PLANT PARTS AND FUNCTIONS

Naming Plants
Binomial nomenclature is the scientific system of giving a double name
to plants and animals. The first, or genus name, is followed by a
descriptive or species name. Modern plant classification, or taxonomy,
is based on a system of binomial nomenclature developed by the
Swedish physician Carolus Linnaeus !"#"$!""%&. 'rior to Linnaeus,
people had tried to base classification on leaf shape, plant si(e, flower
color, etc. )one of these systems proved wor*able. Linnaeus+s
revolutionary approach was to base classification on the flowers and,or
reproductive parts of a plant and to give plants a genus and species
name. This has proven to be the best system since flowers are the plant
part least influenced by environmental changes. -or this reason a
*nowledge of the flower and its parts is essential to plant identification.
FLOWERS
The sole function of the flower, which is generally the
showiest part of the plant, is sexual reproduction. .ts
attractiveness and fragrance have not evolved to please
man but to ensure the continuance of the plant species.
-ragrance and color are devices to attract pollinators that
play an important role in the reproductive process.
Parts of the Flower
/s the reproductive part of the plant the flower contains
the male pollen and,or the female ovule plus accessory
parts such as petals, sepals, and nectar glands.
The pistil is the female part of the plant. .t is generally
shaped li*e a bowling pin and located in the center of the
flower. .t consists of the stigma, style, and ovary. The
stigma is located at the top, and is connected to the ovary
by the style. The ovary contains the eggs which reside in
the ovules. /fter the egg is fertili(ed the ovule develops
into a seed.
The stamen is the male reproductive organ. .t consists of
a pollen sac anther& and a long supporting filament. This
filament holds the anther in position so the pollen it
contains may be disbursed by wind or carried to the
stigma by insects, birds or bats.
Sepals are small green, leafli*e structures on the base of
the flower which protect the flower bud. The sepals
collectively are called the calyx.
Petals are highly colored portions of the flower. They may
contain perfume as well as nectar glands. The petals
collectively are called the corolla. The number of petals
on a flower is often used in the identification of plant
families and genera. -lowers of dicots typically have
sepals and,or petals in multiples of four or five. Monocots
typically have these floral parts in multiples of three.
Types of Flowers
.f a flower has a stamen, pistils, petals, and sepals, it is
called a complete flower. .f one of these parts is missing,
the flower is designated incomplete. .f a flower contains
functional stamens and pistils, it is called a perfect flower.
Stamen and pistils are considered the essential parts of a
flower.& .f either of the essential parts is lac*ing, the
flower is imperfect.
Pistillate female& flowers are those which possess a
functional pistils& but lac* stamens. Staminate male&
flowers contain stamens but no pistils. Because cross$
fertili(ation combines different genetic material and
produces stronger seed, cross$pollinated plants are usually
more successful than self$pollinated plants. Conse0uently,
more plants reproduce by cross$pollination than self$
pollination.
/s previously mentioned, there are plants which bear only
male flowers staminate plants& or bear only female
flowers pistillate plants&. Species in which the sexes are
separated into staminate and pistillate plants are called
dioecious. Most holly trees and pistachio trees are
dioecious1 therefore, to obtain berries, it is necessary to
have female and male trees. Monoecious plants are those
which have separate male and female flowers on the same
plant. Corn plants and pecan trees are examples. Some
plants bear only male flowers at the beginning of the
growing season, but later develop flowers of both sexes1
examples are cucumbers and s0uash.
ow Seeds Form
'ollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther to a
stigma. This may occur by wind or by pollinators. 2ind$
pollinated flowers lac* showy floral parts and nectar since
they don3t need to attract a pollinator. -lowers are brightly
colored or patterned and contain a fragrance or nectar
when they must attract insects, animals, or birds. .n the
process of searching for nectar these pollinators will
transfer pollen from flower to flower.
The stigma contains a chemical which stimulates the
pollen, causing it to grow a long tube down the inside of
the style to the ovules inside the ovary. The sperm is
released by the pollen grain and fertili(ation typically
occurs. -ertili(ation is the union of the male sperm
nucleus from the pollen grain& and the female egg in the
ovule&. .f fertili(ation is successful, the ovule will develop
into a seed.
Types of !nflorescences
Some plants bear only one flower per stem and are called
solitary flowers. 4ther plants produce an inflorescence, a
term which refers to a cluster of flowers and how they are
arranged on a floral stem. Most inflorescences may be
classified into two groups, racemes and cymes.
.n the racemose group, the florets, which are individual
flowers in an inflorescence, bloom from the bottom of the
stem and progress toward the top. Some examples of
racemose inflorescence include spi*e, raceme, corymb,
umbel, and head. / spi*e is an inflorescence in which
many stemless florets are attached to an elongated flower
stem or peduncle, an example being gladiolus. / raceme is
similar to a spi*e except the florets are borne on small
stems attached to the peduncle. /n example of a raceme
inflorescence is the snapdragon. / corymb is made up of
florets whose stal*s and pedicels are arranged at random
along the peduncle in such a way that the florets create a
flat, round top. 5arrow has a corymb inflorescence. /n
umbel is similar except that the pedicels all arise from one
point on the peduncle. 6ill has an umbel inflorescence. /
head or composite inflorescence is made up of numerous
stemless florets which is characteristic of daisy
inflorescence.
.n the cyme group, the top floret opens first and blooms
downward along the peduncle. / dischasium cyme has
florets opposite each other along the peduncle. Baby+s
breath inflorescence is an example. / helicoid cyme is one
in which the lower florets are all on the same side of the
peduncle, examples being freesia and statice
inflorescences. / scorpioid cyme is one in which the
florets are alternate to each other along the peduncle.
7xamples are tomato and potato inflorescences.