15.

3 plant organs

An organ is a group of different tissues Joined structurally and cooperating fuctionally to perform a composite task. The body of a flowering plant is made up of different organs that allow it to perform basic life processes. To maintain life, plants need water and minerals from the soil, carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air and light energy from the sun. To obtain these needs, each organ of the plant must be structurally designed to perform one or more vital functions. The structural design of these organs, therefore, is closely related to the functiond that they peform. Although plant organs such as roots, stems and leaves are structurally and functionally different from one another, they are able to work together to maintain and preserve the living plant. Moreover, modification of plant form and function conforms to the kind of environment where the plant thrives. Plants organs are classified into the following: Vegetative organs- function for growth and development, but are not directly involved in sexual reproduction.

1. Leaf functions for food manufacture through the processes of photosynthesis, gas exchange and transpiration. 2. Stem functions for support of aerial plant parts and for conduction of substances between the root and the leaf. 3. Root functions mainly in the absorpsion of inorganic substances such as minerals and water, in transport, in

nutrient storage and in anchorage of the plant to the soi.

Reproductive organs function for sexual reproduction, and include stamens (male) and pistils (female). The reproductive organs of flowering plants are discussed in chapter 12.

15.3.1 leaves

The leaf is generally an expanded and flattened lateral outgrowth of the stem. It usually grows above the ground, supported and elevated to an aerial position by the stem, thereby permitting acces to light energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the air. Light, water and carbon dioxide are needed by the leaves to manufacture food by photosynthesis. The mesophyll contains chloroplasts that produce chlorophyll, the light-harvesting molecules of the plant. Water from the soil is transforted to the mesophyll by passing throught the xylem. To obtain carbon dioxide, plant leaves have stomata (singular,stomata). These are tiny holes through which carbon dioxide enters the leaf. Food produced by photosynthesis is transported to the rest of the plant body through the phloem. The gaseous byproduct, oxygen, is released from the leaves through the stomata. These same pores function for transpiration. Transpiration is the loss of water from the plant in the form of vapor. Among the environmental factors that affect the rate of transpiration are ligh, humidity, temperature,

air currents and availability of water in the soil. For example, an increase in temperature and light intensity results in an increase in the rate of transpiration. Due to their expanded form, leaves have large surface areas for loss of water by transpiration. Although excessive transpiration can lead to death by dehydration, transpiration is an important strategy employed, by plants to maintain favorable body temperature even under the heat of the sun. Structural modifications in leaves of plants like thick cuticle, well-developed palisade mesophyll, sunken stomata and the presence of epidermal hairs reduce transpiration. In addition to structural modifications, plants also possess some regulatory mechanisms that affect the rate of transpiration such as the rolling and folding of leaves and shedding of leaves.

>uses of leaves to man

Leaves are a source of food for man. Cabbage, petchay, lettuce, kangkong and malunggay are just a few of the leafy vegetables that abound in our country. Onion is often added to both cooked recipes and salads. Tea leaves make an excellent beverage. Leaves are source of fibers. The leaf sheaths of abaca are made into Manila hemp. Maguey leaves are made into sisal hemp. Leaves are also a source of drugs. A drug is a substance in medicine that affects functions of the body. Cocaine is a drug from the coca shrub; it is used by the dentists to relieve pain (anesthetic). Lagundi leaves are processed

for the commercial production of tablets for cough treatment. In most rural areas, where commercial drugs are not readily available, people resort to the use of herbal medications. For insrtance, crushed Acapulco leaves are used on skin to fight fungal infection like ringworm (buni in the dialect), guava leaves to relive diarrhea and banaba leaves to treat kidney ailment. Leaves have other economic uses including the following: leaves of carnauba palm yield wax for candle making, indigo leaves yield a deep blue dye, lemon grass (tanglad), peppermint and bay leaves yield aromatic oils used for perfumes, soaps, spices and food flavoring. Nipa leaves are made into thatches or roofing materials, buri and pandan leaves into hats, bags and mats, and is-is (Ficus) leaves into wood scrubs. Think of other important uses of leaves to man.

15.3.2 stems
The stem is usually the aerial part of the plant axis. Like the roots of the plant, stems are generally long and branched. Unlike roots, however, they grow above the ground plant parts. The region between two successive nodes is called internode. Hence, the stem functions for support of branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. With its well-developed vascular tissues, xylem and phloem, the stem also conducts water, minerals and food substances between the roots and the leaves. Stems, therefore, have two principal functions, namely: 1. They bear and support the branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. The stem with its leaves is called a shoot.

2. They serve as the great highway for the conduction of water, minerals, salts and manufactured food. Stems are of greatly varied types. Some plants have herbaceous stems, with little or no woody tissues and are usually short-lived. Others have woody ang tough stems and are long-lived. Internally, the stem has three major tissues with their corresponding functions, as follows: a. Dermal tissue the epidermis covered with waxy material called cutin for protection against mechanical injury and excessive water loss; b. Ground tissues cortex and pith for food and water storage; and c. Vascular tissues xylem for water transport and phloem for food transport.