Transcript Intro to plants

Intro to plants
Plants and their Uses
Food
– Roots (carrot, beet, peanut)
– Stems (celery, asparagus)
– Underground stems (potato, onion)
– Fruits and seeds (apple, lentil)
– Flowers (broccoli, cauliflower)
– Leaves (lettuce, spinach, tea, basil)
Food
Medicinal
Digitoxin (foxglove leaves)
– congestive heart failure
Aspirin (White willow bark)
– pain and fever
Aconite (Monkshood roots)
– pain and fever
Vincristine (rosy periwinkle)
- childhood leukemia
Herbal
Ginseng
– overall well being
Ginkgo biloba
– memory enhancement
Echinacea
– immune support
Textile
• Cotton
• Hemp
• Flax
Insecticides
Rotenone (right)
– from derris plant
Pyrethrum (below)
– from pyrethrum
flowers
Wood, Pulp and Paper
• Oak
• Pine
• Walnut
Rubber
• From the rubber
plant/trees
• In diagram rubber
tapping from a
pararubber tree in
Amazon rain forest
Gums and Resins
• From sap of
coniferous trees
• Used in nail polish,
varnish, adhesives,
perfume…
Eg. Carnauba palm
leaves – car and
furniture polish
Cosmetic
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Jasmine
Vanilla
Spearmint
Aloe
Eg. Euphorbia cerifera
– soft wax for lipstick
Erosion
• Roots control erosion where soil is
uncovered or sparsely covered
• Form mat to keep soil in place
Vascular vs. Non Vascular Plants
• Vascular Plants have
special tissues for
transporting water and
nutrients (xylem and
phloem)
•  have roots, stems and
leaves
• E.g. Ferns, flowering
plants, conifers
Vascular vs. Non Vascular Plants
• Nonvascular plants
have no vascular
system (xylem and
phloem) and  no
roots stems or
leaves.
• e.g. Liverwort
mosses and algae
Angiosperms vs. Gymnosperms
• Gymnosperms - cone bearing plants
• Seeds produced within cones
Angiosperms vs. Gymnosperms
• angiosperm –
flowering plants
• Seeds produced in
ovule of flower/fruit
Monocot vs. Dicot – two forms of
angiosperms
Plant Organs
• Organs are comprised of tissues that
together perform a specific function
• Plant organs include:
– Roots
– Stem
– Leaves
– Flowers
Roots
1.
Anchor plants in
soil – preventing
erosion
1.
Absorb water and
minerals
1.
Site of storage
Stems
1.
Hold leaves and
expose them to sun
2. Hold flowers
3. Transport
materials from
roots to leaves
4. Site of storage
Leaves
1.
Site of
photosynthesis
2. Storage
3. Gas exchange
(stomata)
Flowers
1. Reproduction