Specialized Stems

a. Bulbs (e.g. Dry onion)

- underground buds with the stem reduced to a small
knob on which fleshy storage leaves are clustered



b. Tubers (e.g. white potatoes)
- fleshy underground stems modified to store
starch


c. Rhizomes (e.g. fresh ginger root)
- are horizontal underground stems with nodes,
internodes, dry scale leaves, and
adventitious roots



d. Corms (e.g. crocus)
- are upright underground fleshy stems
covered by leaves reduced to dry,
covering scales




e. Thorns (e.g. honey and locust)
- are woody, sharply pointed branch stems





f. Prickles (e.g. rose and raspberry)
- are small pointed outgrowths from the
epidermis or cortex of the stem



g. Cladophylls (e.g. butcher'sbroom)
- are flattened main stems that resemble
leaves







h. Stipules (e.g. black locust)
- are paired scales, glands, or leaflike
structures at the base of the petiole formed
from leaf or stem tissue

i. Stolons/Runners (e.g. strawberry plants)
- are thin, aboveground, horizontal stems of
indeterminate growth and long internodes that
grow out from a parent plant and produce young
plants at their tips








j. Tendril (e.g. grapes)
- plant structure whose function is to help the
plant climb





























Specialized Leaves

a. Spines (e.g. cactus)
- are small, unbranched, sharp outgrowths
of leaf tissue in which the parenchyma is
replaced by sclerenchyma





b. Bracts (e.g. red petals of poinsettia)
- are modified leaves at the base of
flowers or flower stalks





c. Insect-Trapping Leaves (e.g. Venus fly trap)
- trap insects usually occur in swampy areas
and bogs of tropical and temperate regions




d. Reproductive Leaves (e.g. fern)
- produce new plants at their tips








e. Window Leaves (e.g. Swiss cheese plant)
- Have leaves shaped like ice cream
cones. The transparent surface is
covered with a thick epidermis and
cuticle and has virtually no stomata.
This arrangement allows light nearly
direct access to the mesophyll with
chloroplasts inside






f. Flower Pot Leaves (e.g. Dischidia)
- develop odd pouches that become the
symbiotic homes of ant colonies






g. Storage/Succulent leaves (e.g. Cheiridopsis)
- are leaves modified to retain and store
water








































Specialized Roots

a. Food Storage Roots (e.g. Carrots)
- enlarged to store starch and other
carbohydrates






b. Pneumatophores (e.g. Mangrove)
- Extend above the surface of water for
plants that grow in swampy areas and also
helps roots exchange gases





c. Aerial Roots (e.g. Poison Ivy)
- Roots that occur above the surface of the
soil






d. Contractile Roots (e.g. Lily)
- Help to pull the plant deeper into the
soil




e. Parasitic Roots (e.g. Pinedrops)
- Peg-like projections penetrate hosts
stem, usually does not contain chlorophyll







f. Buttress Roots (e.g. Tropical Roots)
- Huge roots near base of trunk,
usually in trees that grow in
shallow soil