Bot 111.

1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

EXERCISE 5
The Stem

Name: ______________________________________________________Date: ____________

Section: ____________________________________________________ Score: ___________

I. Introduction

The shoot system comprises the stem and all its branches. The stem is the main axis of the
plant. It bears all structures which are above the ground, e.g. leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. Its
primary functions are for support and conduction. Other functions include food storage,
photosynthesis and others.

Some plants however, have no visible stems and known as stemless or acaulescent plants.
Plants that produce conspicuous stems above the ground are caulescent. Variation in stems is very
important in plant identification.

II. Objectives

At the end of this exercise the students should be able to:

1. know the different types of stem as well as the different types of stem modification,
2. identify and describe the parts of the stem and
3. differentiate between monocots and dicots in terms of the structure of the stem.

III. Materials

Homalocladium platycladum (Tapeworm Bougainvillea spectabilis (Bougainvillea)

Plant)
Brassica oleracea (cabbage) Sanseviera sp. (snake plant)
Zingiber officinale (ginger) Allium cepa (sibuyas)
Cucurbita maxima (kalabasa) Cordyline fruticosa (tungkod pari)
Sechium edule (sayote) Zea mays (corn)
Solanum tuberosum (patatas) Bambusa sp. (bamboo)
Cynodon dactylon (Bermuda grass) Coleus blumei (mayana)
Citrus sp. Chlorophytum comosum (spider plant)
Psidium guajava (guava) Ficus sp. (fig tree)
Ophiopogon jaburan (Jaburan Lilyturf) Euphorbia tirucalli (pencil tree)
Colocasia esculenta (gabi) Prepared slides (Young dicot stem in c.s.,
Z.
Eichornia crasippes (water hyacinth) mays stem in c.s. and A. cepa stem tip in
l.s.)
Opuntia sp. (prickly pear cactus) Microscope
Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

Ophiopogon jaburan

IV. Procedure

Part A. Morphology of the Stem

A. Observe the following in your specimens.

Types of stems

1. Underground or subterranean stems – these are stems that grow underground. Most are
used as food storage organs.
a. Bulbs – are underground, condensed shoots, usually flattened and consist of short,
disc-like stems enclosed in overlapping layers of fleshy leaves, sometimes scale-
like.
b. Corms – are vertical, thick stems that have thin, papery leaves.
c. Rhizome – stems that grow horizontally below the ground level. They bear scale-
like leaves and sometimes shoots and adventitious roots. They function for food
storage and vegetative propagation.
d. Stem tubers – these are swollen ends of the underground lateral stems or the
thickened portion of a rootstock. It has a very minute scale-like leaves and buds or
eyes.
2. Aerial stems – these are stems that grow above the ground. They exhibit variations hence
can be classified in many ways, e.g. according to texture and habit. Some aerial stems may
undergo specialization.
a. According to texture

Herbaceous – plants that are soft-stemmed; they usually die at the end of one
growing season.
Suffrutescent – stems that are woody at the base, while the more distal parts are
herbaceous. These are plants that are half-woody and half-herbacous.
Woody or arborescent – when the stem becomes tough due to the formation of
secondary tissues and usually with a main trunk that lasts for several years.

b. According to direction of growth or habit

Erect – when the stem grows perpendicular to the ground.

Ascending or assurgent – when the stem rises obliquely.
Decumbent – when the stem more or less reclines on the ground or the stem lies
flattened immediately above the ground.
Prostrate or procumbent – when the stem lies on the ground and bears roots at the
nodes.
Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

Creeping or repent – when the stem lies closely on the ground and bears roots at
the nodes.
Climbing – when the stem ascend by means of special support or other structures
offered by other plants.
Twinning – vines that climb by coiling about other stems or objects, e.g. fence.
Lianas – scandent stems that are vine-like, woody vines.

c. Special kinds/modification in stems

Boles – unbranched stems of forest trees.

Caudex – unbranched woody stems of some monocotyledonous plants such as
palms.
Culm – hollow or solid stems of grasses.
Stolons or runners – stems that lie flat on the ground, bear roots at the nodes and
produce new plants.
Scape – leafless flowering stem that arise from the ground, usually from radical
plants.
Cladophyll – a modified stem resembling a leaf in form and appearance.
Prickle – a sharp, protective organ which is a lateral extension of the cortex and
epidermis or superficial tissues of the stem.
Stem tendril – a specialized organ for climbing. They coil around objects of other
plants for support. Stem tendrils are differentiated from leaf tendrils in that stem
developed from the shoot apical meristem while leaf tendrils develop from the leaf
primordium.
Spines – sharp structures formed from the shoot apex, leaf margins, stipules or other
parts of the leaf.
Thorns – a strong, sharp-pointed protective organ containing vestiges of the stele.

B. Make sketches of the different types of stem and stem modification based on your
specimens. Below the drawing, indicate the scientific name and the type of stem and
modification (if any).

C. Indicate the stem modification in your specimens (if any) and their specialized function in
Table 1 below.

Table 1. Variation in stems

Scientific Name Kind of Stems and Specialized Function
Modification (if any)
Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

Special features of stems

1. Buds – are undeveloped leaves or flowers. Some of the common descriptive terms for buds
include the following:

Kinds of buds
a. Dormant bud – an inactive bud; it becomes inactive due to some environmental
conditions.
b. Flower bud – is a stem tip producing embryonic flowers.
c. Leaf bud – a stem tip containing embryonic leaves.
d. Mixed bud – a bud containing both embryonic leaves and flowers.
e. Accessory bud – an extra bud produced on either side of an axillary bud.
f. Hairy bud – a bud with the outer scales covered with hairs.
g. Resinous bud – a bud that exudes a sticky substance.
h. Scaly bud – a bud covered by bud scales.
i. Naked bud – a bud without scale-like leaves or covering of any kind.

2. Phyllotaxy – the pattern or arrangement of the leaves along the stem.

There are three basic phyllotaxis.

a. Alternate – when there is only one leaf to a node and are arranged in such a way
that one leaf on one node does not shade the one below it.
b. Opposite – when there are two leaves borne on the same node from opposite sides
of the stem.
c. Whorled or verticillate when three or more leaves are attached to one node and are
arranged regularly on the stem.

Other type of phyllotaxy:

Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

a. Decussate – when a pair of leaves are arranged alternately at right angles above or
below it forming 4 rows as viewed from the top.
b. Distichous – when two leaves are on opposite side of the stem, whether opposite
or alternate, and are regularly arranged in two ranks or rows.
c. Fasciculate or fascicled – when two or more leaves are attached on the same node
and both are present on the same side of the stem.
d. Second – when all leaves are turned toward one side.

D. Identify the phyllotaxy of your specimens. Indicate this in Table 2.

Table 2. Types of phyllotaxy

Specimen Type of Phyllotaxy

E. Examine a monocot and a dicot stem. Locate and identify all parts, i.e. nodes, internodes,
leaf scars, lenticels, buds, leaf sheath, buds, etc. Draw and label the parts of a monocot and
a dicot stem.
F. Examine the different kinds of buds present. Are these structures present in all your
specimens? What is a stipule? How can you differentiate a stipule from an axillary bud?

Part B. Anatomy of the Stem

1. Herbaceous Dicot Stem

In herbaceous (non-woody) plants, or in the young stems of woody plants, the

primary vascular tissues (i.e., vascular tissues produced by primary growth) are arranged
in bundles. These bundles may form a ring around a pith (dicots), or they may be arranged
in several rings or scattered throughout the ground tissue (monocots).
Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

 Examine a prepared slide of a young dicot stem in cross section with separate bundles.
Note that the vascular bundles are arranged in a ring around the pith.

Identify the epidermis, cortex, vascular bundles, pith, and pith rays. Within the
cortex, can you distinguish the parenchyma and collenchyma cells? All of the vascular
tissue in this section is produced by primary growth. You should be able to distinguish
primary xylem on the inner side of the bundle and primary phloem on the outer side.
Note the cap of fibers associated with the phloem. Draw and label your observations.

2. Monocot Stem

 Examine a prepared slide of a cross section of a Zea mays (corn) stem.

Corn has vascular bundles scattered throughout the ground tissue. There is no
procambium remaining between the xylem and phloem of these bundles, thus no vascular
cambium can form within the bundle as occurs in dicots with secondary growth. Bundles
that lack residual procambium are called closed. Bundles in which a vascular cambium
eventually forms are called open (e.g., Helianthus and Medicago).

Note that the vascular bundles in corn are surrounded by a bundle sheath of
sclerenchyma cells. Primary phloem is found toward the outside of the stem within the
bundle and consists of sieve-tube members and companion cells. Primary xylem is
found toward the inside of the stem within the bundle and consists of vessel members and
parenchyma cells. During cell elongation, the xylem vessels may break, forming an air
space.
Identify the bundle sheath, primary phloem, companion cells, sieve-tube members,
xylem, vessel members, xylem parenchyma, ground tissue, and an air space. Draw and
label your observations.

3. Coleus Shoot Tip

 Examine a prepared slide of a longitudinal section of a Coleus stem tip.

You should see a stem with several pairs of opposing leaves. At the top of the stem
is the dome-shaped apical meristem, which is surrounded by leaves. It gives rise to the
primary tissues of the stem: protoderm (develops into the epidermis), procambium
(develops into the primary vascular tissues), and ground meristem (develops into the
cortex and pith).

Along the sides of the apical meristem are the leaf primordia with axillary bud
primordia, which will give rise to new leaves and buds. Although the vascular bundles are
arranged in a ring around the stem, the vascular tissue appears in median longitudinal
Bot 111.1: Plant Morphoanatomy and Diversity

section to consist of a vascular strand on each side of the pith. Each vascular strand
contains xylem and phloem. At each node, the vascular strand continues into the leaf as a
leaf trace. You should be able to identify these tissues and regions. Draw and label your
observations.

V. Study Questions

1. What are leaf scars? What are they for?

2. What do you call the lower part of the leaf that encloses the monocot stem?
3. What are lenticels? Are they present in all your specimens? What is its taxonomic
significance?
4. Why are some of the specimens called specialized or modified stems? Give reasons.
5. Differentiate annuals, biennials and perennials? Which of the specimens observed are
annuals, biennials and perennials? Tabulate.
6. Which tissue occupies the center of the dicot stem?
7. Do monocot stems have a vascular cambium?
8. What are the differences between a monocot and a dicot stem?

VI. References

Balngcod T.D. and Buot I.E. Jr. (2011). Plant Taxonomy: A Laboratory Manual (A Revised
Edition). Philippine Society for the Study of Nature. 109 pp.

Plant Structure. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://windward.hawaii.edu/facstaff/miliefsky-m/BIOL

%20172%20Lab/Lab04_plant_structure.pdf

Shoot and Stem Structure. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.ohio.edu/plantbio/staff/rothwell/

pbio115/lab-4.pdf