Plants Flashcards
(12 cards)
Dicot
A class of plants that includes all woody trees and shrubs as well as others. Dicot flower parts are usually in groups of 4 or 5. Dicot leaves always have a network of veins and may be many different shapes including divided.
Monocot
A class of plants that includes grasses, sedges and rushes as well as others. Monocot flower parts are usually in groups of 3 or 6. Monocot leaves always have veins that run parallel instead of a network, and are usually longer than wide as well as undivided.
Sepal / petal / tepal
Sepals are protective structures that form around the outside of the flower when it is in a bud. Petals are the second (from the outside) layer of a flower and are the main display organ of the plant, so often colourful. Tepals are the colourful display structures of monocots and are therefore not split into petals and sepals.
Actinomorphic / zygomorphic
Actinomorphic (or regular) flowers have radial symmetry, i.e. they have more than one line of symmetry. Zygomorphic (or irregular) flowers have bilateral symmetry, i.e. they have only one line of symmetry.
Carpel
The innermost parts of the flower, making up the female reproductive organs. Consists of (top -> bottom) stigma, style and ovary with ovules inside.
Stamen
The third layer from the outside of the flower, making up the male reproductive parts. Consists of anthers that produce pollen on top of filaments.
Fabaceae
A family of dicots known as the pea and bean family. The flowers have bilateral symmetry (five petals - standard, 2 wings and a fused keel) and sepals, stamens and carpels are usually fused into single structures.
Lamiaceae
A family of dicots known as the dead nettle family. The flowers have bilateral symmetry (five petals - fused into a tube with often an upper and lower lip) and sepals are fused into a tube. Flowers have 4 or occasionally 2 stamens and a four-part carpel with a single style. Stems are square.
Ranunculaceae
A family of dicots known as the buttercup family. The flowers mostly have radial symmetry (usually five but sometimes four / six / lots of petals), lots of stamens and carpels, and sepals can be hard to distinguish.
Asteraceae
A family of dicots known as the daisy family. The flowers are compound and so have radial symmetry (often ray florets on outside and disc florets inside; petals of florets are fused to form a corolla tube), bracts instead of sepals, fused stamens (corolla tube) and two fused carpels.
Caryophyllaceae
A family of dicots known as the campion family. The flowers have radial symmetry (four or five petals with the apex notched and the same number of sepals), five or ten stamens and carpels are fused into a single structure. Leaves are simple and opposite.
Brassicaceae
A family of dicots known as the brassica family. The flowers have radial or almost-radial symmetry (cross-shaped, four petals and sepals), six or sometimes four stamens and carpels are usually fused into a single structure.
