Morphology of Flowering Plants

The flowering plants- Angiosperms are characterized by the presence of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits & seeds.

I. The Root
Different types of root system
1. Taproot system - In dicot plants the radicle develops into a primary root & branches to form secondary & tertiary roots
2. Fibrous root system- In monocot plants, the primary root is short-lived and is replaced by a large number of roots.
These roots originate from the base of the stem
3. Adventitious roots- In some plants, roots arise from parts of the plant other than the radicle.
Eg : Grass, Monstera , Banyan tree
The main functions of the root system
➢ Absorption of water and minerals from the soil
➢ Anchorage to the plant into the soil
➢ Storage of reserve food material
➢ Synthesis of plant growth regulators
Regions of the root
➢ Root cap –It protects the tender tip of the root.
➢ Region of meristematic activity –The cells of this region are very small, thin-
walled and with dense protoplasm. They divide repeatedly.
➢ Region of elongation –The cells in this region undergo rapid elongation and enlargement and are responsible for the
growth of the root in length.
➢ Region of Maturation –The cells of the elongation zone gradually differentiate and mature.
➢ Some of the epidermal cells from this region form delicate, thread-like structures called Root hairs.
➢ Root hairs absorb water and minerals from the soil.
II. The stem
➢ It develops from the plumule of the embryo of a germinating seed.
➢ The region of the stem where leaves are born are called Nodes . Internodes are the portions between two nodes.
➢ The stem bears buds, which may be terminal or axillary.
The main functions of the stem are
o Spreading out branches bearing leaves, flowers and fruits.
o Conduction water, minerals and photosynthates.
o Storage of food , Support, Protection, Vegetative propagation.

III. The leaf

A typical leaf consists of three parts leaf base, petiole and lamina .
➢ The leaf is attached to the stem by the leaf base and may bear two lateral small leaf
like structures called Stipules.
➢ Pulvinus -In some leguminous plants the leafbase may become swollen.
➢ The stalk of the leaf is called as Petiole
➢ The lamina or the leaf blade is the green expanded part of the leaf Leaf blade has
with veins and veinlets and a middle prominent vein, which is known as the Midrib.
➢ Veins provide rigidity to the leaf blade and act as channels of transport for water,
minerals and food materials.
➢ Venation -The arrangement of veins and the veinlets in the lamina of leaf.
➢ Two types of venation -Reticulate & Parallel
➢ Reticulate venation- When the veinlets form a network on the lamina as in Dicotyledonous plants
➢ Parallel venation - When the veins run parallel to each other within a lamina as in
Monocotyledonous plants

Types of Leaves
Simple leaf - when its lamina is entire or when incised, the incisions do not touch the midrib.
Compound leaf - When the incisions of the lamina reach up to the midrib breaking it into a
number of leaflets
➢ The compound leaves may be of two types
➢ Pinnately compound leaf - a number of leaflets are present on a common axis, the rachis,
Eg : neem.
➢ Palmately compound leaf-leaflets are attached at a common point, at the tip of petiole. Eg: silk cotton.

Phyllotaxy
 ➢ Pattern of arrangement of leaves on the stem or branch. It is of three types
➢ 1. Alternate- A single leaf arises at each node in an alternate manner,
Eg: china rose, mustard
➢ 2. Opposite- A pair of leaves arise at each node and lie opposite to each other.
➢ Eg: Calotropis and guava
➢ 3. Whorled - More than two leaves arise at a node and form a whorl Eg: Alstonia.

IV. The Inflorescence

Flower is a modified shoot, in which the shoot apical meristem transforms into floral meristem.
➢ The arrangement of flowers on the floral axis is termed as inflorescence
➢ Two types of inflorescences
1) Racemose -
➢ In this type the main axis continues to grow .It has unlimited growth
➢ The flowers are borne in an acropetal succession Eg : Cassia
2) Cymose -
➢ In this type the main axis terminates in a flower, It has limited growth.
➢ The flowers are borne in a basipetal order Eg : Jasmine

V. Flower
➢ Bisexual - A flower with both androecium and gynoecium
➢ Unisexual. - A flower having either only stamens or only carpels
➢ Actinomorphic (radial symmetry) - When a flower can be divided into two equal radial halves in any radial plane passing
through the centre, it is said to be actinomorphic Eg : Mustard, Datura, Chilli.
➢ Zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry)- When it can be divided into two similar halves only in one particular vertical plane,
it is zygomorphic Eg : Pea, Gulmohur, Bean, Cassia.
➢ Asymmetric (irregular)- When a flower cannot be divided into two similar halves by any vertical plane passing through
the centre. Eg: Canna
➢ Based on the position of calyx, corolla & androecium in respect of the ovary on the thalamus, the flowers are of three types
1) Hypogynous flower – Gynoecium is in the highest position while the other parts are situated below it.
The ovary is superior. Eg : mustard, china rose, and brinjal.
2) Perigynous flower - Gynoecium is situated in the centre and other parts of the flower are located on
the rim of the thalamus. The ovary is half inferior. Eg: plum, rose, peach.
3) Epigynous flower - Gynoecium is in the lowest position while the other parts are situated above it.
The ovary is inferior Eg: guava and cucumber.

➢ Each flower normally has four floral whorls, Calyx, Corolla, Androecium and Gynoecium

Calyx
➢ The calyx is the outermost whorl of the flower and the members are called Sepals. It protects the flower in the bud stage.
➢ The calyx may be Polysepalous -sepals free or Gamosepalous - sepals united

Corolla
➢ Corolla is composed of petals. Petals are usually brightly coloured to attract insects for pollination.
➢ Corolla may be Gamopetalous - petals united or Polypetalous - petals free
➢ Aestivation: The mode of arrangement of sepals or petals in floral bud
The main types of aestivation are
1) Valvate - When the petals just touch one another at the margin, without overlapping
2) Twisted - If one margin of the petal overlaps that of the next one
3) Imbricate - If the margins of petals overlap one another but not in any particular direction
4) Vexillary - In pea and bean flowers, there are five petals, the largest petal, Standard petal overlaps the
two lateral Wing petals which in turn overlap the two small Keel petals .
 Valvate Twisted Imbricate Vexillary

Androecium

➢ The androecium is composed of Stamens.

➢ Each stamen represents the male reproductive organ
➢ It consists of a stalk called as the Filament and an Anther
➢ A sterile stamen is called a Staminode
➢ Epipetalous stamen - stamens are attached to the petals Eg: Brinjal
➢ Epiphyllous stamen - stamen attached to the perianth. Eg: Lilly
➢ Polyandrous - stamens are free Eg: Lotus
➢ Monadelphous - stamens united into one bunch. Eg: China Rose
➢ Diadelphous - stamens united into two bundles. Eg: Pea
➢ Polyadelphous - stamens united into more than two bundles. Eg: Citrus

Gynoecium -
➢ Gynoecium is the female reproductive part of the flower
➢ It is made up of one or more Carpels / Pistil
➢ A carpel consists of three parts namely Stigma, Style and Ovary.
➢ Ovary is the enlarged basal part
➢ The Style is an elongated tube that connects the ovary to the stigma.
➢ The Stigma is at the tip of the style
➢ Each ovary bears one or more ovules
➢ Ovules are attached to a flattened, cushion-like structure - Placenta
➢ Apocarpous - When more than one carpel is present, they may be free . Eg : Lotus and Rose
➢ Syncarpous - Carpels are fused together. Eg : Mustard and Tomato.
Placentation:
The arrangement of ovules within the ovary is known as Placentation.
The placentation are of different types
➢ Marginal - Ovules are borne on the ridge of the ovary Eg : pea
➢ Axile - Ovules are attached on central axis of a multilocular ovary
Eg : China rose, Tomato and Lemon
➢ .Parietal - Ovules develop on the inner wall of the ovary
Eg : Mustard and Argemone.
➢ Free central - Ovules are borne on central axis and septa are absent
o Eg : Dianthus and Primrose
➢ Basal- Ovules are at the base of ovary and a single ovule is attached to it.
Eg : Sunflower, Marigold.

VII. Fruits
➢ After fertilisation the ovary develops into a fruit.
➢ In some plants, fruits are formed without fertilisation
➢ Then those fruits are called as Parthenocarpic fruit.
➢ These fruits are seedless fruits. Eg : Banana, Pineapple
➢ The fruit consists of a wall called as Pericarp which may be dry or fleshy.
➢ When the pericarp is thick & fleshy, it is differentiated into the outer Epicarp, the middle Mesocarp &the inner Endocarp.
➢ In mango and coconut, the fruit is known as a Drupe.
➢ They develop from monocarpellary superior ovaries. They are one-seeded.
➢ In mango the pericarp differentiated into an outer thin Epicarp, a middle fleshy edible Mesocarp, and an inner
stony hard Endocarp.
➢ In coconut the mesocarp is fibrous.
VIII. Seed
➢ The ovules after fertilisation, develop into seeds.
➢ A seed is made up of a seed coat and an embryo.
➢ The embryo is made up of a Radicle, an Embryonal axis and Cotyledons
➢ Cotyledon may be one in Monocots Eg :wheat, maizeor two cotyledons as in Dicots.Eg : gram and pea
Structure of a Dicotyledonous Seed
➢ The outermost covering of a seed is the seed coat.
➢ The seed coat has two layers, the outer testa and the inner tegmen.
➢ The hilum is a scar on the seed coat through which the seeds were attached to the fruit.
➢ Above the hilum is a small pore called the micropyle.
➢ Within the seed coat is the embryo, with an embryonal axis and two cotyledons.
➢ The cotyledons are often fleshy and full of reserve food materials.
➢ At the two ends of the embryonal axis are present the radicle and the plumule
➢ Endospermic seeds- seeds in which endosperm is present as a food storing tissue . Eg Castor
➢ Non-endospermous seeds- seeds in which endosperm is not present in mature seeds Eg: bean, gram and pea
Structure of Monocotyledonous Seed
➢ The endosperm is bulky and stores food.
➢ The outer covering of endosperm separates the embryo by a proteinous layer
called Aleurone layer
➢ Monocot Seed consists of one large and shield shaped single cotyledon known
as Scutellum and a short axis with a Plumule and a Radicle.
➢ The Plumule is enclosed in sheaths called as Coleoptile
➢ Radicle is enclosed inside Coleorhiza .

Floral diagram & Floral formula

➢ Floral characters of a flower is represented by floral diagram and a Floral formula.
➢ The floral formula is represented by some symbols.
➢ In the floral formula, Br stands for bracteate, K stands for calyx, C for corolla, P for perianth, A for androecium,
G for Gynoecium, for superior ovary , for inferior ovary
bisexual plants , ⊕ for actinomorphic, zygomorphic flower
➢ A floral diagram provides information about the number of parts of a flower and their arrangement.
➢ The position of the mother axis with respect to the flower is represented by a dot on the top of the floral diagram.
➢ Calyx, Corolla, Androecium, and Gynoecium are drawn in successive whorls,
➢ Calyx is the outermost and the Gynoecium is in the centre.

Floral diagram & Floral formula of Family: Brassicaceae Floral diagram & Floral formula of Family: Solanaceae

Solanaceae
➢ Commonly called as the ‘potato family’
Floral Characters
➢ Flower: bisexual, actinomorphic
➢ Calyx: sepals five, united, persistent, valvate aestivation
➢ Corolla: petals five, united; valvate aestivation
➢ Androecium: stamens five, epipetalous
➢ Gynoecium: bicarpellary, syncarpous; ovary superior, bilocular, placenta swollen with many ovules,axile placentation
➢ Economically important plants: Tomato, brinjal, potato, chilli
➢ Medicinally plants- Belladonna, Ashwagandha; Fumigatory – Tobacco, Ornamental- Petunia.

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