Glossary

The science and practice of cultivating plants and managing soils for food and materials.

Photosynthetic protists with no vascular structures.

A region of undifferentiated cells at the tips of roots and shoots where active cell division drives primary growth.

Supergroup including land plants and green/red algae.

Fuel produced from recent biological materials such as plant oils or cellulose.

Total mass of living or recently living plant material used as energy or raw material.

A rigid, protective layer external to the plasma membrane in plant cells, composed primarily of cellulose, that provides structural support.

Green pigment in chloroplasts that absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.

A plastid containing chlorophyll and other pigments where photosynthesis converts light energy into chemical energy.

Flattened, membrane-bound sacs that stack to form the Golgi apparatus (and occur in parts of the endoplasmic reticulum) in plant cells. Within these cisternae, proteins and lipids are modified, sorted, and packaged into vesicles for transport to their cellular destinations.

Plant-based good traded in bulk markets, for example cotton or timber.

In botany, the cortex refers to the outer layer of tissue in plant stems and roots, situated between the epidermis (the outermost layer) and the vascular tissue. It's primarily composed of ground tissue, specifically parenchyma cells, and plays a vital role in various functions like support, storage, and transport.

The act of preparing land and tending plants to promote growth.

A flowering plant whose seed typically contains two embryonic leaves (cotyledons); often has net-like leaf venation and ringed vascular bundles.

Long-term selection of plant traits that make species more useful and manageable for humans.

Benefit people obtain from ecosystems, such as oxygen production and air purification.

The outermost layer of cells that covers the entire plant body, including leaves, stems, roots, and reproductive structures.

Plant grown for textile or industrial fibers such as bast, seed, or leaf fibers.

Material derived from trees, including timber, pulp, and engineered wood.

Energy-dense geologic carbon largely originating from ancient plant biomass.

Raw plant-derived substance used to manufacture goods such as resins, oils, and latex.

A flowering plant whose seed typically contains one embryonic leaf (cotyledon); characterized by parallel leaf venation and scattered vascular bundles.

Resource that forms so slowly it is effectively finite on a human timescale.

Gas released during photosynthesis that supports aerobic life.

Vascular tissue that distributes sugars and other organic nutrients produced by photosynthesis throughout the plant.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and release oxygen.

Resource that can be replenished naturally on a human timescale.

Metabolic process that breaks down carbohydrates to release usable energy.

Plant compound such as an alkaloid, terpene, or phenolic with ecological or industrial uses.

A distinct layer of soil, classified by its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics (e.g., O, A, B, C horizons).

Primary food crop that forms the basis of a population’s diet.

Tiny pores on leaf and stem surfaces that regulate gas exchange and water loss by opening and closing.

Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.

Tracheids are specialized, elongated cells in the xylem (water-conducting tissue) of plants, characterized by their thick, lignified walls, tapered ends, and pits. They function in both water transport and providing structural support. Tracheids are found in all vascular plants, and are the only water-conducting cells in gymnosperms (like conifers) and ferns.

Movement of sugars and other solutes through the phloem.

The loss of water vapor from plant aerial parts, mostly through stomata, helps drive the upward flow of water from roots to leaves.

Vascular tissue in plants is a complex tissue system responsible for transporting water, nutrients, and sugars throughout the plant. It consists of two main types: xylem, which transports water and minerals, and phloem, which transports sugars. These tissues are arranged in vascular bundles, which run along the stems and roots of plants.

A form of asexual reproduction in plants where new individuals arise from non-reproductive tissues (e.g., stems, roots, leaves).

Vascular tissue is responsible for the unidirectional transport of water and dissolved minerals from roots upward through the plant.