Botany: Cell Division and Reproduction

Botany Terms

• Haploid: having a single set of chromosomes in each cell.
• Diploid: having two sets of chromosomes in each cell.
• Mitosis: cell division that produces two genetically identical cells.
• Meiosis: reduction division that produces four haploid reproductive cells.

Plant Reproduction vs. Animal Reproduction

• Plant life cycle: alternation of generations.
• Animal life cycle: no alternation of generations.
• Gametes in plants: haploid gametes.
• Gametes in animals: haploid gametes.
• Spores in plants: haploid spores.
• Spores in animals: no spores.
• Gametes made in plants: by haploid gametophyte, through mitosis.
• Gametes made in animals: by diploid organism, through meiosis.
• Spores made in plants: by diploid sporophyte, through meiosis.

Leaf Forms

• Simple leaf: 1 petiole, 1 leaf.
• Compound leaf: 1 petiole, 2 or more leaves.

Phyllotaxy

• Leaf arrangement in stem.

Leaf Venation

• No notes provided.

Leaf Margin

• No notes provided.

Flowers

• Incomplete flowers: lack some or all parts.
• Complete flowers: have all parts.
• Perfect flowers: have both male and female parts.
• Examples: grass flowers (incomplete, imperfect), tulip flowers (complete, perfect).

Flower Structure

• Petals are the colorful parts that attract pollinators
• Sepals are green, leaf-like structures that protect the bud
• Stamen consists of an anther that produces pollen and a filament that supports the anther
• Pistils consist of a stigma that catches pollen, a style that connects the stigma to the ovary, and an ovary that contains ovules (eggs) where fertilization occurs

Types of Flowers

• Complete flowers have all four parts: sepals, petals, stamen, and pistils
• Incomplete flowers lack one or more of the four parts
• Perfect flowers have both stamen and pistils
• Imperfect flowers have either stamen or pistils, but not both
• Monoecious flowers have separate male and female flowers on the same plant
• Dioecious flowers have male and female flowers on different plants

Flower Arrangement

• Floral formula is a symbolic representation of a flower's structure
• Flower arrangement refers to the way flowers are arranged on a stem
• Inflorescence is a cluster of flowers on a stem

Test your knowledge of botany concepts, including haploid and diploid cells, mitosis, meiosis, and plant reproduction. Learn about the differences between plant and animal reproduction.