Ramiflory

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ramiflory

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the physiological basis?Involves the activation of dormant buds or meristems on mature woody tissues
2. Why do some plants use ramiflory?Using older branches lets plants support larger fruits and reach pollinators, especially in crowded forests where light is limited.
3. How do plants make flowers on old branches?Dormant buds or special cells in the old wood wake up and develop into flowers or fruits.

Ramiflory: A reproductive strategy in plants where flowers and fruits develop on older, woody branches from prior seasons.
Cauliflory: The botanical characteristic of flowers and fruits growing directly from the trunk or main stems of a plant.
Dormant Buds: Meristematic tissues on a plant stem that are inactive but capable of developing into new shoots or flowers.
Convergent Evolution: The process where unrelated organisms independently evolve similar traits due to similar environmental pressures.