Curated category
Plant morphology
- FlowerFlowers first appeared between 150 and 190 million years ago during the Jurassic period. This timing marks a pivotal shift in Earth's botanical history.
- TreeIn 2015, a global estimate placed the number of trees on Earth at 3.04 trillion, yet no single definition captures what makes a tree a tree.
- LeafIn the heart of a green leaf, chlorophyll molecules absorb light energy from the sun. This process begins when photons strike the pigment within chloroplasts…
- ShrubA broom shrub in flower stands as a visual anchor for the botanical definition of this plant form. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs possess persistent woody…
- GametophyteA single spore from a haploid parent plant lands on damp soil and begins to divide. This new multicellular organism carries only one set of chromosomes…
- SporophyteA diploid multicellular organism produces asexual spores in the life cycle of plants and algae. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid…
- Bark (botany)The outermost layer of stems and roots of woody plants is called bark. This tissue covers all living parts outside the vascular cambium.
- CuticleThe thickened layer of skin surrounding fingernails and toenails carries the medical name eponychium. Medical professionals use this term to describe the…
- XerophyteA xerophyte is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water. Examples of xerophytes include cacti, pineapple…