I found this tree down the block at a park and saw the berries as perfect seeds to be injested by animals. The bright red color and small size make it an easy and edible target for animals of all sizes, thus giving more opportunities for different carriers and a larger zone for the seeds to spread.
September 2009 Archives
I found this tree down the block at a park and saw the berries as perfect seeds to be injested by animals. The bright red color and small size make it an easy and edible target for animals of all sizes, thus giving more opportunities for different carriers and a larger zone for the seeds to spread.
The "helicopter," or Maple seeds are everywhere this time of year, and recognizable to even the youngest of kids as seeds. I thought they would be a good example of wind dispersal being that they are shaped to specifically use the wind as transportation to 'fly' away from the tree.
I am not sure what these are but I know that they are really annoying when you are not trying to use them as an example. They are very sticky, and will grab onto anything from clothes, hair, and dog fur, which leads me to believe that any animal would be able to move them from place to place. I spent the next 20 minutes cleaning them out of my dogs coat.
Dandelions may be a very common form of wind dispersal, and the first plant someone would think of but I thought it was cool to get this picture because it was the last dandelion in my 3 acre front yard. During the middle of the summer our entire yard is so full of them that it looks like snow, it is pretty neat to seem them blow away on a very windy late summer day.
This is a picture of grasses that were in a pot outside of the Como Conservatory. This grass is an example of seeds dispersed by wind. The website I checked out for the different types of wind dispersal said that most grasses fall into the "Miscellaneous" category (not nearly as exciting as parachutes or gliders, sadly).
Seed dispersal by wind, as you can see the seeds are stuck to the leaf. As the leaf falls off the tree, the wind pushes it away to different places away from the original tree. This is the first time I have actually seen seeds stuck to a leaf like this, and it is actually quite interesting.
So here is a picture of what I think is a crab apple tree. I know, I should have tasted it to make sure, but I decided to go with possible embarrassment rather than eating one of these. This tree is in the Display and Trial Garden and is an example of a seed that is dispersed by animals after it is ingested.
Continue reading SEED DISPERSAL BY WIND.
Continue reading SEED DISPERSAL BY ANIMAL.
This image was again taken at the trial garden. These are apple fruits that have fallen on the ground after ripening. The apple fruit has a fleshy covering and its seeds are dispersed after being consumed by animals.
This is an image of a parachute ball of a dandelion flower. I took this image at the trial garden. The seeds of this plant are dispersed by wind.
This is a picture of winterberries. This shrub fruits in the fall and is a source of winter food for birds. The birds eat the berries and disperse the seeds in their feces. These shrubs were found on the St Paul campus.
Continue reading Seed Dispersal via Wind.
This is a picture of a crabapple. Crabapple seeds are contained inside the fleshy fruit of the apple and must be eaten away by an animal for the seed to be dispersed and propogate away from the parent plant.
This pictures shows and axample of seed dispersal by gravity. Many conifers are found on mountains and thier pine cones travel down the slope after they fall. They do this because if they were to fall right under the mother plant, they would have to compete with the mother plant for nutrients and light. This specimen was found on the St Paul campus south of the intersection at Cleveland and Buford.
Continue reading Seed Dispersal via Animals .
This is a photo of a clover inflorescence. I researched how the seeds are dispersed and discovered that they can be dispersed through wind or animal coats. This means that the seeds are carried away by the wind or an animal's coat and propogate away from the parent plant.
This photograh shows ths wind disperal of cattail seeds. You can see the seeds are extremely tiny, light and feathery. You can also imagine how many seeds there are packed tightly in the plant's "tail."
This photograph displays seed dispersal by an animal coat-- myself being the the animal and the sweater, my coat in this particular scenario. The hooks that make this dispersal possible are apparent in the photo.
This image represents seed dispersal by wind. To the right of the image we can see the parent tree (out of focus). On the right side of the image we can see a young seedling having taken root.
This image captures the image of a squirrel gathering some food. This represents seed dispersal by animals. In this case, the squirrel can both ingest the seeds and spread them as well as carry the seeds to a new, possibly more hospitable, location.
This second type of seed disperal was also found on the corner of Raymond and Carter. The velcro like hooks found on these seeds attach to clothes and animal's coats and are dispersed in another location.
These berries are a great way for seeds to be dispersed. When birds or other animals eat this fruit the seeds pass through their digestive system and are left in a new location. I found these berries on the corner of Raymond and Carter.
This is an example of seed dispersal by the wind. When the wind blows, the seeds are blown off the stem and scattered across the ground or wherever the wind blows them. This is why tall grasses like this one can spread across vast areas quite easily. I found this plant in the courtyard in front of Northrop Auditorium.
The dispersal mechanism for this seed is ingestion. The birds eat these seeds either when they are still on the tree or after the seeds have fallen off the tree. The acids in the bird's stomach is a form of scarification and allows the seed to germinate once released from inside the bird. I found this tree in the courtyard in front of Northrop Auditorium.
This is an image of a seed pod from a Baptisia plant, commonly known as False Indigo. The trifoliate leaves of the plant are pictured in the background. Late in the growing season after these seedpods have developed on the plant, the whole plant may break off at the base and blow around in the wind, scattering the seeds in the process. This particular plant was found in North Minneapolis.
Continue reading Dispersal by Wind- Patrick Pearson.
This is a picture of a Cosmos plant in my garden at home. The flower has gone to seed, and the seeds are ready to be taken by the wind (and also ready to be collected by my mom so we way plant them again next year).
I took a walk through Plaman Park in Appleton, Wisconsin last weekend, and happened across this thistle about to let the wind take its seeds. I had to re-size the picture down a little more than usual so the entire image would fit. ~Thomas Pranica
This is by far my favorite seed. On a recent trip home last weekend, I could not pass up the opportunity to stop at the raspberry patch on the side of our yard. The flesh of these berries entices predators to eat the seed and subsequently break down the seed coat through digestion. ~ Thomas Pranica
This is a cherry tomato, and highlights the tomato's seed coat and pericarp
Attached is a photo from Eau Claire in which a small bush and tree are living despite a less then ideal environment. The environment is near a lot of foot traffic, is under watered, and receives a great deal of harsh sunlight.
This image is of a Peperoncini I found at the trial garden. The pericarp and the seed coat have been labeled in this image.
As you can see I photographed an apple. The red outer skin of the apple is the percarp and the dark brown coating on the individual seeds is the seed coat. 2 of the seed were cut open and you can clearly see the white part inner seed parts in contrast to the brown seed coat.
This image was taken within the St. Paul campus area. Since the grass is growing by the road, most of the times people walk on it creating a stressful environment for the grass to grow properly.
This picture was taken near the back side of COB. As you can see the soil here is very rocky/sandy and is unable to support a large variety of plants. I also think the slope of this area plays a big role in the types of plants that can grow here. Because the sandy soil does not retain moisture well and the slope allowes for a lot of water to run off, these plants are lacking water.
You can see the lightly colored seeds in the tomato which are then surrounded by the fleshy pericarp. I tried to label them but my software won't let me, sorry.
Continue reading Victoria Khosaeva: Stressed Environment Image .
This stressful environment was right outside of my house. We tried replanting some grass, but we were not home over the summer, and with drought and not the best soil, only a tiny bit grew back. It is not even an area of heavy traffic.
I found this in my fridge. The seed is protected by the seed coat and the gaps in the middle of the apple which hold the seeds in place. The pericarp is present as well.
This was taken near a driveway on Larpenteur Ave. You can see that the stressful environment is caused by the traffic driving over it. Only a few plants are able to survive under this condition.
This is a view of the seed coat and pericarp of an orange pepper. I found it in the trial garden at school.
The only fruit I have around my place are grapes, which don't seem to be as popular as apples. I got these grapes from Lunds a week or two ago. The outermost part of the grape is the pericarp, it's not as tough as some other fruits, but you can feel some resistance as you bite into it. The purple shape in the center of the grape is the seed coat.
This was taken near Dinkytown, under a group of trees. There are a few other groups of these plants growing, but they have to contend with the trees for resources, so they do not manage to get much water or sunlight.
Continue reading Stressed out!.
I bought this apple at Cubs yesterday and decided to use it for my assignment. It is clear from this image that the pericarp(the skin) is present and that the seed coat is also present.
Continue reading Mmm...kiwi!.
This photo was taken under a bridge on Lyndale Avenue. It shows a few varieties of different plants growing from a crack in the cement. This example shows many factors of stress, including the obvious lack of good soil, limited sunlight due to its location under the bridge, and competition for the small amount of sustainable space and sunlight.
This is a photo of an orange and its anatomy. The lighter outer layer is the pericarp, and sitting above the fruit is a seed taken from inside the orange with its seed coat labeled. I found this orange at the Wedge Co-op on Lyndale Avenue.
This apple was the only thing I could find at my home, and it clearly shows a pericarp, the covering of the apple, and the seed coat.
I took this picture is evening while taking a walk on East River Road. It is clear from the image that this area is experiencing stress, the plants look dead. It seems the sun might be a factor to such drought and unhealthy plants around the area.
A lot have people have used an apple to illustrate the pericarp and seed coat, but I figure if I provide an explanation for why I did as well I may be excused for my lack of creativity. Today I was cutting up an apple, but I did not want the whole thing. I have recently started eating the entire apple when I eat one, and so when I had a large piece of the core that I did not want at the time, I put it in a bag in the fridge. I felt a little ridiculous saving the core of an apple to eat at a later time, but then later when doing this assignment I realized that it was perfect for this because the seeds and pericarp could be perfectly illustrated within the core. I sliced the seed so that it is visible that the brown part is the seed coat and the lighter inside is the actual seed. The part of the apple which most people limit themselves to eating is the pericarp.
This is a plant found in a park near my house. It was one of a few smaller plants growing in the large box. The stressful conditions were that of the extreme shade by surrounding trees and lack of pure soil. I dug a small way down and found nothing but woodchips, cement, and extremely dry soil for poor growing conditions. The leaves seemes to be protruding out of a small, older stump of a possible tree or shrub.
This is a picture of a grapefruit (obviously) that I bought at the grocery store. I found out that the pericarp of a grapefruit actually consists of three parts, which I labeled: the exocarp, the mesocarp and the endocarp. Grapefruits are hesperidiums, which are modified berries with a thick rind. As to the process of finding the grapefruit, I have to conclude that there is nothing particularly exciting about buying produce at Kowalski's. However, it is possible that I could just be desensitized to the wonders of produce shopping.
This is a stressful environment that I found in my neighborhood of Prospect Park. The sun beats down on this patch of dirt, which is located on the median in the middle of the road. It only gets natural water from the sky and not much care. There is a scorched hosta in the background and there are burnt grasses in the foreground. There is very little plant diversity here.
I found this tomato in the grocery store! I brought it home to make tomato bread and it worked out as an example of a pericarp and seed coat. The pericarp is the thick layer of fleshy skin inside the exocarp skin, surrounding the tomato, and located inside the pericarp is the seed coat, surrounding the seeds. I couldn't figure out how to insert text so hopefully this is an accurate enough description.
Continue reading Stressful Environment.
This snapshot represents the stressful environment for plant growth, resulting in low diversity.
These plants were right next to a roadway, and automobile fumes, and trashes (like cigarette butts in the picture) could have caused this unhealthy environment for plants.
Continue reading Botanical Fruit.
Bet I was the only student who went all the way to the BWCA for their assignment.
Continue reading pericarp and seed coat of tomato.
Continue reading stressful environment.
In my pre-planning for this image I thought of the cliff faces along the river and pictured some saplings growing out the side of the cliff. I live on west bank, so I ventured down to the river and found these two saplings growing underneath the Washington Avenue bridge. These two saplings are growing directly in between the lanes of traffic, presumably where water can reach them. The soil in this area is also has a severe change in gradient making growth even more difficult. ~ Thomas Pranica
I did not find a wide variety of fruit when I opened the fridge to search for this assignment, I can only thank my roommates. This apple does contain the the seed coats inside the core of the apple, and the pericarp is the surrounding covering. I did happen across a botany website which stated that the flesh of the apple was not part of the pericarp, but actually hypanthium. This would lead me to believe that the actual skin of the apple is the pericarp. I'm also not sure why the blog is cutting off part of the apple image, but the important parts are still visible ~Thomas Pranica
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This picture shows the seed coat and pericarp of a Zestar Apple.
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There are two kinds of environmental stress in this
picture. The first is the lack of growth
on the trail that students use to cut through this wooded area on the way to
the buildings "on the hill" on the
Continue reading Botanical Fruit- Kayla Lundholm.
Continue reading Plant Stress- Kayla Lundholm.
Continue reading Patrick's Botanical Fruit.
This is a photo of an avocado, showing its pericarp and seedcoat. The pericarp is the light green flesh around the seed along with the dark green skin or exocarp. The seedcoat I've peeled away to expose one of the cotyledons, I believe.
This is a photo of my shadowy backyard. I'm hoping it displays the two major ways it provides a stressful environment for plant species: the area has a lack of sunlight for most parts of the day (it is bordered on the east by trees and the west by the house) and it also has very rocky and compacted soil which does not absorb moisture well (note the light color). These factors have lead to the presence of only a small variety of plant species in the area-- I can count four, maybe five at most.
This particular fruit is a bell pepper. In this picture, I am actually in the middle of using this particular fruit to cook my dinner. The pericarp is the fleshy area around the seeds that represents the majority of the mass of the fruit. The seed coat is the white lining surrounding and protecting the seeds seen at the center of the image.
This picture was taken outside of my house in the back corner of my backyard. This environment is considered stressful because of the low light levels this particular area of my yard receives. This particular spot is hidden behind my garage meaning that this area only receives sunlight for no more than half of a day. This is also a high human traffic seeing as this part of the access path to the storage area behind the shed.
You can see that we also tried to put down some fertilizer and potting soil but to no avail.
Continue reading Patrick's Stressful Environment.
Here is a portrayal of a botanical fruit, a tomato. The seeds are the yellow somewhat circular items lined up on the left and right side of the tomato inside the locular cavity. Each seed is individually covered in a gel like substance, which is the seed coat. The pericarp is all the fleshy material enveloping the locular cavity holding the seeds (this includes the middle section of the tomato as well). I found this tomato at Rainbow supermarket.
My image here presents a stressful environment resulting in low biodiversity. Due to the sidewalk located at the bottom of the picture and the 2 by 4 plants encompassing the specimens, the plants are enclosed in a small perimeter not allowing much space for additional plants. Additionally the soil, is not well cared for, being arid and obviously rocky restricts many species of plants from growing in this stressful environment. I found this stress near 6th st and 11th ave in the dinky town area.
I chose an all-water environment for
an example of a stressful environment. There is less diversity in plant growth
in an all-water environment because of the adaptations necessary for living in
that environment. This is a picture of water lilies and water platters that are
on display outside the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Zoo.
Continue reading StressEnvLF.
This is my picture of a botanical fruit. I found this cucumber in my fridge. It is an example of a fleshy fruit. Distiguishing between the pericarp and the seed coat was a challenge for me. The pericarp is the outside and all the fleshy fruit inside. The seed coat is in the middle of the cucumber in the liquidy part where the seeds are located.
This is my example of a stressful environment for plant growth resulting in low diversity. As you can see, there is a rain spout that drips water onto the sidewalk. The water runs off the sidewalk onto the lawn. The grass cannot grow here because there is continually water running onto that area. The stress here is too much water.
I found this inflorescence in the garden behind Alderman Hall. This specimen has a pastoral light purple color to it. I believe it to be a panicle flower arrangement, however my first instinct was to label it a head arrangement.
I found this beautiful specimen in the garden behind Alderman Hall here on the St. Paul Campus. This node is distinguished by a continuation of the main stem, a leaf protruding from the node, as well as a branch coming from the node.
This inflorescence example was found near Franklin Ave and Lyndale Ave. It shows us the plant's long, leafy stem that leads up to a cluster of brilliant white flowers. If I had to guess I would say the structure falls in the panicle category.
This is a photo showing the node of a plant, found in my neighbors yard. From this node, we see three different varieties of structure: two leaves, two branches and a continuation of the stem.If I had to guess I would say this particular plant is a compound umbel.
A plant's inflorescence captured outside of my home.
I captured this image of a node connect to a leaf outside of my home.
This inflorescence is on the St. Paul Campus, in the gardens near the PGF. The flower arrangement is held by a peduncle, with rachi extending away from that. Pedicels hold each individual flower and connect them to the rachi.
This is a node that I found in a garden near my house. There are 3 different things protruding from the node: a continuation of the main stem, two leaves, and two branches.
I found this plant at the Lakewood Cemetery, in one of the landscaped areas. The flowers are attatched to the stem by short stalks on alternating sides. I'm guessing it is a raceme inflorescence.
I found this plant by the pond at the Lakewood Cemetery. This photo shows a continuation of the main stem, a branch with a flower, and several leaves emerging from the node. I'm not sure what species the plant is.
Continue reading WK1INFLORESCENCE - ML.
Continue reading WK1NODE - ML.
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I found this plant in the trial garden on the
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I found this plant in the trial garden on the
I also found this inflorescence near the Mayo building, and in the picture, you can see two or three flowers are arranged on one stem.I'm not certain about this flower's name, but I think this inflorescence has an umbel structure.
I found this inflorescence near the Mayo building. In this picture, you can clearly see leaves, branches, flowers, pedicels emerging from a node of the inflorescence. And, I think this inflorescence has a panicle arrangment of flowers.
Continue reading Inflorescence- Kayla Lundholm.
I also found this picture in the trial garden on the St. Paul campus. You can see near the bottom of the picture where a leaf, branch, and continuation of the main stem come from the node.
I found this flower in the garden across from the Plant Growth Facility on campus. I believe the plant in a Geranium Sanguineum, however there were many names on the card identifying the plant so I could be incorrect in my classification. It is clear to see the different plant parts coming from the node: an extension of stem, flower, and leaves.
I found this plant in the trial garden on the St. Paul Campus. I believe it is a Determinate inflorescence with basipetal maturation according to wikipedia.
Continue reading Week 1 Node.
Continue reading Week 1 Infloresence.
This is a picture of multiple nodes in the garden outside the Plant Growth Facility. It shows nodes that lead to a flower, a branch, a leaf and a continuation of the main stem.
I found this plant by the tennis courts in St. Paul. I don't know what kind of inflorescence structure this is.
I found this plant near the tennis courts on the St. Paul campus. The node has leaves and branches extending from it, as well as a continuation of the stem.
This image was also found in the front yard of Clovia. I think this inflorescence stuctrue is a compound umbel.
This image was found in the front yard of Clovia. The node on the right side of the picuture has two leaves, a branch which leads to the fruit and continues the main stem. I thought it would be much harder to find a node with three different emerging plant parts but this was found right outside my door.
The image of this plant is again from our garden. This is an example of a simple inflorescence and I think the flower arrangement is "Corymb". One can see the leaves and flowers along with continuing stems emerging from the nodes in this image as well.
I found this plant in our garden. One can see leaves and flowers emerging from the nodes and can also see a continuing stem in this image. This is an example of a compound inflorescence and the flower arrangement is either a "Panicle" or a "Head".
I found this inflorescence in the Display and Trial Garden on campus. I have absolutely no idea what kind of flower arrangement this is, but the flowers on some of the clusters appear to be alternate while others appear to be opposite.
This is a picture of a node found outside the front of my house. In this picture you can actually see both nodes as well as the peduncle of the plant.
This is a picture of multiple inflorescences in my backyard. This picture was taken at 4:01p on September 15, 2009. Unfortunately, I could not get my little point and shoot camera to focus on the inflorescence at the forefront of the image.
This is a node I found right next to the mall area on campus. I don't know what plant it is, but from the node it has the continuation of the main stem, leaves, and flowers.
Continue reading Node- Patrick Pearson.
Continue reading Inflorescence- Patrick Pearson.
I found this inflorescence at the St. Paul Campus. The front image blurred slightly, but the example behind I thought it was a nice example of the peduncle, however the rachis is a little difficult to discern. Thomas Pranica
I found this plant on the St. Paul Campus, I thought it was interesting that, not only did this node have a branch and a continuation of the main stem, but it also sprouted a fruit. Thomas Pranica
I found this flower under the foot bridge crossing 35W. I thought it was a picture of a distinct node with a leaf, branch, and stem continuation from the the upper node. I think it happens to be an infloresence, as well, but I'm not sure. The white flowers really pop against the green, too!
I found these infloresence down the block from my house. It stood out to me as an obvious cluster of flowers compared to the other plants surrounding it. The rest of the plant not visible in the picture is simply a continuation of the stem and many small leaves.
This is my picture of nodes. I found this plant on my friends porch. Emerging from the node is a continuation of the main stem, a leaf, and a flower.
This is my picture of Inflorescence. I found this plant in the rocks outside of my apartment building. The structure of the inflorescence in a straight stem with many little white balls coming off of it. I think it is the raceme or the spike inflorescence.
Here's an example of an inflorescence using the dicot plant that you drew in class last Thursday. I've labeled what I think are the peduncle, rachis and pedicel based on the principles that we reviewed in class: peduncle holds up the inflorescence, pedicel holds up the flower and the rachis is everything else in between!
