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Lecture 27 - Angiosperm Plants Leaves, Inflorescences & Flowers

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16 views37 pages

Lecture 27 - Angiosperm Plants Leaves, Inflorescences & Flowers

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mwape260260
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Angiosperm Plants

Introduction
 The leaf is one of the vegetative organs of
the plant
 The leaves retain the primary features
throughout their life span
 The meristematic tissue (cambium) that
brings about the development of secondary
features in perennial plants is absent in the
leaves
 This entails that the vascular bundles in
leaves are devoid of cambium – hence leaves
do not grow in girth
Introduction
 The leaves are either simple or compound
 The main parts of the leaf the petiole and the
blade
 Leaves without the petioles are said to be
sessile
 Leaves of some species (Mimosa pigra and
Neptunia oleracea) are sensitive to touch and
this phenomenon is described as being
seismonastic response
 However, plants such as the cacti, don’t bear
leaves
Simple and Compound leaves
Simple leaves
Functions of Leaves
 Leavesare involved in the process of
photosynthesis which in turn brings
about the manufacture of food molecules
 Plantsare ecologically described as
primary producers because they
produce food molecules
 Leaves provide a large surface area to
allow for the processes of gaseous
exchange & transpiration through
the stomata
Functions of Leaves
 Leaves
provide shade and shelter to the
stem and root system below
 Leavesare sources of vegetables for many
animals (herbivorous vertebrates &
invertebrates
 In
some species of the family
Crassulaceae, leaves are involved in the
vegetative propagation of new plants
Crassulaceae
Types of Leaves
 Cataphylls: are the scale-like structures that appear
on buds and the underground stems (rhizomes
whose main function is the protection of the stem
apices)
 Hypophylls are the various types of bracts that are
linked to the flowers and commonly referred to as
the floral bracts
 Cotyledons are the first leaves of the plant that
are prominent on seedlings
 Foliage leaves – are principal photosynthetic
organs
Anatomy of Dicot and Monocot Leaves
 The leaf is composed of three main types of
tissues known as the epidermis, mesophyll and
vascular tissues
 The role of the epidermis is to protect internal
tissues of the leaves
 The mesophyll is a photosynthetic parenchyma
tissue comprised of palisade and spongy
cells containing chloroplasts
Anatomy of Dicot and Monocot
Leaves
 Palisade cells are elongate cells of the
mesophyll located below the epidermis
whereas spongy cells are variable in shape
located internal to the palisade layer

 The vascular bundle has xylem located on the


adaxial side of the leaf

 The phloem is located on the abaxial side of


the leaf (Aphids application)
Adaxial and abaxial
Structure of Stomata
 Some epidermal cells are modified into
stomata
 The stomata consists of the pore, guard cells
and subsidiary cells
 The pore and the guard cells constitute the
stoma
 The pore, guard cells and the surrounding
subsidiary cells constitute the structure
referred to as the stomatal complex
Structure of stomata
Reproduction in Angiosperms

 Reproduction is a process resulting in an


increase in the number of individuals
 Reproduction can be achieved by sexual or
asexual means
 Juvenility is a phase of plant growth during
which flowering cannot be induced by any
form of treatment
 The duration of juvenility varies in different
species of plants
Reproduction in Angiosperms
 In annual plants juvenility lasts for a few days,
weeks or months
 In woody plants the juvenile period lasts for
several years (30–40 years in the some forest
species)
 The criterion for the juvenile state is that the
plant does not have the ability to form flowers
 The phase of reproduction sets in after the
juvenile phase has been completed
Reproduction in Angiosperms
 In the life of the plant, the vegetative apex promotes
longitudinal growth of the plant axis
 The transition from juvenile (vegetative) to adult
(flowering) phase is accompanied by a general
increase in the concentration of cytoplasmic
proteins, RNA and DNA
 A reproductive shoot of the angiosperm plants is
the inflorescence which is a fertile shoot that bears
a cluster of flowers
Reproduction in Angiosperms
 The inflorescence stalk is called the peduncle
whereas the floral stalk is termed the pedicel
 Plants exhibit a diversity of inflorescence types
and these include the raceme, spike, panicle,
umbel, corymb and capitulum
 A raceme is a kind of inflorescence in which a
central axis bears stalked flowers
 A spike is a type of inflorescence with a long
central axis but bearing sessile flowers
Reproduction in Angiosperms
 A panicle is a much branded inflorescence each
branch terminates into a flower and it can be
viewed strictly as a form of a branched raceme

 A corymb is a variant of a raceme in which the


lower pedicels are longer than those of the
upper pedicels resulting in a flat-topped
inflorescence
Reproduction in Angiosperms
 An umbel is an umbrella shaped inflorescence
in which all the pedicels arise from the same
point
 A capitulum is a type of inflorescence in which
a receptacle is flattened circular head bearing
numerous closely packed sessile flowers
The Flower
 This is the reproductive organ comprised of
four kinds of floral parts:
 Sepals – constitute a set of leaf-like structures
 The function of sepals is to protect the flower
in the bud form
 Depending on the nature of the species,the
number of sepals is variable
 A collective term for a whorl of sepals is the
calyx
The Flower
 Petals are a set of floral parts located internal
to the calyx
 Petals are usually brightly coloured due to the
presence of organic pigments known as the
anthocyanins
 Flowers with free petals form a condition
known to be polypetalous; those with fused
petals form gamopetalous (or sympetalous)
flowers and those flowers without petals are
said to be apetalous
Types of petals
The Flower
 A collective term for a set of petals is the
corolla
 A stamen is a male organ of the flower which
is comprised of the filament and the anther
which contains the pollen grains
 The collective term for a set of stamens is the
androecium but stamens which lack a
functional anther are called the staminodes
Staminoides
The Flower
 Carpels (pistil)are the female organs of the
flower and each carpel consists of the ovary,
style and stigma
 A single pistil or a set of several pistils
constitute the gynoecium
 The ovary is the basal portion of the
carpel;
 stigma is the pollen receptor
 The style is an elongate structure that
connects the stigma to the ovary
Floral Symmetry
 When petals are arranged radially symmetrical
in all directions, the flower is said to be
actinomorphic (regular) e.g. flowers of cotton,
Hibiscus, Ipomoea
 When the arrangement of petals is
symmetrical in one direction only, then the
flowers are said to be zygomorphic (irregular)
e.g. a condition found in flowers of legumes
and orchids
TYPES OF FLOWER
floral diagram
Is it regular or irregular?
Position of Floral Parts

 A hypogynous flower is one in which the


perianth (calyx and corolla) and stamens are
inserted below the ovary
 An epigynous flower is one where the
perianth and stamens inserted above the ovary
giving rise to an inferior ovary
Ovary position
Position of Floral Parts

 A perigynous flower is one in which the


perianth and stamens arise from a cup-
shaped outgrowth of receptacle called the
hypanthium giving rise to a condition when
the ovary is neither inferior nor superior

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