Deck 8: Rowersfruits and Seeds

Question 1

Most wind-pollinated flowering plants have inconspicuous, nonfragrant flowers. How might nature be affected if all flowers were that way?

Answer 1

Most wind pollinated flowering plants have inconspicuous and non-fragrant flowers, the nature may be affected if all the flowers were in that way. This is because only some cross pollinated plants are wind pollinated.
Wind pollinated seeds are tiny and light they can blow to great distance by wind. These plants tend to have inconspicuous flowers and produce lot of polled because wind currents cannot selectively identify which plants are receptive to specific pollen. Thus the non-fragrant flowers are dispersed only by means of wind pollination.

Question 2

Define calyx, corolla, receptacle, peduncle, pedicel, pistil, filament, ovary, and carpel.

Answer 2

Calyx: It is the outer most whorl of the flower. It consists of three to five small green colored leaf like structures called sepals. The sepals of a flower collectively called as calyx. Calyx protects the flower when the flower is in the bud stage.
Corolla: The next whorl of the flower which contains three to many petals is collectively called as corolla. They function mainly to attract pollinators. They are the conspicuous part in many trees.
Peduncle: Each flower begins as an embryonic priprimordium. It develops into a bud over specialized branch at the tip of a stalk called as peduncle.
Pedicel: when the peduncle in some instances having branchlets of small stalks called as pedicels.
Receptacle: It is the expanded tip of the flower stalk or axis that bears the floral organs. The peduncle is pedicel swells its tip into a small pad called as receptacle.
Pistil: Stamens are attached to the receptacle around the base of the greenish pistil at the centre of the flower.
Filament: Each stamen consists of semi rigid, slender filament with a sac.
Ovary: The top of the stigma is connected by a slender stalk like style to the swollen base called ovary.
Carpel: Ovaries consist of ovules inside. Such ovules bearing parts are called carpels.

Question 3

Do you believe the botanical distinction between fruits and vegetables is a good one? If not, how would you change it?

Answer 3

No, I do not believe that the botanical distinction between fruits and vegetables is not a good one. A fruit is defined as a ripened ovary which encloses the seeds with the mature ovules. They arise from the single carpel or several carpels which are fused together. Vegetable is described an edible part which is not a fruit.
Vegetable is not recognized as a true botanical term and are defined as savoury and fruits are sweet in flavour and incorrectly described the vegetables.
According to my definition vegetable can be defined as an edible portion of a plant which does not include ovary or vegetative portion of the plant.

Question 4

Indicate the features by which dicots are distinguished from monocots.

Question 5

In discussing pomes, it was observed that the bulk of the flesh in an apple comes from the floral tube. What could you do to prove or disprove this?

Question 6

What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

Question 7

Seed and fruit dispersal is achieved with the aid of wind, water, animals, mechanical means, and humans. If you were "designing" a new plant, can you think of any new way in which it might be dispersed?

Question 8

What causes an ovary to develop into a fruit?

Question 9

When volcanic activity or coral polyps cause new islands to appear in the oceans, they eventually acquire some vegetation. Would you expect the types of dispersal mechanisms for the flowering plants on these islands to be the same as they were for ancient continents?

Question 10

What are the various parts of a fruit?

Question 11

How do fleshy fruits differ from dry fruits?

Question 12

Distinguish among simple, aggregate, and multiple fruits.

Question 13

Distinguish among achenes, grains, samaras, and nuts.

Question 14

What adaptations do seeds and fruits have for dispersal by water and animals?

Question 15

Define plumule, radicle, coleoptile, coleorhiza, hypocotyl, after-ripening, stratification, and vivipary.