Relevant Vocabulary

1. Gametophyte - Stage of the life cycle of a plant that is haploid; stage that produces gametes via mitosis;
these
gametes fuse to form a zygote that develops into a sporophyte
2. Sporophyte - Stage of the life cycle of a plant that is diploid; it is the most recognizable structure in most
flowering
plants; it produces haploid spores by meiosis in structures called sporangia
3. Haplontic life cycle - Life cycle where the haploid stage (gametophyte) is multicellular and the only diploid
stage is
the fertilized egg cell
4. Haplodiplontic life cycle - Life cycle that includes multicellular diploid (sporophyte) and haploid
(gametophyte)
generations
5. Diplontic life cycle - Life cycle where the diploid stage (sporophyte)is multicellular and the haploid stage
(gametophyte) is represented by the single-celled gametes
6. Angiosperms - Also known as flowering plants; group of plants that produce reproductive structures called
flowers
in their sporophyte stages
7. Flower - Reproductive structure in flowering plants; made up of four major whorls
8. Sepals - The outermost whorls of a flower; collectively called the calyx
9. Petals - Whorl inner to the sepals; may be brightly colored in some; collectively called the corolla
10. Stamen - Whorl inner to the petals; the male reproductive structure of the flower; bears the male sporangia
(also
known as microsporangia)
11. Anther - Part of the stamen that contains the microsporangia that develops into pollen grains
12. Filament - Part of the stamen that serves as the stalk of the anther
13. Pistil or carpels - Innermost whorl of the flower; the female reproductive structure of the flower; bears the
female
sporangia (also known as the megasporangia)
14. Stigma - Part of the pistil where the pollen grain derived from the microsporangium attaches during
pollination
15. Style - Part of the pistil that serves as the stalk of the stigma; leads to the ovary
16. Ovary - Found at the base of the pistil; contains one or more ovules; eventually becomes the fruit
17. Ovule - Contains the female sporangia or megasporangia; eventually becomes the seed
18. Complete flower - A flower with sepals, petals, stamens and carpels
19. Incomplete flower - A flower that lacks one or more of the floral PARTS

20. Perfect flower - A flower that has both stamens and carpels; a bisexual structure
21. Imperfect flower - A flower that has only either the stamens (staminate flower) or the carpels (carpellate
flower);
also known as a unisexual flower
22. Monoecious plant - A plant having perfect flowers or both staminate and carpellate flowers on the same
individual
23. Dioecious plant - A plant having only either the staminate or carpellate flower
24. Pollination - The placement of the pollen grain from the anther to the stigma of a carpel
25. Pollen grain - The immature male gametophyte that develops within the anthers of stamens; derived from
the
microsporocytes inside the microsporangia of anthers. Inside the mature pollen grain, there is a tube cell and a
generative cell. The tube cell develops into the pollen tube as it enters the style and eventually enters the
micropyle of
the ovule. The generative cell divides into two sperm nuclei and traverses the pollen tube
26. Embryo sac - The female gametophyte found inside the ovule; derived from the megasporocyte inside the
megasporangia; a mature embryo sac contains 8 nuclei. Eventually, these nuclei become enveloped by
membranes to
become real cells. These are the one egg cell; two synergids that flank the egg; two polar cells that are often
fused;
and three antipodals opposite the synergids and egg.
27. Micropyle - The opening through the integuments of the ovule that surrounds the embryo sac; this is where
the
pollen tube enters in order to reach the embryo sac
28. Endosperm - Part of the mature seed that is derived from the fusion of the sperm nucleus and the two
polar nuclei
of the embryo sac. This becomes a nutritive tissue with triploid cells that serves to store food for the developing
embryo
29. Zygote - Part of the mature seed that forms as a result of the fusion of the egg and one of the sperm nuclei
30. Cotyledon - Embryonic leaf that forms inside the seed
31. Monocot - A plant with only one cotyledon inside its seed (monocotyledonous)
32. Dicot - A plant with two cotyledons inside its seed (dicotyledonous)
33. Seed germination - Process that transforms a seed into a seedling
34. Imbibition - The first step in seed germination; absorption of water
35. Radicle - Embryonic root that emerges from the seed
36. Plumule - Embryonic shoot that emerges from the seed and breaks through the soil surface
37. Epicotyl - Part of the plumule above the cotyledon
38. Hypocotyl - Part of the plumule below the cotyledon