n. pl. morÂ·pholÂ·oÂ·gies. 1. a. The branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function. b. The form and structure of an organism or one of its parts: the morphology of a cell; the morphology of vertebrates. 2. Linguistics The study of the structure and form of words in language or a language, including inflection, derivation, and the formation of compounds.
Vascular plants are described by the way they grow and where they occur at different depth gradients in the lake: Emersed (or emergent) plants occur along the shoreline and in the shallower zone. They are rooted to the bottom and grow above the water surface. Submersed plants occur mostly in deeper zones.
The list of flowering aquatic weeds includes the water lily, which produces a fragrant and beautiful white to pink flower. Loosestrife, a species that chokes waterways with its dense growth, has erect stalks covered with purple flowers; it closely resembles a living candelabrum.