Plant Reproductive Growth Quiz

Plant Reproductive Growth

• Differentiate between pollination and fertilization.
• List structures of a typical dicot flower.
• List structures of a typical cereal flower.
• List spikelet structures.
• Describe male and female flower structures.
• Describe whorled arrangement in a flower and collective terms for structures.
• Differentiate between monoecious, dioecious, and synoecious plants.
• Differentiate between perfect and imperfect flowers.
• Differentiate between complete and incomplete flowers.
• Describe monocot and dicot fruit structures.

Key Terms and Concepts

• achene: One-seeded fruit.
• androecium: Collective term for stamens.
• anther: Pollen-bearing part of the stamen.
• anthesis: Opening of anthers.
• Asteraceae: Family of plants (e.g., sunflowers).
• Brassicaceae: Family of plants (e.g., mustards).
• calyx: Collective term for sepals.
• capitulum: Flower head.
• carpel/pistil: Female reproductive organ.
• corolla: Collective term for petals.
• complete flower: Flower with all four whorls (sepals, petals, stamens, pistil).
• dehiscence: Opening of plant structure for dispersal.
• dehiscent fruit: Fruit that splits open at maturity.
• dioecious: Plant with separate male and female flowers on different plants.
• flag leaf: Leaf immediately below the stem.
• fertilization: Fusion of sperm and egg cells.
• filament: Stalk of a stamen.
• floret: Small flower in an inflorescence.
• flower: Reproductive structure.
• fruit: Mature ovary containing seeds.
• glume: Bract in cereal spikelets.
• gynoecium: Collective term for carpels/pistils.
• hull: Protective covering around cereal seeds.
• imperfect flower: Flower lacking either stamens or pistils.
• indehiscent fruit: Fruit that does not split open at maturity.
• inflorescence: Group of flowers.
• incomplete flower: Lacking any of the four whorls of floral parts.
• lemma: Bract at the base of a cereal flower.
• legume: Fruit type of pea family.
• monoecious: Plant with both male and female flowers on the same plant.
• nectary: Gland producing nectar.
• ovary: Part of pistil that contains ovules.
• ovule: Structure within the ovary that develops into a seed.
• palea: Second bract in cereal flowers.
• panicle: Branched inflorescence.
• pedicel: Small stalk supporting a flower.
• peduncle: Main stalk supporting an inflorescence.
• perfect flower: Flower with both stamens and pistils.
• petal: Usually colorful part of flower.
• pistil: Female reproductive structure of flowers.
• pistillate flower: Flower with pistils but no stamens.
• pollination: Transfer of pollen to stigma.
• rachis: Main axis of an inflorescence.
• receptacle: Expanded portion of stem where flowers are attached.
• sepal: Leaf-like structure enclosing the flower bud.
• silique: Fruit-type of mustard family.
• spike: Unbranched inflorescence
• spikelet: Small inflorescence unit of grasses.
• stamen: Male reproductive structure of flowers.
• staminate flower: Flower with stamens but no pistils.
• stigma: Part of pistil that receives pollen.
• style: Connects stigma to ovary.
• synoecious: Plant with all perfect flowers.
• whorl: Circular arrangement of floral parts.

General Information on Reproductive Growth

• Shoot apical meristem initiates vegetative parts initially, and then flowering structures.
• Inflorescence is formed by parts of the stem plus flowering units.
• Some plants stop vegetative growth when flowering begins (determinate growth).
• Other plants continue vegetative growth after flowering begins (indeterminate growth).

General Information About Flowers

• Flowers are for sexual reproduction.
• Female parts are pistil/carpel (stigma, style, ovary).
• Male parts are stamens (anther, filament).
• Dehiscence is the opening of structures for dispersal (e.g., anther).
• Pollen release is called anthesis.
• Pericarp is the wall of the fruit, which can dehisce.
• Pollination is transfer of pollen from anther to stigma.
• Fertilization is when sperm cells from pollen fuse with egg cells in the ovule.

Parts of a Flower

• Sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels/pistils are in whorls (concentric rings)..

Flowering of Cereal Crops

• Cereal Inflorescences are composed of spikelets.
• Spikelets have two glumes surrounding florets.
• Within the spikelets, lemmas and paleas enclose florets.
• Ovaries (female) form seeds within lemmas and paleas.
• The main female part is the ovary, which has stigmas for pollen reception.
• Florets have stamens (male parts) that emerge between the lemma and palea.
• Pollination in cereal crops is usually wind-pollinated.

Inflorescence Types

• Spike Inflorescence: Elongate and attached directly to main stem (e.g., wheat, barley, rye).
• Raceme Inflorescence: Flowers attached to central rachis with stalks (e.g., canola).
• Panicle Inflorescence: Branched with small stalks (e.g., oats).
• Umbel Inflorescence: Multiple stalks from a common point (e.g., onions).
• Capitulum Inflorescence: Flower head with many small flowers (e.g., sunflowers).

Dicot Fruit Structures

• Legume: single carpel, splits open at maturity (pea family).
• Silique: Two carpels, long and narrow, splits (mustard family).
• Achene: One-seeded, pericarp separates easily from seed(e.g., Asteraceae).

Dehiscent Fruits

• Pericarp splits open at maturity to release seeds (e.g., legumes, siliques).

Indehiscent Fruits

• Pericarp does not split open (e.g., achenes and caryopses).