Herbal Anatomy - Flowers

Just realized back on April 6, that the posts I wrote on anatomy never posted.  So the first one was back on January 6, then the next was April 6.  Now we have the third on Flowers.

Not an envelope

All the organs of the flower are situated on, or grow out of the apex of the flower stalk, into which they are inserted and which is called the Torus or Receptacle.

The organs of a flower are of two sorts.

1)   The leaves (or envelopes).

2)   Those peculiar organs having no resemblance to the envelopes.

Leaves (petals)

The envelopes are of two kinds (or occupy two rows, one above or within the other):

      1)  The lower or outer row is termed the Calyx, and commonly exhibits the green color of the leaves.

       2)  The inner row, which is usually of more delicate texture and forms the most showy part of the flower, is termed the Coralla.

easy to see the green calyx below the flower (coralla) on calendula

The leaves of the Coralla are called Petals, and the leaves of the Calyx are called Sepals.

The floral envelopes are collectively called the Perianth.

The essential organs enclosed within a floral envelope also come in two kinds and occupy two rows one within the other. The first of these, those next to the petals, are the Stamens. A stamen consists of a stalk called the Filament, which bears on its summit a rounded body termed the Anther, filled with a substance called Pollen.

The seed bearing organs occupy the center or summit of a flower, and are called Pistils.  In many cases the pistil is not obvious as a separate item until the plant produces fruit (seeds.)  A pistil is distinguished into three parts;

1)   the ovary containing the ovales (ovule)

2)   the style, or columnar prolongation of the ovary

3)   the stigma or termination of the style.

Pineapple Sage

 I think you can see all these parts best in Pineapple Sage and any daisy-like flower.

 A plant is said to be monoecious, where the stamens and pistils are in separate flowers on the same individual.  Sweet corn is an example of this  the tassels at the top pollinate the silks on the ears of corn.

sorrel

Dioecious is where they occupy separate flowers on different individuals.  Sorrel with its heart-shape leaves actually has male and female plants.  Important if you want to propagate them from seeds!

Polygamous is where the stamens and pistils are separate in some flowers and united in others, either on the same or two or three different plants.  Maple trees are the most commonly seen Polygamous plants, with male and female or even bisexual organs on any given tree.

Herbal Anatomy - Leaves

I started with plant nature, like perennial vs. annual (back on January 6); Now I am going to give you some terminology and examples about the leaves.

Leaves are the most important part of an herb, as they are where the essential oils that give the plants their unique scents and flavors are held.  One can identify herbs by the shape, location and size of the leaves they produce.

NODE is the spot where leaves and buds are attached to the stem.

LEAF is the photosynthetic organ of a plant that is attached to a stem, generally at specific intervals.

WHORLED  an interval where stems, leaves or flowers, arise in a ring around the stem, usually not recognized unless the whorl includes three or more leaves or branches.

OPPOSITE an interval when leaves or buds are arranged in pairs each component on the opposite side of the branch

 THE LEAF

The leaf is commonly raised on an unexpanded part or stalk which is call the petiole, while the expanded portion is termed the lamina, limb or blade. When the vessels or fibers of the leaves expand immediately on leaving the stem, the leaf is said to be sessile. In such cases the petiole is absent. When the blade consists of a single piece, the leaf is simple; when composed of two or three more with a branched petiole, the leaf is compound.

The distribution of the veins or framework of the leaf in the blade is termed venation.

 A linear leaf is an elongated shape with nearly parallel sides.

A lanceolate leaf has the form of a lance;  wide in the middle and gradually tapering  at each end. Lemon Verbena is often described as this shape (see below) but it is really pinnate.

An ovate leaf is oval shaped.

Sage has a nice ovate leaf

an obovate leaf  is one having the veins more developed beyond the middle of the blade.

These leaves are obovate because the veins are so pronounced.  This is an heirloom rose (see the hip)

Betony with a wedge-shape leaf

A cuneiform  (or cuneate)  leaf is wedge shaped.

A cordate leaf is heart shaped.

A reniform is kidney shaped.

A sagittate leaf is arrow shaped.

 A hastate leaf  is shaped like the head of a spear with sharp basal lobes spreading away from the base of the petiole.

A peltate leaf is shaped like a shield.

A serrate leaf is one in which the margin is beset with sharp teeth, which point forward towards the apex.

The opposite leaves of this Apple mint are slightly serrate , the points angle toward the apex

A dentate leaf  the teeth are NOT directed towards the apex.

A crenate leaf has rounded teeth

catnip has rounded teeth

A sinuate leaf has alternate concavities and convexities (wavy)

rue leaves have non-uniform wavy edges

 A pinnate leaf is shaped like a feather

Lemon verbena is considered pinnate

A pectinate leaf has very close and narrow divisions, like the teeth of a comb.

A lyrate leaf has the shape of a lyre

A runcinate leaf is  a lyrate leaf with sharp lobes pointing towards the base, like a dandelion leaf.

A palmate leaf resembles the hand, usually with five veins rather than a five fingered look.

You can clearly see plantain's 5 veins

A pedate leaf  looks like a bird's foot. Usually three lobes or veins.

Purple bugbane has great bird track like leaves

Leaves which arise directly from a rootstock, not from an aerial stem are said to be radical.

Rosette leaves are clustered at ground level. (The hosta above has a rosette of leaves that are also radical!)

Sessil  leaves have no stalk.  Grasses are sessil.

lemon grass

Truncate leaves are cut off straight across.

In ferns the leaves are called fronds.

When a leaf at its outer edge has no dentations it is said to be entire. When a leaf has a jagged edge is it known as serrate or dentate. When the leaf terminates in an acute angle it is acute, when in an obuse angle it is obtuse. An obtuse leaf with the apex slightly depressed is retuse, or if more strongly notched emarginate.

Herbal Anatomy -- winter blog series

I always choose something to do in the winter months that will take me to a deeper level of understanding of the plants I grow and love.  This year it is an exploration of plant  (herb) anatomy.  Over the next few weeks I will explore the parts of the plants the various descriptions of the parts and the uses of those parts.

I am going to begin with plant nature, like perennial vs. annual; then talk about roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit. I will include as many images as I can so when Spring comes you can go out and investigate your garden in a whole new way!

ANNUAL PLANTS spring from the seed, make their full growth and then die at the end of the growing season.  Many well know herbs are annual, like dill, cilantro and basil.

A BIENNIAL PLANT does not flower the first year, but produces leaves only. The second year of its growth it flowers, after which it dies. The carrot and parley are examples of biennials.  Many biennials are grown as annuals in the herb kingdom because the leaves are more important than the seed it will produce the second year.

A PERENNIAL PLANT lives for more than two years. If the plant retains its leaves during the winter, it is known as an EVERGREEN; if the leaves fall upon the approach of cold weather, it is said to be DECIDUOUS. Many herbs like sage, common thyme, tarragon and mints a,mong others are all perennial.

Lemon Verbena a Deciduous Tender Perennial

TENDER PERENNIAL - this is a perennial plant that cannot withstand most Zone 5 conditions, it will die if winder temps get below 10 to 0 degrees F.  These plants can be treated as annuals or brought indoors for winter.  Rosemary and Lemon verbena are both tender. 

AN HERB is a plant having a soft stem which dies down to the ground after the plant has reached it full growth.  This is the botanical definition.  The Herb Society definition is any plant beneficial to humankind through culinary or medicinal means (which includes, shrubs, trees and herbaceous plants.)

A SHRUB is a plant which has a woody stem, grows to a height of twenty-five to thirty feet or less, and branches near the ground. Sage is a shrub as is winter savory.

Burr Oak - Morton Arboretum

A  TREE has a woody stem, is higher than a shrub and does NOT branch near the ground.

A  STOLON is a form of a branch which curves or falls down to the ground, where they often produce roots.  Mint does this as it can propagate from root, seed and branch (that is why it tends to be invasive.)

A CLIMBING PLANT is any plant using an external support to raise itself above the ground. The term “vine” is used for certain climbing plants. Hops which is also an annual and passion flower are great vining herbs.

A PROSTRATE PLANT  – a plant growing flat on the soil surface with little or no upward growth.  There is a genus of Rosemary an, Corsican Mint and several thyme varieties which all are considered prostrate.

 A  SUCKER is a branch of subterraneous origin, which, after running horizontally and emitting roots in its course, at length rises out of  the ground and forms an erect stem, which soon becomes an independent plant.  Examples are roses, raspberries, mints.

A RUNNER is a prostrate, slender branch sent off from the base of the parent stem.

An OFFSET is a similar but shorter branch, with a tuft of leaves at the end, as in the house-leek or hen and chicks.

A SPINE  is a short and imperfectly developed branch of a woody plant, as exhibited in the honey-locust.

A TENDRIL is commonly a slender leafless branch, capable of coiling spirally, like grapevines.

INDETERMINATE GROWTH is the term used to refer to branches and leaves growing for an undetermined length of time to be stopped only by other factors such as frost.  Most herbs are described as indeterminate because the growing season end varies by the time of the first frost in the fall.