What is the function of the horsetail's strobilus?
A strobilus is a structure present on many land plant species.The term cone is often used to refer to the strobili of conifers.The central axis of strobili is surrounded by spirally arranged structures that may be modified leaves or modified stems.
There are two types of leaves: leaves that bear sporangia and stems that do not.
strobili is produced by some members of the two modern classes of lycopodiophyta.In all cases, the strobilus has microphylls.There are no organized strobili in other lycophytes.
There is a liquid-preserved strobili of Selaginella.
The strobili are the internal organs of Equisetum.Fossil members of the group show that the sporangiophores are smaller than leaves.They are terminal.
In different structures, seed plants produce ovules and pollen.Microsporangiate strobili or pollen cones, and those bearing ovules are referred to as megasporagiate or seed cones.
Cycadophyta are typically dioecious.There are two to several marginal ovules in the lateral organs of seed strobili.Each of the strobili may have dozens or hundreds of microsporangia.
The ovules of Ginkgo biloba are not found in a strobilus, but at the end of a stem.It is clear when there are more than a pair of ovules that the species is a highly reduced strobilus.
The strobili of Pinophyta are similar to cycads and Ginkgos in that they are composed of microsporophylls.Many conifers have seed cones.The central stem has a cone scale in the axil of each bract.The cone scale has a reduced stem.The ovules are on the surface of the scales.
There are three genera of Gnetophyta.Some of the Ephedra species exhibit monoecy.In contrast to the conifers, gnetophytes have both compound pollen and seed strobili.The seed strobili of Gnetum is reduced with only a single ovule.
A bisexual strobilus is the flower of flowering plants.Microsporangia can be found within the anther and ovules contained in carpels.Magnolia is a strobiloid flower with all parts arranged in a spiral.
A number of flowering plants have inflorescences that look similar to strobili, but are more complex in structure.