Beginner's Guide to Study of Plant Structures
EXERCISE 1: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE STUDY OF PLANT STRUCTURE
Adonay, Jessa and Velos, Mary Angelie
Biology Program, Sciences Cluster
University of the Philippines Cebu
Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Plants have essential requirements to survive like all other living being. Roots, stems, leaves, and flower serve to help them acquire or provide for these requirements. Plants exposed to different climates pose different arrangement in the structures’ tissues. A closer look on its cellular level and we could understand this. Plant anatomy is an important key in understanding plant biology, aiding this study are the fundamentals of histology and techniques in histochemistry. This experiment involved exercising free-hand sectioning techniques, learning maceration procedures and application of staining techniques. Sudan dye for Lipids and IKI test for starch were applied on section stem, root and leaf parts of Tridax procumbens. Stem cross-section of
T. procumbens showed distinct ground tissues and fourteen to sixteen vascular bundles organized into a ring. The root sections show a central stele surrounded by solid ground tissues.
The leaf sections did not show vascular bundles but the mesophyll layers are quite clear. For the purpose of histology, dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants were also compared in terms of structure and staining.
INTRODUCTION
Plants are quite impressive entities in terms of their diversity, specialized structures, and chemical properties. Plants, like humans and all other living beings, have essential requirements to survive. Their structures, such as leaves, stem, flower, and roots help them acquire or provide for these needs. The variety in these structures are great especially in plants exposed to different types of environments. That is why students need to have an understanding of plant anatomy since it is an important key in understanding plant biology. A realistic interpretation of
morphology,
Adonay, Jessa and Velos, Mary Angelie
Biology Program, Sciences Cluster
University of the Philippines Cebu
Lahug, Cebu City, Philippines
ABSTRACT
Plants have essential requirements to survive like all other living being. Roots, stems, leaves, and flower serve to help them acquire or provide for these requirements. Plants exposed to different climates pose different arrangement in the structures’ tissues. A closer look on its cellular level and we could understand this. Plant anatomy is an important key in understanding plant biology, aiding this study are the fundamentals of histology and techniques in histochemistry. This experiment involved exercising free-hand sectioning techniques, learning maceration procedures and application of staining techniques. Sudan dye for Lipids and IKI test for starch were applied on section stem, root and leaf parts of Tridax procumbens. Stem cross-section of
T. procumbens showed distinct ground tissues and fourteen to sixteen vascular bundles organized into a ring. The root sections show a central stele surrounded by solid ground tissues.
The leaf sections did not show vascular bundles but the mesophyll layers are quite clear. For the purpose of histology, dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants were also compared in terms of structure and staining.
INTRODUCTION
Plants are quite impressive entities in terms of their diversity, specialized structures, and chemical properties. Plants, like humans and all other living beings, have essential requirements to survive. Their structures, such as leaves, stem, flower, and roots help them acquire or provide for these needs. The variety in these structures are great especially in plants exposed to different types of environments. That is why students need to have an understanding of plant anatomy since it is an important key in understanding plant biology. A realistic interpretation of
morphology,