Introduction.
Angiospermic or flowering plants show a great variety of shape, size and form. The size ranges from the minute Wolffia and Lamna (0.1cm) to the tall Eucalyptus (up to 100 metre) and large sized Banyan (Ficus bengalensis).
In habit, they range from herbs and shrubs to trees.
Morphology (Gr. Morphos = Form; logos = Study) is the branch of science which deals with the study of form and structure. In botany, it generally means the study of external features, forms and relative positions of different organs on plants.
It is virtually impossible to recognise and know all the flowering plants even for a professional taxonomist. However, a student of botany takes the help of morphology for recognition, identification and classification of plants. Some distinct morphological features are most significant in the study of phytogeography, phylogeny and evolution.
Parts of a flowering plant :
Flowering plants consist of a long cylindrical axis which is differentiated into underground root system and an aerial shoot system. The root system consists of root and its lateral branches. The shoot system has a stem, a system of branches and leaves. The different parts of a plant are called organs. Organs are differentiated into two types, vegetative and reproductive. Vegetative organs take part in nourishing and fixing the plant, viz., root, stem, leaves.
Reproductive organs are required in multiplication. They comprise flowers, fruits and seeds (formed inside fruits). Organs similar in basic internal structure and origin which may appear different and perform different functions are called homologous organs. The relationship amongst these organs is called homology. Organs performing a similar function or having a similar external form but different internal structure and origin are termed as analogous organs. The relationship in analogous organs is called anology.
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