1 / 10

Vegetative Characteristics

Vegetative Characteristics. How can we use these characteristics to help us identify plants?. Plant Habit. Herb – non-woody, usually small Shrub – woody, multi-stem, less than 8ft tall Tree – woody, single stem, greater than 8ft tall

joshua
Download Presentation

Vegetative Characteristics

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Vegetative Characteristics How can we use these characteristics to help us identify plants?

  2. Plant Habit • Herb– non-woody, usually small • Shrub – woody, multi-stem, less than 8ft tall • Tree – woody, single stem, greater than 8ft tall • Vine – refers to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or climbing.

  3. Leaf Life Span • Evergreen – has leaves in all 4 seasons, always green, normally have thick and waxy leaves/needles • Deciduous – lose leaves during the winter or dry seasons

  4. Simple vs Compound Leaves • Simple - leaves have a single blade. • Compound leaves - have more than one blade on a single petiole. The multiple blades of a compound leaf are called leaflets. • Palmately Compound - leaves have leaflets arranged like the fingers of a hand. • Pinnately Compound - leaves have leaflets arranged on either side of an axis, resembling a feather. • Trifoliolate - leaves have leaflets arranged in threes, like clover.

  5. Leaf Arrangement • Opposite - Two leaves grow opposite each other at each node. • Alternate - One leaf grows at each node. The leaves alternate sides along the stem. • Whorled - Several leaves grow around a single node.

  6. Leaf Shapes • Linear - Narrow from base to tip. • Elliptic - Oval-shaped. • Ovate - Wide at the base and narrow at the tip. • Cordate - Heart-shaped.

  7. Leaf Margins • Entire - The edge of the leaf is smooth. • Serrate - The edge of the leaf is finely toothed. • Lobed - The edge of the leaf is deeply indented.

  8. Special Features • Thorn – Woody, sharp-pointed modified stem; borne in leaf axil or leaf scar • Spines – Woody, sharp-pointed modified leaf or leaf-part • Prickle – Small, sharp, non-woody outgrowth on surface of bark or epidermis (prickles on a rose) • Tendril - Specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape that is used by climbing plants for support, attachment and cellular invasion by parasitic plants, generally by twining around suitable hosts.

  9. Thorn • Spine • Prickle • Tendril

More Related