Plant Anatomy and Morphology

Plant Body: Basic Morphology

• A flowering plant has two systems: shoot system and root system
• There are six organs in a flowering plant: root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, and seed

Tissue Types

• There are three basic tissue types: dermal, ground, and vascular
• Three major plant cell types: parenchyma, collenchyma, and sclerenchyma

Parenchyma Cells

• Parenchyma is the fundamental or ground tissue of the plant
• Most abundant plant tissue and found in roots, stems, fruits, and seeds
• Functions in protection, photosynthesis, storage, secretion, transport, wound healing, and absorption
• Some parenchyma cells contain chloroplasts for photosynthesis
• Some parenchyma cells function as storage, containing starch grains
• Specialized parenchyma cells include storage parenchyma, chlorenchyma, aerenchyma, and transfer cells

Collenchyma Cells

• Provide flexible support without restraining growth
• Found in young parts of the plant shoot
• Thicker and uneven cell walls
• Three types: angular, tangential, and annular collenchyma

Sclerenchyma Cells

• Rigid due to thick secondary walls strengthened with lignin
• Dead at functional maturity
• Two types: sclereids and fibers
• Fibers provide support and are long, slender, and tapered
• Sclereids impart hardness to nutshells and seed coats and gritty texture to fruits
• Types of sclereids include brachysclereids, grit cells, macrosclereids, osteosclereids, and astrosclereids

Plant Fibers

• Fibers are sclerenchyma cells specialized in support
• Types of plant fibers include surface fibers, soft or bast fibers, and hard or leaf fibers
• Examples of plant fibers include cotton, coconut coir, flax, jute, hemp, ramie, sisal, Manila hemp, and pineapple

This quiz covers the basic morphology of a flowering plant, including shoot and root systems, organs, tissue types, and cell types. Understand the structure and functions of plant cells and tissues.