Maharashtra Board Class 11 Biology Chapter 9 Morphology of Flowering Plants PDF Download

Morphology Of Flowering Plants

9.1 Angiosperms

Our earth has a vast diversity of plants. The flowering plants dominate the world of plants as they are well adapted to the environmental conditions. These plants show considerable variation in their general external and internal characters with respect to their habitat. Such variations help the plant body to carry out different functions. You have studied a broad classification of kingdom Plantae. Angiosperms are one of flowering plants from phanerogams.

Angiosperms can be classified into different types on the basis of habitat and it can be represented as follows:

Hydrophytes - Growing in aquatic habitat e.g. Hydrilla

Xerophytes - Growing in regions with scanty or no rainfall like desert e.g. Opuntia

Psammophytes - Growing in sandy soil e.g. Elymus

Lithophytes - Growing on rock e.g. Couchidium

Halophytes - Growing in saline soil e.g. Mangrove plants like Rhizophora

In angiosperms seed germinates under favourable environmental conditions and produces a seedling which develops into a new plant.

Teacher's Note

Plants grow in different places. Some grow in water, some in deserts, and some on rocks. Just like how our Indian crops like rice grow in wet places and bajra grows in dry places, plants have adapted to their homes.

Exam Trick

Remember the first letter of each type: H-X-P-L-H (Hydro, Xero, Psammo, Litho, Halo). Think of "H-X-P-L-H" as a code for different habitats where plants live.

Points to Remember

Hydrophytes grow in water like lotus.
Xerophytes grow in deserts like cactus.
Psammophytes grow in sand.
Lithophytes grow on rocks.
Halophytes grow in salty soil like mangrove trees.

9.2 Morphology

Morphologically plant shows vegetative structures like root, stem, leaf and reproductive structures such as flowers, fruits and seeds.

Teacher's Note

Every plant has two main systems - the root system below ground that drinks water, and the shoot system above ground that eats sunlight. Think of roots as the drinking straw and the shoot as the stomach.

Exam Trick

Root system is below ground. Shoot system is above ground. Remember: Root = Route downwards, Shoot = goes upwards.

Points to Remember

Plants have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds.
Roots grow downward in soil.
Stems grow upward in air.
Leaves are green and make food.
Flowers make fruits and seeds.

A. Root

Root is descending axis of plant body which is positively geotropic and hydrotropic but negatively phototropic and aerotropic. Root grows beneath the soil surface towards gravity. Roots are generally non-green, cylindrical and without nodes and internodes.

Typical Root Structure

A typical root has different regions. The root cap is at the tip. Above it is the meristematic region where new cells form. Then comes the region of elongation where cells grow longer. The region of root hair is where thin hair-like structures grow. Finally, the region of maturation is where cells become specialized.

Teacher's Note

The root tip is like the nose of a plane diving into the soil. It has special structures to help it push through the hard earth, just like how a drill works in your home.

Exam Trick

Remember the five regions from top to bottom: Root cap, Meristematic, Elongation, Root hair, Maturation. Think of it as the root's five floors from bottom to top in a building.

Points to Remember

Root cap protects the growing tip.
Meristematic region makes new cells.
Elongation region makes root longer.
Root hair region absorbs water.
Maturation region conducts water and minerals up.

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