| GLOSSARY OF
TECHNICAL TERMS |
| acrocarpous used
to describe an erect habit in mosses |
| alternation
of generations term referring to a life cycle in
which there is more than one free-living stage, typically a spore-producing sporophyte and
a gamete-producing gametophyte |
| anisogametes
motile gametes which differ slightly in size |
| autotrophic
nutrition synthesis of organic food molecules from inorganic compounds
such as carbon dioxide benthic attached and submerged bisexual having both male and female sex organs circinnate vernation the coiled arrangement of
young leaves of ferns & cycads coenocytic multinucleate, formed by nuclear divion without cross wall formation cryptogam an old term for a non-seed plant; cryptogam means hidden wedding, i.e. as they produced no seeds their sex lives were unknown for a long time dioecious used to describe plant species in which male and female sex organs are borne on separate individuals endospory a condition in which the gametophyte develops within the spore wall, rather than externally epiphyte a plant that grows on another plant. No parasitism is involved. The epiphyte must be rooted on the surface of the host. Vines rooted in the soil and climbing up on another plant are not epiphytes. eukaryote organism the cells of which
have a defined nucleus and internal membranes flagellum/a whip-like extension of the
protoplasm for propelling the cell |
| floridean starch an algal reserve
resembling glycogen or amylopectin free nuclear division mitotic division of nuclei without accompanying cytokinesis, i.e. nuclei divide in a common cytoplasm, the cells walls only forming around each later homospory a condition in which an organism produces only one type and size of spore, viz. microspores heterospory a condition in which an organism produces two different types and sizes of spores, viz. microspores and megaspores heterotrichous (filament) a growth pattern of algae with prostrate filaments for attachment and erect, spreading filaments for photosynthesis holdfast algal organ for attachment hygroscopic movement movement by the gain or loss of water inferior ovary is embedded below the point of attachment of the perianth and anthers irregular symmetry irregular flowers are bilaterally symmetrical; they are divisible into equal halves about 1 plane only laminarin a ß1,3 glucan reserve monoecious used to describe a species in which a single plant carries both male and female sex organs oogamy reproduction in which the female gamete is large and non-motile and the male gamete small and motile. paramylon a ß1,3 glucan reserve perianth a collective term for the sepals and petals of the flower, especially when these are indistinguisable Phanerogam the seed plant - gymnosperms or angiosperm.The term literally means "open wedding" and refers to the fact that reproduction in these plants was clearly understood unlike the case in lower plants (Cryptogams) in which it was for a long time something of a mystery. phycobilin - class of pigment found only in algae, comprising red phycoerythrin and blue-green phycocyanin pleurocarpous - prostrate (used for mosses) prokaryote simple organism without a defined nucleus or internal membranes protonema (pl. protonemata) the filamentous (moss) or thallose (fern) gametophyte stage of non-seed plants pyrenoid proteinaceous region of chloroplast, sometimes the site of accumulation of carbohydrate reserves regular symmetry regular flowers have radial symmetry; they are divisible into equal halves in 2 or more planes rhizoid hair-like filamentous anchorage/absorbing organ ribosome organelle responsible for protein synthesis seed fern extinct seed-bearing plants with fern-like leaves sorus cluster of sporangia of a fern sporophyll a spore-bearing leaf stele vascular tissue (the xylem and phloem together) superior ovary is exposed - above the point of attachment of the perianth and anthers strobilus a cone-shaped cluster of spore-bearing leaves thallus term given to the body of a lower plant which has no recognisable shoot, root, leaf regions Thallophyte an organism not differentiated into shoot and root, the cells of which have a cell wall; originally used for bacteria, fungi and algae. unisexual having either male or female sex
organs but not both |