CHAPTER 17: Introduction
to Plants
17.1 THE STRUCTURE OF PLANTS
- Plant Notes
- Learn more about plant structures and growth, including roots, plant cell and tissue types, vascular plants, primary and secondary growth, transport of water and minerals, and plant reproduction.
- Vegetative Characters
- What's the difference between thorns, spines, and prickles?
Did you know potatoes are modified stems? How many types of venation
can leaves have? This page from Texas A & M University explains
terms used to describe roots, stems, and leaves with concise
definitions and photographs.
- Glossary of Horticultural Terms
- From Adventitious to Vernalization, this glossary covers terms used to describe plants and their cultivation. It was created for a horticulture class on modified stems and roots at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
17.2 PLANTS IN THE BIOSPHERE
- Evolution of Crop Plants
- This University of California, Davis class takes a look at
crops from both a botanical and an archaeological point of view.
Lecture notes include the definition of a weed as well as information
on the beginning of agriculture and future directions in the
study of crop evolution.
- Tree World
- This richly-illustrated site is a great introduction to the
seasonal cycle of trees, trees as a human resource, and what
we are doing to protect and preserve the forests. Stretch the
window as wide as possible for better viewing or view the site
designed for smaller
monitors. The site was created by Canadian paper manufacturer Domtar.
- Pollen Spore Counts
- One of the most irritating aspects of plants for allergy
sufferers is pollen. Click on a specific region of the country
to learn more about the types and amount of pollen in your area.
The site was developed by the National Allergy Bureau.
- Agroforestry Species List
- Although the term "agriculture" usually brings
to mind grasses and vegetables, the fruits and nuts of trees
are also important crops. Get detailed descriptions of trees,
such as the banana and mango, at this Cornell University page.
- Green Genes
- This is a discussion of genetic engineering of new crops
written by Gerald R. Fink, a biomedical researcher at MIT. This
article is one of several in Access Excellence's feature, Winding Your Way Through
DNA.
- Fabric History
- What was the first plant fiber to be used in fabric? What
synthetic fiber is made from cellulose? Take a look at this timeline
from Fabric Link, a fabric industry educational resource, and
learn how plants help to keep you clothed!
- Fibres
- You may have heard of hemp and ramie, but do you know what
sisal and abaca are? The origin of plant-derived fibers as well
as the special qualities of each fiber type are revealed here.
The company that hosts this page produces cellulose fibers for
various industries.
- Plants could yield anti-AIDS, cancer medicine
- This story from CNN describes natural products research at the Missouri
Botanical Garden.
- Maple Syrup and Waffles
- If you are lucky enough to live near Clermont College in
Ohio, perhaps you can participate in this annual breakfast, where
the biology lab students make maple syrup from scratch. This
photo gallery shows students collecting sap from local maple
trees and boiling it down to make syrup.
- Plants Toxic to Animals
- This page from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has color photographs of plants that are toxic to animals. Hemlock, oleander, and poison ivy are included.
17.3 CHARACTERISTICS
OF PLANTS
- Essential Elements for Plant Growth
- Sunlight, air, and water get plenty of coverage when it comes
to plant needs, but what about minerals? This online book from
the University of Wisconsin-Madison describes in detail the
nutritional requirements of plants.
- Introduction to Plants
- Learn more about the life history, ecology, and defining
characteristics of plants as well as the fossil record and
phylogeny of this diverse kingdom. The page is from the University
of California Museum of Paleontology.
- RIAES Virtual Garden
- Whether you're a gardener or just looking for something different on the Internet, you'll love the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station's online project, Virtual Gardens. QuickTime VR allows you to explore and examine photorealistic, 3-D virtual worlds using your mouse and keyboard. You can pan around and zoom in on hundreds of interesting plants and woody species. Click on individual plants to bring up colorful macro shots, along with text and voice descriptions.
17.4 OVERVIEW OF PLANT
DIVERSITY
- Systematics of the Plantae
- Where can you find a tree on a tree? At this family tree
of the plant kingdom! Learn more about plants, from the most
ancient to the seed plant, by clicking on the photos. The University
of California Museum of Paleontology put this page together,
so you'll find a lot of information on extinct and ancient plants.
- Ancient Bristlecone Pine
- More than four thousand years old, "Methuselah"
is the oldest living thing on Earth. Learn more about the Ancient
Bristlecone Pine of California at this beautifully illustrated
site. This site also explains the art of reading growth rings.
- Botanical Record-Breakers!
- The categories on this page include your typical record-breakers--largest,
smallest, tallest, and oldest. However, this page also lists
the deadliest, most painful, and most valuable plants on Earth.
If you want to see the fabled coconut pearl and other exotic
plants of the world, visit this page from Wayne's
Word, the natural history trivia newsletter by Pr. Wayne
Armstrong of Palomar College. For more on exotic plants, check
out Unusual
and Noteworthy Plants, Fungus
Flowers, and Stinking
Flowers.
- Plant Directory
- Search for photos of plants by their scientific name, common name, or type (bulb, tree, vine, etc.) and find pictures of the insects and diseases that affect them. This Ohio State University site is well-organized and easy to use.
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