Leaves, Roots, Stems

Plant organs and their functions

Leaves
 Leaf Parts

• Two major parts to

the leaf:

• Blade

• Petiole
 Leaf microanatomy
• Epidermis and
cuticle do what?

• Mesophyl does
what?

• Veins do what?

• Guard cells in the

lower epidermis do
what?
 Photosythesis
• The purpose of photosynthesis is to
produce organic (carbon-based)
molecules (such as sugars).
• The plants use these molecules for two
purposes:
• As an energy source
• As building material
The mesophyl in this leaf is what
kind of tissue?
33% 33% 33%

1. Dermal
2. Ground
3. Vascular

1 2 3
 W
O
R
K
• On your own paper, list plant leaves or
products of plant leaves that you have T
used in the past few days. O
G
• What qualities of the leaves made E
them useful? T
H
E
R
Roots
 Types of root systems

• Taproot systems:
main root, lateral
branches.

• Fibrous root
systems: lose the
primary root,
replaced by many
smaller roots.
 Root Anatomy
• Parts of a root:

• Root cap

• Root meristem

• Zone of
elongation

• Zone of
maturation
 Roots: Epidermis
• Root epidermis
lacks a cuticle, and
is porous. Usually
has many root
hairs.

• Water enters
through
membranes of
epidermal cells or
through spaces
between cells.
 Roots: Cortex
• The cortex layer is
made up of
parenchyma cells.
What is the main
function of these
cells?

• Endodermis
separates the cortex
from the vascular
cylinder.
Roots: vascular cylinder
• Casparian strip
around endodermis
cells controls water
movement. Why?

• Pericycle: layer of
parenchyma cells,
inside of
endodermis, from
which branch roots
can arise.
 Roots: vascular cylinder

• Vascular cylinder
contains:

• Phloem: what
does phloem do?

• Xylem: What
does xylem do?
The vascular cylinder of a root contains
mostly what kind of tissue?
33% 33% 33%

1. Dermal
2. Ground
3. Vascular
1 2 3
 If a tap root is thick and contains a lot of
starchy parenchyma cells, what is a function of
that root?
25% 25% 25% 25%

1. Reproduction
2. Food storage
3. Photosynthesis
4. Support
1 2 3 4
 W
O
R
K
• On your own paper, list any roots that
you have used in the past few days. T
O
• What qualities of the roots made them G
useful? E
T
H
E
R
Stems
 Stems: Epidermis
• In herbaceous
plants and young
woody plants, the
stem is covered
with epidermis.

• Epidermis secretes
cuticle, has stomata,
and may be
photosynthetic.
 Stems: Cortex and Pith
• Cortex layer
contains
parenchyma cells
and vascular
bundles.

• Pith makes up the

center of the stem,
and is absent in
hollow stems.
 Stems: vascular tissue

• Vascular bundles
are in the cortex.

• Between the xylem

and phloem is the
vascular cambium,
a meristem layer.
What is it for?
 Stems: Secondary growth
• Secondary growth
is seen in woody
plants.

• This kind of growth

produces stronger,
thicker stems from
the vascular
cambium and cork
cambium.
 Stems: wood and bark
• What tissue makes
up the wood of a
tree trunk? (hint:
water flows there.)

• What tissue makes

up the “green
bark?” (hint: sap
flows there.)

• Dead cork cells

make up the bark.
 Stems: Annual Rings
• Trees in temperate
zones grow at
different rates in
different seasons,
causing annual
rings to form.

• In some parts of the

tropics, if seasons
vary little, tree rings
are indistinct.
 Wood is made up of what
tissue?
33% 33% 33%

1. Dermal
2. Ground
3. Vascular
1 2 3
Stems that contain lots of vascular tissue are
primarily for:
25% 25% 25% 25%

1. Food storage
2. Absorbing water
3. Transporting
materials
4. Protecting the plant

1 2 3 4
 W
O
R
K
• On your own paper, list any stems or
products of stems you have used in the T
last few days. O
G
• What qualities of these stems made E
them useful? T
H
E
R