2. Vascular Plants
● Divided into three major groups:
– Seedless vascular plants: Ferns, Club moss,
horsetails etc.
– Seed vascular plants:
● Gymnosperms: Conifers, Ginko, Cycads
● Angiosperms: Flowering plants
3. Vascular Plants
● Contain vascular tissue (xylem and phloem)to
transport water and nutrients around plant
● Sporophyte generation dominant
● Well adapted to life in terrestrial environment
● True roots, stems and leaves
4. Meristem
● Perpetually embryonic tissue
● Unspecialized cells – divide & specialize to generate
plant growth
● Apical Meristem:
– Tips of roots and shoots
– Grow in length (PRIMARY GROWTH)
– Found in both woody and herbaceous plants
● Lateral Meristem (Cambium):
– Cylinder of dividing cells found along length of roots and
stems
– Growth in width (SECONDARY GROWTH)
– Replace epidermis with thick tough layer, combined with
secondary xylem to form wood
5.
6. Vascular Tissue
● Arranged in bundles in
stems, roots and leaf
veins
● Phloem:
– Conducts the products of
photosynthesis from the
leaves to the rest of the
plant
– Living cells arranged in
sieve tubes with sieve
plates to deliver materials
and communicate with
neighbouring cells
7. Vascular Tissue
● Xylem:
– Conducts water up from the roots
to the leaves
– Cells are dead at maturity and are
highly permeable to water
– Tubes called tracheids or vessels
– Water moves by
evapotranspiration
– Secondary xylem
thickens/hardens to form wood
8. Roots
● Functions:
– Attachment & support
– Absorption of water and nutrients from the soil
– Storage
● Types:
Fibrous
Tap root
10. Leaves
● Primary site of photosynthesis
● Potential for loss of water due to large surface
area and high rate of gas exchange
● Specializations:
– Stomata
– Guard Cells
– Epidermis
– Parenchyma
11. Stomata/ stoma
● Regulates gas and
water exchange
Guard cells
● Regulates the opening
and closing of the
stomata
12. ● The epidermis forms the
waxy cuticle which
prevents water loss
● Parenchyma – tissue
that heals wounds,
regenerates plant parts,
photosynthesis, food and
water storage
