Botany: Glossary

A

Annuals

plants that grow, flower, make seeds and die in one year

angiosperms

flowering vascular plants

anther

the yellow part inside the flower at the top of a long, thin stalk that holds pollen grains

B

Biennials

plants that need two years to complete their life cycles

Botany

the study of plants

bacteria

tiny single-celled organisms found throughout the earth that may be helpful or harmful

botanists

a scientists who studies plants

C

carbon dioxide

a gas that humans and animals exhale, and plants take from the air to use in photosynthesis

carnivorous

living things that eat animals (meat)

cell walls

cell walls surround every plant cell, in order to protect and strengthen the plant and help keep bugs and diseases from attacking the plant

chemicals

substances of matter with a specific molecular structure

chlorophyll

the substance in leaves that gives plants their green color and absorbs the sun's energy

chloroplasts

tiny structures inside plant cells that contain chlorophyll

conifers

trees that grow cones, like pines and firs

cotyledon

a leaf that is stored in a seed and is the first to emerge when the seed sprouts

cuticle

the protective, waxy covering on the outside of leaves and stems

D

defenses

actions or materials to protect against danger

drought

a period of time when water is very scarce

E

embryo

the baby plant within the seed

endosperm

short-term food supply used by the embryo to help it grow

F

Flowers

the part of the plant that looks and smells nice, and contains the reproductive parts

fertilization

the joining of pollen with an ovule to form a seed

filament

the fine hair-like stalk that supports the anther

food chains

how energy and nutrients are passed from creature to creature

fruit

the part of the plant we usually eat that has the seeds inside

fungus

living organisms such as mold and yeast, can cause disease in plants

G

Gravitropism

movement of plants in response to gravity

Gymnosperms

non-flowering vascular plants

germination

the process of a seed sprouting or coming to life

glucose

the food (sugar) the plant makes for itself during photosynthesis

gravity

the natural attraction of objects to each other, specifically the attraction that keeps matter on the earth

H

herbaceous

plants with flexible stems that are non-woody and die back to the ground each year

L

leaves

the green, food-making factory of the plant, usually flat to catch light and attached to a stem

N

Nocturnal

an plant or animal that is most active at night

Nonvascular

plants without roots, stems or leaves, that use osmosis to move material through the plant, soaking up water in its

nectar

sweet liquid made in the flower to attract pollinators

nutrients

substances needed for growth; plants get needed minerals such as potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus from the soil

O

osmosis

the process that causes a liquid such as water to pass through the membrane of a living cell

ovary

the part of the plant that has the seeds inside, usually at the base of the flower

ovules

the part inside the ovary that becomes the seed

oxygen

a gas found in the atmosphere that animals and humans breathe, produced by plants during photosynthesis

P

Perennials

plants that live for a long time and come back every year after resting over the winter.

Phototropism

movement of plants toward light

pathogens

a microorganism that can cause disease

petals

the colorful, pretty parts of the flower

phloem

the cells of the plant that move food up or down the stem to other parts of the plant

photosynthesis

the process by which a plant produces its food using energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil

pistil

the female part of the flower

plants

iving things that use photosynthesis to make their own food. If it's alive, and it's not an animal or a microbe, it's probably a plant!

pollen

powder-like substance that covers the anthers and is necessary to make seeds, the material that bees collect

pollination

the moving of the pollen from the anther to the stigma

pollinator

an insect, bird, or bat that moves pollen from the anther to the stigma in a flower

pollinators

Animals, such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and bats, that move pollen from the anther to the stigma of a flower.

predators

living organisms that hunt and eat other organisms

R

receptacle

the part of the flower that the pistil and stamen grow out of

reproduction

the process of a living thing creating its young

roots

the underground part of the plant that supports the plant and brings in water and nutrients

S

seed coat

the protective outer layer of the seed

seeds

tiny future plants with food around them and a covering protecting them

sepals

covers the outside of a flower bud and protects the flower before it opens, looks a like little green leaves

spores

tiny structures found on ferns and mosses that move around in the wind and germinate when they land

stamen

the male part of the flower

stem

the main body of the plant that holds up the limbs, leaves, and flowers

stigma

the sticky bulb in the center of flowers where the pollen lands and starts the fertilization process (female part)

stimuli

an object or event that brings forth a behavioral response

stomata

small holes in leaves that carbon dioxide and oxygen pass through

style

the long stalk that supports the stigma (female part)

T

toxic

poisonous

tropism

movement in response to a stimulus

V

Vascular

plants with parts that move materials such as water through the plants

veins

tiny tubes that carry water and nutrients within the leaf

W

woody

stems that are hard and do not die back to the ground during the winter, such as tree trunks

X

xylem

cells that move water in plants