home | introduction | plant life cycles | internal plant parts | external plant parts | plant growth & development
environmental factors affecting growth | plants in communities | plant hormones & growth regulators
Glossary
Anther - The pollen sac on the male flower.
Apex (â´-pèx) - The tip of a shoot or root.
Apical dominance (â´-pì-kel) - The tendency of an apical bud to produce hormones that suppress growth of the buds below it on the stem.
Axil (àk´-sil) - The location where the leaf joins a stem.
Cambium (kàm´-bê-em) - A layer of growing tissue the seperates the xylem and phloem and continuously produces new xylem and phloem cells.
Chlorophyll - The pigment in leaves that is responsible for trapping light energy from the sun.
Chloroplast - A specialized component of certain cells; contains chlorophyll and is responsible for photosynthesis.
Cortex - The primary tissue of a stem or root immediately to the inside of the epidermis.
Cotyledon (kòt´l-êd´-n) - The first leaf that appears on a seedling. Also known as a seed leaf.
Cuticle - Part of the epidermis; produces cutin, a waxy substance that protects a leaf from dehydration and disease.
Cutin (kyoot´-in) - (1) A waxy substance on plant surfaces that tends to make the surface waterproof and can protect leaves from dehydration and disease. (2) A waxy substance on an insect's cuticle that protects the insect from dehydration.
Dicotyledon, Dicot (dî´-kòtl-êd´-n, dî´-kòt) - Having two seed leaves.
Epidermis (èp-ì-dûr´-mìs) - The outermost layer of cells on all the primary parts of a plant: stem, roots, leaves, flower, fruit, and seeds.
Etiolation (êt´-ê-e-lâ´-shen) - Development of yellow, long, spindly growth on a plant as a result of insufficient light.
Germination - The initial growth phase of a seed, spore or pollen grain.
Guard cell - Epidermal cells that open and close to let water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide pass through the stomata.
Hypocotyl (hî´-pe-kät´-el) - The first leaf-like structure that appears on a germinating seed. Grows upward in response to light.
Internode - The space between nodes on a stem.
Meristem (mér'-e-stem) - Plant tissue in the process of formation; vegetative cells in a state of active division and growth, e.g., those at the apex of growing-stems and roots.
Mesophyll - The part of a leaf located between the upper and lower epidermis; contains the chloroplasts and other cell organelles.
Monocotyledon , Monocot (mó´-ne-kòt´l-êd´-n, mó´-ne-kòt) - Having one seed leaf.
Node - An area on a stem where a leaf, stem, or flower bud is located.
Ovary - The part of the female flower where eggs are located.
Petiole (pèt´-ê-ol´) - The stalk that attaches a leaf to a stem.
Phloem (flo´-èm)- Photosynthate-conducting tissue.
Photosynthates - Food products (sugars and starches) created through photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis (fo´to-sìn´-thì-sìs) - The process in green plants of converting water and carbon dioxide into sugar using energy from sunlight.
Pistil (pìs´-tel)- The female flower part; consists of a stigma, style, and ovary.
Respiration - The process of converting sugars and starches into energy.
Root Stock (understock) - The trunk or root material to which buds or scions are inserted via grafting.
Scarification (skàr´-e-fì-kâ´-shen) - Nicking, sanding, or otherwise compromising the hard outer coating of a seed to increase its water intake and thuspromote germination. Sometimes incorrectly called scarfing.
Scion - A cutting or bud that is inserted by grafting into a rootstock.
Stamen (stâ´-men)- The male flower part; consists of an anther and a supporting filament.
Stigma - The top of a female flower part; collects pollen.
Stoma (pl. stomates, stomata) - Tiny openings in the epidermis that allow water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide to pass into and out of a plant.
Style - The part of the female flower that connects the stigma to the ovary. Pollen travels down the style to reach the ovary, where fertilization occurs.
Totipotent (tot-e-pot´-ent) - Possessing the ability to grow into a complete plant from any single cell of that plant.
Transpiration - The process of losing water through stomata.
Tunicate (tunicate) - A type of bulb that has a thin papery covering on the outside.
Turgor (ter´-ger) - Cellular water pressure; responsible for keeping cells firm.
Vascular - Water- and nutrient-conducting tissue (xylem and phloem).
Xylem (zî´-lem)- Water-conducting tissue.
(If you have problems hearing glossary terms, try an alternate version of the page)
