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Introduction:
There are more than 260,000 species of plants. They can be divided into two groups:
1. Nonvascular plants and
2. Vascular plants:
3.
Vascular Plants
Examples:
1. Seedless plants:
a. Ferns
b. Horsetails
2. Seeded plants:
a. Flowering plants (Angiosperms) and
b. Non flowering plants (Gymnosperms)
Multiples in three
Dicots
Have netted veins ( network
leaf veins)
Two seed-leaves (two
cotyledons: storage tissue
for the embryo)
Multiples of four or five
Roots
Develop in an unusual
places (e.g. fibrous root)
Vascular bundles in the
stem are scattered
Cone seed
Leaves
Stems
Examples
Monocots
Have parallel leaf veins
3. Mesophyll
Mesophyll is the tissue between upper and lower epidermis of the leaf.
Mesophyll tissue contains:
a. Palisade cells(palisade mesophyll cells) and
b. Spongy cells (spongy mesophyll cells)
4.Vascular bundles:
o Are the leaf veins.
o Contain xylem and phloem.
o Xylem vessels bring water and minerals to the leaf.
o Phloem vessels transport sugars and amino acids away from the leaf
(translocation).
o They also provide support for the leaf.
Up take or loss of potassium ions by the guard cells causes whether water move into or
out of the guard cells and this leads the guard cells to become turgid or flaccid.
Types of Roots:
There are several root systems in which plants have. The three most common types
roots are:
1. Tap root,
2. Fibrous root and
3. Adventitious root.
Tap Root:
Tap root system or the primary root system is the most
common type of root system.
Tap root is the main, downward-growing root with
limited branching, where its main root is easily
recognizable; e.g., carrots.
Smaller lateral roots known as the secondary roots
are produced on the primary root. The secondary roots
in turn produce tertiary roots which grow in various
directions and help in fixing the plant firmly into the soil.
When seed germinates a single root grows down into
the soil. Later lateral roots grow from an acute angle out wards and down wards.
Where a main root is recognizable, the arrangement is called a tap root system.
Fibrous Roots:
Fibrous roots are freely branched roots that occupy a large
volume of shallow soil around a plant's base.
Fibrous roots dont penetrate deep in the soil.
In fibrous roots, the main root is not recognizable from the
lateral roots; e.g. cereals (beans) and sometimes grasses.
Adventitious Roots:
Course instructor: Ahmed OmaarPage 8
Root Structure:
The root consists of the following regions from
the apex upwards:
1. Root cap region
2. Region of cell division
3. Region of elongation
4. Region of maturation
Root Cap:
The tip of the root is covered by a small cap-like
protective structure known as the root cap.
The root cap consists of dead cells.
The root cap protects the growing tip of the root.
The root cap eases the movement of the root
through the soil.
The root cap protects the cell under from
abrasion and it also helps the roots in penetrating
the soil.
The root cap cells are continuously produced to
replace the worn out root tip in order to penetrate
the soil.
The movement of the root tips is also assisted by
a slimy substance known as mucigel, which is
produced by the cells of the epidermal cells of
the root cap.