Minutes POC Conf Call 4-1-10

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POC meeting,Webex Conference Call; Date: April 1, 2010 10am


New terms. Posted on SourceForge tracker for comments.

At the Ithaca meeting, we proposed having simple plant organ and compound plant organ as children of plant organ. We need to decide if it is necessary to retain these terms.


1. simple organ

Proposed def'n: A plant organ that does not contain any other plant organ as a part.

Examples: petal, root, simple leaf. [source: rw:test]

Comment: This term may not be necessary, since it is covered by our current definition of plant organ (RW)


2. compound organ

Proposed def'n: Compound organ: plant organ that has as its parts two or more simple plant organs.

Example: fern sorus composed of multiple sporangia or gyneocium composed of multiple carpels, also compound leaf.

Comment: This term may not be necessary, since it is covered by our current definition collective plant structure (RW).


3. spore:

This term is currently missing from the PO. We need to come up with a definition.

proposed def'n: A reproductive cell, usually unicellular, capable of developing into an adult without fusion with another cell. (Raven, Evert, Eichorn, 4th Ed)

alternative def'n: a haploid reproductive structure produced after meiosis marking the end of the sporophytic phase of the life cycle, germinating to produce the gametophyte, see megaspore and microspore/pollen (kinds of spores). (AP Web Glossary)

comments: the product of meiosis, is_a plant cell, parent of megaspore, microspore, develops into the gametophyte


Item from last week's agenda:

1. Organ margin

Proposed def'n: The edge of an organ and the area immediately internally adjacent to it.

-Added new children of organ margin for all appropriate children of phyllome, that is, all laminar structures. See dev browser.



2. Leaf margin:

Proposed def'n: The margin of any flattened portion of a leaf.

- will have children 'leaf lamina margin' and 'leaf petiole margin' (see definitions on dev browser).


If everyone agrees with these changes, we can close this item.


3. New children of collective plant structure:

(def'n: A plant structure that is a proper part of a plant and is composed of two or more organs and any associated portions of plant tissue.) 

We can deal with definitions and relationships of each term later, but for now we simply need to approve moving them to 'children of collective plant structure'. These terms had no is_a parents. No definitions or part_of relationships have been changed.

Does everyone agree that these terms should be children of collective plant structure?

  • andreocium
  • calyx
  • corolla
  • epicalyx
  • flower
  • gynoecium
  • inflorescence
  • infructescence
  • involucre
  • perianth
  • spikelet
  • phyllome whorl (was child of phyllome)



Re-organization of existing terms


6. floral bract and inflorescence bract

These two terms were children of both plant organ and bract (which is_a organ). Deleted is_a relationships to plant organ and kept under bract.


7. New is_a children of cardinal organ part

Several weeks ago, we created new children of cardinal organ part, from terms that had no is_a parent. Some of them can be dealt with later, but the terms listed here are a higher priority and/or can be dealt with very quickly.


  • pulvinus (currently is_a organ)

This terms is currently listed as an organ. Suggest making it a cardinal organ part.

The definition should also be reworded.

Current definition: A more or less abrupt swelling, especially at the apex or base of a petiole or leaf sheath, often glandular and/or being the place where a plant responds to touch, gravity or light, in panicoid grasses a swollen region in the stem above the intercalary meristem - such a definition would also include stems of Chloranthaceae, Acanthaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Amaranthaceae, etc., cf. articulation. [source: APWeb:Glossary]

Proposed def'n.: (Lol and Ramona will work on before meeting)


  • receptacle

Part of pedicel (which is currently a stalk, see below) and has no is_a parent.


  • fruit

Is a fruit an organ? MAG: fruit fits our definition of a plant organ

Current def'n: The seed-bearing structure in angiosperms, formed from the ovary after flowering. [source: APWeb:Glossary, POC:curators]


stalk and its children


  • stalk (moved from is_a organ)
  • leaf rachis (is_a stalk)

These two terms are pretty straight forward. Stalk was made a cardinal organ part (as per its definition) rather than an organ. Leaf rachis was made a child of stalk (it had not is_a parent).


  • peduncle

Is currently child of stalk, but perhaps it should be a child of stem


  • pedicel

Is currently child of stalk, but does not fit the definition. Should be a stem?


  • hypanthium (made part_of receptacle instead of part_of flower)

comment: LC: I think it is better to leave hypanthium as part_of flower.

See Source Forge item for additional comments.


8. Upcoming Conferences and Meetings:


  • Botanical Society of America (BSA)- July 31-Aug 4th 2010. Providence, Rhode Island. Ramona presenting, Dennis attending, 15 minute oral presentation, Abstract submitted 3/26/10.


  • International Botanical Congress (IBC2011). July 23rd-30th 2011, Melbourne, Australia. Important dates (http://www.ibc2011.com/Dates.htm): "Call of symposia closes" 3-31-10, Abstracts submission deadline: 12-1-10.



  • Annotation workshop/POC meeting to be held in Corvallis. Ramona will be in Portland June 26-29. Could have meeting one of those days (depending on when her talk is scheduled) or on June 30th.
  • Annotation workshops to be held at NYBG in August. Date TBD.


9. Next meeting scheduled for 03-xx-2010 at xx time

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