New Terms - The Plant Kingdom

cotyledon - 		first leaves to appear during germination which store the nutrients for
germination.
monocot - 		term used to describe plants that have one cotyledon - grasses and lilies
dicot - 			term used to describe plants that have two cotyledons - beans
pollen - 		male gametes produced by plants in the anther
ovary -		site in flowering plants which encloses the ovules and is where
fertilization takes place.
pistil - 			flask-shaped female reproductive unit in a flower made up of the stigma
and the style.
stigma - 		the sticky upper part of the pistil where pollen is deposited during
pollination
style - 			a narrow stalk that connects the stigma to the ovary
stamen - 		the male organ in flowering plants consisting of the anther and a
stem-like filament.
anther - 		part of the stamen that produces pollen
petals - 		colorful structures of the flower that are used to attract other organisms
to help in pollination.
sepal - 		a ring of adapted leaves that protect the flower as a bud
angiosperm - 		literally means protected seed; refers to the flowering plants, the most
developed and complex of the plant kingdom.
gymnosperm - 	literally means naked or unprotected seed; refers to the conifers - pine
trees, cedars, and redwoods.
ferns - 			seedless plants; have fronds rather than leaves
frond - 		the equivalent of leaves for a fern
cone - 			the male or female reproductive organ of the conifers - like pine cones -
they produce the pollen and ovules for the conifers.
conifer - 		tress or shrubs in northern temperate climates like spruces, pine trees,
and cedars.  Most of them produce male and female cones.
sori - 			small cases on the under side of fern fronds that store the spores
produced by the fern.
xylem - 		the specialized tissue in vascular plants carries water and minerals up
the plant for photosynthesis; is the part of the plant that becomes wood.
phloem - 		the specialized tissue in vascular plants which carries sugars and other
nutrients throughout the plant - carries the products of photosynthesis
to different parts of the plant; combines with cork during growth to
become bark.
stomata - 		small openings in the dermal tissue which allow oxygen, carbon dioxide,
and water to enter and leave the plant.
guard cells - 		surround the stomata and regulate the opening and closing of the hole
meristemic tissue - 	growth tissue - plants grow where this tissue is found
apical meristem - 	is found at the tips of roots and stems and helps plants grow up from
the ground, and helps the roots penetrate deeper in the soil.
lateral meristem - 	is used for plants that grow larger and thicker - responsible for lateral
growth
root cap - 		protective covering on tips of roots to help them penetrate deeper
palisade cells - 	cells which contain chloroplasts directly under the epidermal layer in
vascular plants.
epidermal layer - 	contains waxy cuticle covering for protecting the plant
spongy mesophyll - 	found beneath the palisade cells and is made of loosely packed cells
containing chloroplasts.
rhizoids - 		root-like structures in nonvascular plants (mosses)
nonvascular plants - 	plants that have no specialized tissues for transporting fluids
vascular plants - 	have specialized tissues for transporting fluids (xylem and phloem)
autotrophic - 		term used to describe organisms that are able to produce own food
chlorophyll - 		pigment in plants that absorbs the energy from the sun for
photosynthesis
alternation of generations - term used to describe the life cycle of a plant as it changes from
a haploid (gametophyte) generation to a diploid (sporophyte)
generation.
gametophyte generation - the haploid generation of plants
sporophyte generation - the diploid generation of plants
archegonia - 		site in plants where egg cells are produced
antheridia - 		site in plants where sperm cells are produced