other parts are located at the rim of the thalamus.
(Plum)
Epigynous – The margin of the thalamus grows upward enclosing the ovary completely and the other parts
arise above the ovary. (Guava)
Parts of a Flower
Calyx – Made up of sepals. Protects the flower in the bud stage. Maybe gamosepalous (sepals united) or
polysepalous (sepals free)
Corolla – Made up of petals. Attract insects for pollination. Maybe gamopetalous (petals united) or
polypetalous (petals free)
Aestivation -Arrangement of sepals or petals in floral buds with respect to the other members of the
same whorl.
Types:
Valvate – Sepals or petals just touch each other at the margin without overlapping. (Calotropis)
Twisted – One margin of an appendage overlaps the next one in a particular direction. (Cotton)
Imbricate – The margins of sepals and petals overlap each other but not in any particular direction.
(Cassia)
Vexillary or Papilionaceous – Five petals- Standard that overlaps two Wings which in turn overlaps two Keel.

Androecium
Made up of stamens. Each stamen has an anther and filament.
A sterile stamen is called a staminode.
Epipetalous – Stamens are attached to petals (Brinjal)
Epiphyllous –Stamens are attached to the perianth (Lily) Stamens may be free (Polyandrous) or united into a
bundle (Monoadelphous) or two bundles (Diadelphous) or more than two bundles (Polyadelphous)
Gynoecium
Made of carpels. A carpel consists of an ovary, style and stigma.
Apocarpous – Carpels are free(Lotus)
Syncarpous – Carpels are fused(Mustard)
Placentation – The arrangement of ovules within the ovary.
Different types:
Marginal – The placenta forms a ridge along the ventral suture of the ovary and the ovules are borne on this
ridge in two rows (Pea)
Axile – Placenta is axial and the ovules are attached to it in the multilocular ovary(Tomato)
Parietal – Ovules develop on the inner wall of the ovary or on the peripheral part. A false septum makes the
ovary two-chambered (Mustard)
Free central – Ovules are borne on the central axis and septa are absent(Primrose)
Basal – A single ovule is attached to the placenta at the base of the ovary(Sunflower)
The Fruit
Ripened mature ovary.
Parthenocarpic fruit – Fruit is formed without fertilization.
Pericarp – Fruit wall. May be dry or fleshy. If fleshy, it will be differentiated into epicarp, mesocarp and
endocarp.
Drupe – A one-seeded fruit from a monocarpellary superior ovary. Mango has a thin epicarp, fleshy edible
mesocarp and hard stony endocarp. In Coconut, the mesocarp is fibrous.
Description of Families using symbols

Floral diagram and floral formula.

A floral diagram provides information about the number of parts of a flower, their arrangement and the
relation they have with one another. The position of the mother axis with respect to the flower is represented
by a dot on the top of the floral diagram. Calyx, corolla, androecium and gynoecium are drawn in successive
whorls.
Floral formulae are a system to represent a flower’s structure using specific numbers, letters, and symbols,
hence it is a simple way to present salient features of a flower.

SOLANACEAE
• It is a large family, commonly called as the ‘potato family’. It is widely distributed in tropics, subtropics
and even temperate zones.

Vegetative Characters
➢ Plants mostly herbs, shrubs and rarely small trees
➢ Stem: herbaceous rarely woody, aerial; erect, cylindrical, branched, solid or hollow, hairy or glabrous,
underground stem in potato (Solanum tuberosum)
➢ Leaves: alternate, simple, rarely pinnately compound, exstipulate; venation reticulate
Floral Characters
• Inflorescence : Solitary, axillary or cymose as in Solanum
• Flower: bisexual, actinomorphic
• Calyx: sepals five, united, valvate aestivation
• Corolla: petals five, united; valvate aestivation
• Androecium: stamens five, polyandrous, epipetalous
• Gynoecium: carpellary, syncarpous; ovary superior, bilocular, placenta is swollen with many ovules.
• Fruits: berry or capsule
• Seeds: many, endospermous
• Floral Formula:

Economic Importance
• Many plants belonging to this family are sources of food (tomato, brinjal, potato), spice (chilli);
medicine (belladonna, ashwagandha); fumigatory (tobacco); ornamentals (petunia).\

*************************************************************************