Gymnosperms include pines, firs, spruce, larch, etc. It is obvious that within the Plant Kingdom, there is an extraordinary variation in plant size and morphology. Basic Plant Body . Leaves are the sites of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts of the leaf mesophyll cells.
Roots serve for anchorage and absorption of water and nutrients from the soil.
Plant Cells . Plant cells differ from animal cells in that they have a rigid cell wall surrounding the plasma membrane. Each cell is cemented to its neighbor by a middle lamella and, consequently, plant cells cannot migrate from one site to another. Plant development is therefore orchestrated by patterns of cell division and enlargement, which are under hormonal regulation. Young, growing cells and metabolically active cells have only thin primary cell walls.