Question

Goethe (1889) defined the flower as the modified shoot meant for reproduction which is justified as -
(a) Flower develops in the axis of the leaf
(b) Flowers are arranged in a racemose manner like leaves
(c) Thalamus is elongated to bear nodes and internodes
(d) All of the above

Answer 1

Wolfgang von Goethe was a German naturalist whose ideas impacted botany and plant morphology. He was not a professional botanist, but he discovered the importance of the structure of different parts of the plant. This was important for future scientists to understand botany.

Complete answer:
Goethe (1889) defined the flower as the modified shoot meant for reproduction. This definition can be justified as these floral parts show similarities to leaves in their development pattern, internal structure, arrangement, and position. So, it is clear that the thalamus is elongated to bear nodes and internodes.
-The thalamus is the axial stem from where a flower originates. In the thalamus the internodes are very small, so it appears that all the leaves arise from a single point.
-He was also the first to note that cotyledons, foliage leaves, and floral organs were identical in being 'leaves' or structures related to them.
-According to him, the leaf represented an archetypal form for these plant parts growing from the apical meristem.
-Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet and philosopher but was also multi-talented and helped in identifying the morphology of the plant.
-Goethe published the work ‘Metamorphosis in flower’ where he noted the homologous nature of leaf organs in plants, from cotyledons to photosynthetic leaves, to the petals of a flower.

So, the correct answer is ‘Thalamus is elongated to bear nodes and internodes’.

Note:
-Goethe was a poet and philosopher and is credited with finding the concept of ‘morphology’.
-It has been observed that some plants are having well-developed nodes and internodes and from the terminal or axillary position the vegetative and floral buds arise.
-In addition to the developed nodes and internodes a robust resemblance within the phyllotaxy and arrangement of floral leaves on the thalamus occurs that can be cyclic or spiral.