ANTHER ATTACHMENT refers to the position or morphology of

attachment of the filament to the anther

1. Basifixed anther attached at its base to apex of the
filament
2. Dorsifixed anther attached dorsally and medially to the
apex of the filament
3. Subbasifixed anther attached near its base to the apex of
the filament
4. Versatile anther attachment is one in which the anther
freely pivots (“teeter-totters”) at the point of
attachment with the filament
ANTHER DEHISCENCE TYPE physical mechanism of anther dehiscence
(opening of the anther in releasing pollen
grains)
1. Longitudinal dehiscing along a suture parallel to the long axis
of the thecae
2. Poricidal dehiscing by a pore at one end of the thecae
3. Transverse dehiscing at right angles to the long axis of the
theca
4. Valvular dehiscing through a pore covered by a flap of
tissue
GYNOECIAL FUSION Gynoecium – refers to all female organs
1. Apocarpus carpels are distinct
2. Syncarpus carpels are connate; most common type in
flowering plants
3. Unicarpellous composed of a single carpel (in which fusion is
really inapplicable)
OVARY POSITION assesses the position or placement of the ovary
relative to the other floral parts
1. Superior with sepals, petals, and stamens, and/or
hypanthium attached at the base of the ovary
2. Inferior has sepals, petals, stamens, and/or hypanthium
attached at the ovary apex
3. Half-inferior used for sepals, petals, stamens and/or
hypanthium attached near the middle of the
ovary
PERIANTH/ ANDROECIAL POSITION describes placement of the perianth and
androecium relative both to the ovary and to a
hypanthium, if present
1. Hypogynous used for sepals, petals, and stamens attached at
the base of a superior ovary
2. Epigynous refers to the sepals, petals, and stamens attached
at the apex of an inferior ovary
3. Epihypogynous used for sepals, petals, and stamens attached at
the middle of the ovary, the ovary being half-
inferior
4. Perigynous denotes a hypanthium attached at the base of a
superior ovary
5. Epiperigynous denotes a hypanthium attached at the apex of an
inferior ovary
6. Epihypoperigynous used to describe a hypanthium attached at the
middle of a half-inferior ovary
PLACENTATION refers to the positioning of the
 ovules and takes into account the number and
position of placentae, septa, and locules
1. Axile with the placentae arising from the column in a
compound ovary with septa
2. Apical placenta at the top of the ovary, ovules hanging
down (also called pendulous)
3. Basal with a placenta at the base of the ovary
4. Free-central with the placentae along the column in a
compound ovary without septa
5. Laminar with ovules arising from the surface of the septa
6. Marginal with the placentae along the margin of a
unicarpellate (simple) ovary
7. Parietal with the placentae on the ovary walls or
upon intruding partitions of a unilocular,
compound ovary
a. Parietal-axile with the placentae at the junction of the septum
and ovary wall of a two or more loculate ovary
b. Parietal-septate with placentae on the inner ovary walls but
within septate locules
FRUIT mature ovaries or pistils of flowering plants
plus any associated accessory parts
1. Simple (major fruit development) derived from a single pistil of one flower
a. Fleshy
i. Berry general, unspecialized term for a fruit with a
succulent pericarp
ii. Drupe a fruit with a hard, stony endocarp and a fleshy
mesocarp
iii. Hesperidium septate fleshy fruit with a thick-skinned,
leathery outer pericarp wall and fleshy modified
trichomes (juice sacs) arising from the inner
walls
iv. Pepo a nonseptate fleshy fruit with parietal
placentation and a leathery exocarp derived
from an inferior ovary
v. Pome a fleshy fruit with a cartilaginous endocarp
derived from an inferior ovary, with the bulk of
the fleshy tissue from the outer, adnate
hypanthial tissue
b. Dry
i. Dehiscent splitting open along definite pores, slits, or
sutures
 Capsule generally dry (rarely fleshy), dehiscent fruits
derived from compound (multicarpeled) ovaries
o Loculicidal have longitudinal lines of dehiscence radially
aligned with the locules
o Septicidal have longitudinal lines of dehiscence radially
aligned with the ovary septa
o Circumscissile has a transverse line of dehiscence, typically
forming a terminal lid or operculum (also called
a pyxis or pyxide)
o Valvular one in which the valves break off from the septa
(also called septifragal capsule)
o Poricidal have dehiscence occurring by means of pores
 o Acrocidal dehiscing by means of apical slits
o Basicidal dehiscing by means of basal slits
 Follicle a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from one carpel
that splits along one suture
 Legume a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from one carpel
that splits along two longitudinal sutures
 Loment split transversely into one-seeded segments
 Silicle/Silique dry, dehiscent fruits derived from a two-
carpeled ovary that dehisces along
two sutures but that has an outer rim, the
replum, and a persistent, thin partition, the false
septum (silicle = broader; silique = longer)
 Schizocarp a dry, dehiscent fruit type derived from a two or
more loculed compound ovary in which the
locules separate at maturity
ii. Indehiscent not splitting open at maturity
 Achene a one-seeded, dry, indehiscent fruit with seed
attached to the pericarp at one point only, such
as the unit fruits of sunflowers
 Grain/Caryopsis one-seeded, dry, indehiscent fruit with the seed
coat adnate to pericarp wall; grains are the fruit
type of all Poaceae (grasses)
 Nut a oneseeded, dry indehiscent fruit with a hard
pericarp, usually derived from a one-loculed
ovary
 Samara a winged, dry, usually indehiscent fruit
 Utricle a small, bladdery or inflated, one-seeded, dry
fruit
2. Aggregate (major fruit development) derived from multiple pistils of a single flower,
thus having an apocarpous gynoecium
a. Achenecetum an aggregate fruit of achenes
b. Drupecetum an aggregate fruit of drupes
c. Folicetum an aggregate fruit of follicles
d. Syncarp an aggregate fruit, typically of berries, in which
the unit fruits fuse together
3. Multiple (major fruit development) derived from many coalescent flowers
a. Bur a multiple fruit of achenes or grains surrounded
by a prickly involucre
b. Sorosis a multiple fruit in which the unit fruits are
fleshy berries and are laterally fused along a
central axis
c. Syconium a multiple fruit in which the unit fruits are small
achenes covering the surface of a fleshy,
inverted compound receptacle
SEED ENDOSPERM TYPE
1. Albuminous/Endospermous having endosperm as the food reserve in mature
seeds
2. Exalbuminous/Nonendospermous very little to none is deposited in mature seeds
(orchid seeds)
3. Cotylespermous the main food reserve is stored in the cotyledons
(beans and peas)
SEED GERMINATION TYPE requires observation of young seedlings during
germination and describes positioning of the
cotyledons
1. Hypgeous/Cryptocotylar refers to a type in which the cotyledon(s) remain
in the ground during germination
2. Epigeous/Phanerocotylar has cotyledon(s) elevated above the ground
during germination