Plant Adaptations

A Narcissus Bulb. Red Arrow = Mother Bulb, Blue Arrow = Succulent foliage leaves originating from the basal plate, Green Arrow = Basal plate (Stem), Yellow Arrow = Daughter Bulb.

A corm e.g. Gladiolus A corm is a modified stem. The stem is condensed and there are no succulent foliage leaves which are present on bulbs. The yellow arrow is pointing to new shoots developing from buds on the corm.

A stem tuber.The eyes on the potato are the buds as shown by the red

arrow.

A cladode of Ruscus.This is a modified stem, shaped like a leaf as shown by the red arrow

Offsets in Sempervivum.These are small stolons and succulent leaves for water storage with fine hairs to reduce transpiration.

A rhizome in a grass.The rhizome (as shown by the red arrow) is a creeping stem below ground. Buds are present on the rhizome which gives rise to new plants and allows the plant to spread asexually.

A root tuber of Dahlia.The red arrow is pointing to the root tuber, a swollen root storing starch.

Insect-trapping leaves in insectivorous Pinguicula spp. The insects, which stick to the leaves, supply nitrogen as the plant grows in waterlogged, nitrogen poor soils.

A modified insect-trapping leaf in Drosera spp., an insectivorous plant. Insects are trapped by the sticky leaf hairs.

A modified leaf of Nepenthes spp. which forms a ‘pitcher’ into which the insects fall and are trapped.

A modified leaf in insectivorous Sarracenia spp. which forms a ‘pitcher’ into which insects fall.

A modified leaf in insectivorous Dionaea muscipula which closes rapidly trapping the insect inside.