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    Modification of Plant Parts

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    Vikas Swami
    This document describes various modifications of plant parts including roots, stems, and leaves. Some key modifications discussed include: 1) Roots can be modified for storage (e.g. fusiform, napiform, conical) or support (e.g. stilt, prop, climbing). 2) Stems can be modified underground as rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, or corms. Above ground stems can form runners, stolons, offsets, or suckers for vegetative propagation. 3) Leaves are sometimes modified into tendrils, pitchers, scales, or spines to perform specialized functions like climbing, trapping insects, minimizing water loss,

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    Modification of Plant Parts

    Uploaded by

    Vikas Swami
    602 views3 pages
    This document describes various modifications of plant parts including roots, stems, and leaves. Some key modifications discussed include: 1) Roots can be modified for storage (e.g. fusiform, napiform, conical) or support (e.g. stilt, prop, climbing). 2) Stems can be modified underground as rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, or corms. Above ground stems can form runners, stolons, offsets, or suckers for vegetative propagation. 3) Leaves are sometimes modified into tendrils, pitchers, scales, or spines to perform specialized functions like climbing, trapping insects, minimizing water loss,

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    This document describes various modifications of plant parts including roots, stems, and leaves. Some key modifications discussed include: 1) Roots can be modified for storage (e.g. fusiform, napiform, conical) or support (e.g. stilt, prop, climbing). 2) Stems can be modified underground as rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, or corms. Above ground stems can form runners, stolons, offsets, or suckers for vegetative propagation. 3) Leaves are sometimes modified into tendrils, pitchers, scales, or spines to perform specialized functions like climbing, trapping insects, minimizing water loss,

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    602 views3 pages

    Modification of Plant Parts

    Uploaded by

    Vikas Swami
    This document describes various modifications of plant parts including roots, stems, and leaves. Some key modifications discussed include: 1) Roots can be modified for storage (e.g. fusiform, napiform, conical) or support (e.g. stilt, prop, climbing). 2) Stems can be modified underground as rhizomes, tubers, bulbs, or corms. Above ground stems can form runners, stolons, offsets, or suckers for vegetative propagation. 3) Leaves are sometimes modified into tendrils, pitchers, scales, or spines to perform specialized functions like climbing, trapping insects, minimizing water loss,

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    of 3

    MODIFICATION OF PLANT PARTS

    MODIFIED TAP ROOT: (For storage of food)

    A) Fusiform Root: When tap root is swollen in the middle and gradually tapering
    towards the apex and the base being more or less spindle-shaped in appearance.
    Example: Radish.
    B) Napiform Root: When the root is considerably swollen at the upper end becoming
    almost spherical and sharply tapering at the lower part, it is said to be napiform.
    Example: Turnip and beet root.
    C) Conical Root: When the root is broad at the base and it gradually tapers towards
    the apex like a cone, it is said to be conical. Example: Carrot.
    D) Tuberous Roots: When the root is thick and fleshy but does not maintain any
    particular shape, it is said to be tuberous or tubercular as in four o’clock plant.

    MODIFIED ADVENTITIOUS ROOTS

    A) Tuberous Root: This is a swollen root with out any definite shape as in sweet
    potato.
    B) Fasciculate Root: When several tuberous roots occur in a cluster at the base
    of stem they are called fasciculate as in dahlia.
    C) Nodulose Root: When the slender root becomes suddenly swollen at or near
    the apex it is said to be nodulose; example: turmeric.
    D) Beaded Root: When there are some swellings in the root at frequent intervals
    it is said to be beaded root as in Indian spinach and in some grasses.
    E) Annulated Root: When the root has series of ring like swellings on its body it
    is said to be annulated.
    F) Stilt Root: When roots arise from the first few nodes of the stem and
    penetrate obliquely down in to the soil and give support to the plant; example:
    maize, sugarcane.
    G) Prop Roots: They give mechanical support to the aerial branches. The lateral
    branches grow vertically downward into the soil and acts as pillars; example:
    banyan.
    H) Climbing Roots: Roots produced at the nodes and often from internodes
    especially in climbing plants like piper & hoya. Plants attach themselves to
    their support and climb it using these roots.
    I) Respiratory Roots: In some aquatic plants the floating branches develop a
    special kind of adventitious roots which are soft, light, spongy and colorless.
    They usually develop above the surface of the water and serve to store up air,
    thus they facilitate respiration and are called respiratory roots.
    J) Epiphytic roots: There are certain plants, commonly orchids, which grow on
    branches of trees. Such plants are known as epiphytes they are not parasitic in
    nature. They develop special kind of aerial roots which hang freely in the air
    and absorb moisture from the surrounding air.
    K) Assimilatory Roots: Branches of tinospora climbing on neighboring trees
    produce long, slender, hanging roots which develop chlorophyll and turn
    green in color. They carry on carbon assimilation.

    MODIFIED STEMS
    Stems of certain plants develop underground and often look like roots. They have nodes
    and internodes, scale leaves and bud on them. These are of different types as:

    Rhizome: The rhizome is a thickened, prostrate, underground stem provided with the
    distinct nodes and internodes, scaly leaves at the nodes. It may be branched or un-
    branched. Example: canna, ginger, turmeric, water lily, etc.

    Tuber: This is a swollen end of a special underground branch. E.g., Potato (Solanum
    tuberosum). It has on its surface a number of eyes or buds which grow up into new
    plants.

    Bulb: This is another underground modified shoot consisting of a shortened convex or


    conical stem, a terminal bud and numerous scale leaves with cluster of fibrous roots at the
    base. The inner scales of the bulb are usually fleshy storing water & food. The terminal
    bud grow into the aerial shoot common examples are onion, garlic, tuberose & most
    lilies.
    Corm: This is a condensed form of rhizome and consists of a stout, solid, fleshy
    underground stem growing in the vertical direction. It is more or less rounded in shape or
    often somewhat flattened from top & bottom. It bears one or more buds in the axils of
    leaves and some of these buds grow up into develop from the base. E.g., gladiolus &
    saffron (crocus).

    SUB-AERIAL MODIFICATIONS OF STEM (For vegetative propagation)


    Some of the lower buds of the stem in certain plants grow out into long or short, slender
    or stout lateral branches these are as follows:
    A) Runners: Oxalis, dog grass.
    B) Stolon: Strawberry & chlorophytum etc.
    C) Offset: Water lettuce, Water hyacinth.
    D) Suckers: Banana, pineapple and chrysanthemum.

    AERIAL MODIFICATIONS OF STEM

    Vegetative and floral buds which would normally develop into branches & flowers often
    undergo an extreme degree of modification for definite purpose:
    A) Stem tendrils: For climbing, like most of the climbing plants.
    B) Thorns: For protection. E.g., Rose, acacias, jujube etc.
    C) Bulbils: For vegetative reproduction. E.g., Agaves.
    MODIFICATION OF LEAVES

    Leaves of many plants which have to perform specialized functions become modified
    into distinct forms.

    1. Leaf tendrils: Tendrils are slender, spirally coiled spring like structures. They are
    highly sensitive to contact and when they come in contact with any support,
    tendrils coil around the support like the stem twines. In glory lily (Gloriosa
    superba) the leaf apex is modified into a tendril. In pea (Pisum sativum) the
    terminal leaflets of a uni-pinnately compound leaf are modified into tendrils.

    2. Pitchers: Example pitcher plant.

    3. Scale Leaves: In many desert plants, the leaves are highly reduced and appear as
    scales. The scale leaves are thin, membranous, dry, stalk less and brownish or
    colorless. In plants where the leaves are reduced to scales in order to minimize
    transpiration, the function of photosynthesis is relegated to the stems (cladodes).

    4. Leaf Spines: In some plants, leaves or parts of leaves may be modified into
    spines. In Opuntia (prickly pear) leaves are poorly developed and fall of very
    early, but the minute leaves of the axillary bud are modified into spines. The
    spines act as defensive structures.

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