My Botany handout and Botany 1 notes:
Botany
1: Introduction to Plant Patterns
Jiling Lin (2017)
www.LinJiling.blogspot.com
Class description
Welcome to the wonderful world of botany, where we
uncover the elegant intricacies of patterns-based plant identification. We’ll
explore basic flower and leaf anatomy, and some key family patterns.
Class
outline
1. Taxonomical nomenclature, and basic phylogeny
2. Flower anatomy
3. Leaf anatomy
4. Key family patterns (see “Family Patterns” handout)
Taxonomical Nomenclature
Domain
(Eukarya- cells with nucleus)
Kingdom (Plantae)
Division/
Phyllum (-phyta)
Class (-eae,
opsida) à Subclass (-ae)
Order (-ales)
Family (-aceae) à Subfamily (-oideae) à Tribe (-eae)
Genus
Species à Subspecies à Variety à Forma
Kingdoms
-
Protista (algae,
diatoms)
-
Fungi (mushroom,
yeasts, molds, mildew, rust)
-
Plantae (see below)
Plantae Kingdom Divisions
Nonvascular
plants
Bryophyta:
Nonvascular
spore plants
-
Mosses,
hornworts, liverworts
Vascular
plants
Pteridophyta;
Vascular
spore plants
-
Clubmosses,
horsetails, ferns
Spermatophyta: Vascular seed plants
Gymnospermae:
Gymnosperms
(naked
seeds)
- Conifers, gingko, ephedra, gnetums,
cycads
- Wind-pollinated unisexual
flowers
Angiospermae:
Angiosperms
(flowering
plants)
- Ovules are in the ovary.
Pollen must enter the ovary to fertilize ovules.
- Monocots/ dicots (see below)
Monocot / Dicot
Monocotyledon
|
Dicotyledon
|
1 seed leaf
|
2 seed leaves
|
Parallel veination in leaves
|
Netted veination in leaves
|
Horizontal rootstalks
|
Usually has tap-root
|
Scattered vascular bundles in the
stem
|
Vascular bundles in a ring
|
Floral parts mostly in 3’s
|
Floral parks mostly in 4’s and 5’s
|
Flowers
Four Whorls of a Flower
KCAG (outside to
inside)
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
K
|
Sepal
|
Calyx
|
C
|
Petal
|
Corolla
|
A
|
Stamen (anther, filament)
|
Androecium
|
G
|
Pistil (stigma, style, ovary)
|
Gynoecium
|
Complete/ Incomplete
-
Complete flowers have
all KCAG
-
Incomplete flowers don’t
have all KCAG
Perfect/ Imperfect
-
Perfect flowers are bisexual (with both Androecium and
Gynoecium on the same flower)
-
Imperfect flowers are unisexual (with separate Staminate and Pistillate flowers)
o
Monoecious flowers have
staminate/ pistillate flowers on the same
plant (one house)
o
Dioecious flowers have staminate/
pistillate flowers on separate plants
(two houses)
Floral Symmetry
-
Regular (actinomorphic)
flowers have radial symmetry (like
wheel spokes)
-
Irregular (zygomorphic)
flowers have bilateral symmetry (like
a mirror)
Calyx (Sepal) and Corolla (Petal)
-
Perianth refers to both
calyx and corolla
-
Tepals are calyx and
corolla that are very similar (like in many Liliaceae)
-
If
only Calyx or Corolla, then it’s just called Calyx
-
Polypetalous: separate
petals, or Gamopetalous: united
petals
-
Polysepalous: separate
sepals, or Gamosepalous: united
sepals
Ovary Position
-
Inferior (epigynous:
ovary below calyx, corolla, stamen attachment)
-
Superior (hypogynous:
ovary above calyx, corolla, stamen attachment)
-
In
between (perigynous)
Flowers: Questions to Ask
1.
How
many KCAG? (Calyx, Corolla, Androecium, Gynoecium)
2.
Complete/
incomplete? (does it have all its KCAG)
3.
Perfect/
imperfect? (bisexual/ unisexual)
4.
Regular/
irregular?
5.
Inferior/
superior ovary?
6.
Inflorescence
type?
Inflorescence
Inflorescence
-
Floret- individual fl
within an infl
-
Bract- reduced lf/
lf-like structure at the base of a fl/ infl
-
Involucre- whorl of
bracts subtending a fl/ infl
-
Rachis- main axis
(above where infl begins)
-
Pedicel- stalk of a
single fl in an infl
-
Peduncle- stalk of a
solitary fl, or of the infl (below where infl begin)
-
Solitary- single fl (no
infl)
-
Indeterminate/
racemose-
youngest fl at end of main axis, with older fl below or to the outside of infl.
Allows for indefinite elongation of rachis
o
Spike- fl sessile
along rachis
o
Raceme- fl single on
pedicels, along an elongated rachis
§ Panicle- compound raceme, with 2+ fl on each
branch
o
Corymb- flat-topped
infl (raceme with elongated lower pedicels and shortened rachis)
§ Compound corymb
o
Umbel- flat-topped or
orbicular infl. All pedicels arise from one point. No rachis.
§ Compound umbel
o
Head- dense cluster
of indeterminate, sessile, or nearly sessile fl
-
Determinate/
cymose- oldest
fl at end of rachis (terminal fl) blooms first, halting further elongation of
the rachis (younger fls grow below it)
o
Cyme
§ Compound cyme
o
Scorpioid cyme
Leaves
Leaf Structure
-
Blade- broad part of
a lf
o
Apex- lf tip
o
Base- end of lf
nearest to point of attachment
o
Margin- edge of lf
blade
o
Midrib- central rib/
vein of lf
-
Petiole- connects lf
blade to plant stem. Below blades on compound lf
-
Rachis- connects
leaflets to petiole on compound lvs
-
Stipule- leaf-like
appendages at the base of petiole, on some lvs
Leaf Division
Note
bud at base of both simple and compound lvs:
-
Simple- one leaf per
petiole
-
Compound- lf blade
divided into separate leaflets
o
Palmate- leaflets
arise from a common point (like fingers)
§ Simple leaflets
· Ternate/ trifoliate- 3 leaflets
· Palmate- more than 3 leaflets
§ Decompound leaflets- leaflets divide
into secondary leaflets
· Biternate- Lvs twice divided
· Triternate- Lvs thrice divided
o
Pinnate- leaflets arise from opposite sides of
an elongated axis
§ Simple leaflets
· leaflets even
in number
o
Tendril-pinnate-
lvs
end in a tendril
o
Even- pinnate/
abruptly pinnate-
lvs don’t end in a tendril
· leaflets odd in
number
o
Ternate/
trifoliate- 3
leaflets
o
Odd-pinnate/ unequally
pinnate/ imparipinnate- more than 3 leaflets
§ Decompound leaflets
· Bipinnate- Lvs twice divided
· Tripinnate- Lvs thrice divided
Leaves: Questions to Ask
1.
Leaf
arrangement? (opposite/ alternate/ whorled/ basal)
2.
Leaf
division? (simple/ compound)
3.
Leaf
shape? (linear/ lanceolate/ ovate/ oblanceolate/ obovate/ oblong/ oval/
elliptic/ spatulate/ deltoid/ orbicular/ falcate/ peltate/ reniform/ cordate/
sagitate/ hastate...)
a.
Leaf
tip? (acute/ obtuse…)
b.
Leaf
base? (rounded/ acute/ truncate/ oblique/ cordate/ sagitate/ hastate…)
4.
Leaf
veination? (arcuate/ palmate/ parallel/ pinnate/ reticulate)
5.
Leaf
margin? (entire/ toothed/ incised/ lobed…)
6.
Stem?
(herbaceous/ woody? Caulescent/ scapose?...)
7.
Leaf
surface? (glaucous/ glabrous/ tomentose/ glandular/ pubescent/ glochidiate…)
Resources
Books
Online
-
https://linjiling.blogspot.com/p/links.html (scroll down
to the “Botany” section in my blog’s Resources page for further links!)
