Angiosperms

Daisy (Bellis Perennis). Angiosperms include flowers, that is most of the higher plant forms, with the exception of Gymnosperms. (Photo F. Padovan)

     The division of Angiosperms into Dicotiledon and Moncotiledon is explained. Dicotiledon are represented with a simple diagram of a flower and two cross sections of trunks (a walnut and a cork oak) each with the relevant terms labelled – bark, liber, cambium, sapwood, duramen and medulla. In the case of the monocotyledons the different anatomy of the trunk is shown with the relative photographs for each plant: agave, date palm, maize, bamboo and canes.
     a. A composition shows how root tubercules form on the root of a clover plant with the aid of nitrogen fixative bacteria (gen. Rhizobium); this emphasizes the important role of leguminous plants in soil fertility.
     b. Some particularly spectacular examples of teratological forms on branches are shown with indications of possible causes: a deformation on an ash, a growth on a beech and an alder and scar tissue on a beech.

Medicinal Plants
     There are about thirty photographs of common medicinal plants (e.g. Taraxacum, Arnica, Valerian, Belladonna and Hellebore), with indications next to each name as to which part of the plant has the active ingredient.

     The photographs of medicinal plants continue at the top of the following show case in which are also shown the:

Poisonous Plants
     There are about ten photographs (e.g. Veratrum, Aconite, Autumn Crocus), and next to each name the part of the plant containing the poison is indicated.

Aconite (Aconitus napellus) Poisonous plant, common in the Alps where it flowers in July and August. Once it was used for poisoning arrowheads. (Photo F. Padovan)