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Glossary of botanical terms

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Thisglossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant tobotany andplants in general. Terms ofplant morphology are included here as well as at the more specificGlossary of plant morphology andGlossary of leaf morphology. For other related terms, seeGlossary of phytopathology,Glossary of lichen terms, andList of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names.

A

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ab-: Prefix meaning "position away from".^[1]
abaxial: Surface of an organ facing away from the organ's axis, e.g. the lower surface of a lateral organ such as a leaf or petal.^[2] Contrastadaxial.
abort: To abandon development of a structure or organ.^[3]
abscission: Natural shedding of an organ that is mature or aged, as of a ripe fruit or an old leaf.^[4]
abscission zone: Specialized layer of tissue that allows an organ to be shed byabscission when it is ripe or senescent. Such tissue is commonly formed, for example, at the base of apetiole orpedicel.
acaulescent: Having no apparentstem, or at least none visible above the ground surface.^[2] Examples include some species ofOxalis,^[5]Nolina,^[6] andYucca.^[7]Antonym:caulescent (possessing stem).
accrescent: Increasing in size with age, such as acalyx that continues to grow after thecorolla has fallen,^[2] e.g. inPhysalis peruviana.
accumbent: Lying against another part of the plant; when applied to acotyledon, it means that an edge of the cotyledon lies along the foldedradicle in the seed.^[8]
-aceae: Suffix added to the word stem of ageneric name to form the name of a taxonomicfamily;^[9] for example,Rosaceae is the rose family, of which thetype genus isRosa.^[10]
achene: Dry, one-seededindehiscent fruit^[11] in which the true fruit is not the so-called "berry", but the achenes, which are the so-called "seeds" on theinfructescence, e.g. in the genusFragaria.
acicular: Slender or needle-shaped.^[11] See alsoLeaf shape.
acropetal: Moving from roots to leaves, e.g. of molecular signals in plants.
acrophyll: Regularleaves of a mature plant, produced above the base, as opposed tobathyphyll.
acrostichoid: (describing a type ofsorus) Covering the entireabaxial surface of afrond, usually densely so, as inElaphoglossum andAcrostichum.
actino-: Prefix that indicates aradial pattern, form, or morphology.
actinodromous: (ofleaf venation)Palmate orradially arranged venation with three or moreprimary veins arising at or near the base of the leaf and reaching themargin in most species, but not all.
actinomorphic: Regular orradially symmetrical;^[12] may be bisected into similar halves in at least two planes. Applies e.g. tosteles and flowers in which theperianth segments within each whorl are alike in size and shape. Compareregular. Contrastasymmetrical,irregular, andzygomorphic.
aculeate: Armed withprickles,^[13] e.g. the stem of a rose.
acumen: A long, tapering point, especially the apex of an acuminate leaf.
acuminate: Tapering gradually to a point, with concave sides approaching the point.^[13] Contrastacute andmucronate. See alsoLeaf shape.
acute: 1. Sharply pointed, but not drawn out, with straight sides approaching the point.^[13] Contrastacuminate. See alsoLeaf shape.; 2. Converging at an angle of less than 90°. Contrastobtuse.
ad-: Prefix meaning "near or toward"; also meaning "added to".^[13]
adaxial: Surface of an organ facing toward the organ's axis,^[13] e.g. the upper surface of a lateral organ such as a leaf or petal. Contrastabaxial.
adelphia: pl.adelphiae
A bundle or structure of stamens forming one unit in anadelphous flower; for example, the stamen tube around the pistil ofHibiscus.
adelphous: Having organs, particularlyfilaments such asstamens, connected into one or moreadelphiae, whether in the form of bunches or tubes, such as is commonly seen in families such asMalvaceae. Usage of the term is not consistent; some authors include closely bunched filaments, while others include only adelphiae in which filaments are connected minimally at their bases. See, for example, Sims: "...the filaments are so closely pressed that they have the appearance of being monadelphous...".^[14] Compare derived terms such asmonadelphous, having stamens growing in a single bunch or tube, for example inHibiscus, anddiadelphous, growing in two bunches.
adherent: Slightly united to an organ of another kind,^[13] usually to a part of another whorl, e.g. asepal connected to apetal. Contrastadnate.
adnate: Grown from or closely fused to an organ of a different kind,^[13] especially along amargin, e.g. astamen fused to a petal. Adnateanthers have their halves attached to the filament through most of their length. Contrastconnate.
adventitious: Produced in an unpredictable or unusual position,^[13] e.g. an adventitiousbud produced from astem rather than from the more typicalaxil of aleaf. Adventitiousroots may develop fromnodes ofprostrate stems of some plant species, or from thehypocotyl rather than from theradicle of a germinatingmonocotyledon.
adventive: Introduced accidentally^[13] (usually referring to aweed).
aerial: Of the air; growing or borne above the surface of the ground or water.^[15]
aestivation: Arrangement ofsepals andpetals or theirlobes in an unexpanded flowerbud. Contrastvernation.
aff. (affinis): With affinity to others, akin to; often used for a provisionally recognized but unnamed taxon considered close to that name, perhaps ahybrid or extreme variant.
aggregate fruit: Cluster offruits formed from the freecarpels of a single flower, e.g. ablackberry. Comparemultiple fruit.
agochoric: Plants that are spread through accidental transport.
agricultural weed: Seeweed.
agriophyte: Plant species that have invaded native vegetation and could survive there without human intervention. They are established there in natural habitats, remaining part of natural vegetation even after human influence has ceased, and are independent of humans in their continued existence.^[16]
agrophic: Comb-like series of veins forking from a single side of a primary or secondary vein.
agrostology: The scientific study of grasses, in the strictest sense only those species which are members of the familyPoaceae. Broader usages sometimes also include grass-like orgraminoid species from the familiesCyperaceae,Juncaceae, andTyphaceae.
alate: Having awing or wings.
albumen: Older name for theendosperm of flowering plants. Except for being astorage tissue for nutrients, it is not like the albumen (egg white) of animal embryos.
albuminous: (ofseeds) Containingendosperm.
-ales: Suffix added to the stem of ageneric name or descriptive name to form the name of a taxonomicorder.
alien: Any plant introduced to an area outside its natural range. Often used interchangeably or in combination withforeign,exotic,non-native, andnon-indigenous.
alkaloid: Any of a loosely defined class of organic compounds found in the tissues of many species of plants. Alkaloid molecules have one or more alkaline-reactingnitrogen atoms in their carbon structures. Many alkaloids are commercially important as drugs or poisons, e.g.caffeine,morphine,quinine, andstrychnine, each of which occurs naturally in certain plants.
allelopathy: The secretion by a plant of biochemicals which influence the growth and reproduction of nearby plants.
allopatric: Having geographically separate, non-overlapping ranges of distribution.^[17] Contrastsympatric.
alternate: 1. (adj.) (ofleaves orflowers) Borne singly at different levels along astem, including spiralled parts. Contrastopposite.; 2. (prep.) Occurring between something else, e.g.stamens alternating withpetals.
alternipetalous: A configuration where parts of the flower, e.g.stamens, alternate in position with thepetals.^[18]
ament: Asynonym ofcatkin.
amphitropous: (of anovule) Bent so that both ends are near each other. Contrastanatropous,campylotropous, andorthotropous.
amplexicaul: With the base dilated and clasping the stem, usually of leaves.
amylum star: a vegetative propagative body filled withstarch (amylum) and located around the lower nodes of certainstoneworts.
anastomose: Branching and then rejoining, as withleaf venation.
anastomosis: A connection or fusion of two or moreveins that are normally diverging or branching, thereby forming a network.
anatropous: (of anovule) Inverted so that themicropyle faces theplacenta (this is the most common ovule orientation in flowering plants). Contrastamphitropous,campylotropous, andorthotropous.
ancipital: Flat, with two edges (versus round).^[19]
androdioecious: Havingbisexual flowers and male flowers on separate individuals. Contrastandromonoecious,polygamodioecious,polygamomonoecious, andpolygamous.
androecium: A collective name for the male reproductive parts of aflower; thestamens of a flower considered collectively. Contrastgynoecium. AbbreviatedA; e.g.A 3+3 indicates six stamens in twowhorls.
androgynophore: A stalk bearing both theandroecium andgynoecium of a flower above the level ofinsertion of theperianth.
androgynous: Having male and female flowers in the sameinflorescence.
androphore: The stalk or column supporting thestamens in certain flowers.
andromonoecious: Havingbisexual flowers and male flowers on the same individual plant. Contrastandrodioecious,gynomonoecious,polygamodioecious,polygamomonoecious, andpolygamous.
anemophilous: Adapted topollination bywind.
anemophily: Adaptation topollination bywind.
angiosperm: Aflowering plant; a plant with developing seeds enclosed in anovary.
anisomery: The condition of having a floralwhorl with a different (usually smaller) number of parts from the other floral whorls.
anisotomic: Branching, with branches having unequal diameters, such as a trunk and its branch. Contrastisotomic.
annual: A plant that completes its life cycle (i.e. germinates, reproduces, and dies) within a single year or growing season.
annulus: 1. A ring-like structure; in the form of a ring.Pappus bristles are sometimes attached to a ring called an annulus or disk at the top of theachene beak. In somepollen grains, the exine around the apertures is either thicker or thinner. In pores, this border is termed an annulus. Certain flowers have ring-like constrictions at the mouth of the flower, e.g. inHuernia andAristolochia.; 2. A ring of specialized cells on thesporangium.
anterior: Positioned in front of, toward theapex. Comparedistal.
anthemoid: In theCompositae, astyle with a brush-like tuft of sweeping hairs at the tip of each style branch.
anther: Thepollen-bearing part of astamen.
antheridium: in bryophytes, a specialized gametophytic organ that produces the malegametes.
antheridiophore: In liverworts of the order Marchantiales, a malegametophore, a specialized, stalked structure that bears theantheridia.
antherode: A sterileanther of astaminode.
anthesis: 1. (of a flower) The period during whichpollen is presented and/or thestigma is receptive.; 2. (of a flowering plant) The period during which flowers in anthesis are present. Not defined for some cases, such as when pollen is released in the bud.
anthocarp: A type offruit in which some part of theflower persists attached to thepericarp, e.g. inNyctaginaceae.
anthophore: A stalk-like structure,internode located between thecalyx and the other parts of the flower.
anticlinal: Pointing up, away from, or perpendicular to a surface. Contrastpericlinal.
antrorse: Directed forward or upward, e.g. of hairs on a stem. Contrastretrorse.
apetalous: Lackingpetals.
apex: pl.apices
The tip; the point furthest from the point of attachment.
aphananthous: (of flowers) Inconspicuous or unshowy, as opposed tophaneranthous or showy.
aphlebia: pl.aphlebiae
Imperfect or irregular leaf endings commonly found on ferns and fossils of ferns from theCarboniferous Period.
aphyllous: Leafless; having no leaves.^[20]
apical: At or on theapex of a structure, usually ashoot, astem, or thetrunk of a tree, e.g. an apicalmeristem or an apicalbud.
apiculate: especially of leaves, ending in a short triangular point. See alsoLeaf shape.
apiphily: A form ofpollination wherebypollen is distributed byhoney bees.
apo-: A prefix meaning "away from, separate, without".
apocarpous: (of agynoecium) Consisting of one or morecarpels which are free from one another (or almost so), e.g. in members of theRanunculaceae andDilleniaceae.
apomixis: adj.apomictic
A type ofasexual reproduction whereby viableseeds orspores are produced asexually, withoutfertilization, such that the genetic material they contain is a clone of the parent's genetic material. A plant produced in this way is called anapomict.
apomorphy: Incladistics, a "different form" from the form of an ancestor (i.e., aninnovation) of use in determining membership in aclade.
apopetalous: Having separatepetals, not fused (sympetalous).
apophyllous: Perianth or other segments free, not united. Comparesymphyllous,gamophyllous, andpolyphyllous.
apophysis: 1. The external part of acone scale.; 2. An outgrowth of an organ or an enlargement of astem.
appendage: A secondary part attached to a main structure; an external growth that seldom has any obvious function, henceappendiculate.
appendiculate: Having the nature of or bearingappendages.
appressed: Pressed closely but not fused, e.g. leaves against a stem.
aquatic plant: A plant whose natural habitat is water, living in or on water for all or a substantial part of its lifespan; generally restricted to fresh or inland waters.
arachnoid: Cobwebby, from being covered with fine white hairs.
arborescent: Tree-like in growth or general appearance.
arboretum: pl.arboreta
A taxonomically arranged collection oftrees.
archaeophyte: A non-native plant that has nonetheless been present in a particular geographic area for some time. Contrastneophyte.
archegonium: A multicellular haploid structure or organ of thegametophyte phase of certain plants, producing and containing the ovum or female gamete. The corresponding male organ is called theantheridium.
archegoniophore: In liverworts of the order Marchantiales, a femalegametophore: a specialized, stalked structure that bears thearchegonia and thesporophytes.
arctotoid: In theCompositae, astyle with a ring of sweeping hairs borne on the shaft of the style proximal to the style branches.
areolate: Having or being composed ofareoles, as an areolatecrustose lichen.
areole: 1. A space between the threads of a net, e.g. that part of aleaf surface defined by each of the elements of avein network; as with cacti, the area between the veinlets of a leaf.; 2. A structure on the stemnode of acactus,morphologically a specialised branch; the region of a cactus upon whichspines,glochids, and flowers are borne.
aril: A membranous or fleshyappendage formed by expansion of thefunicle which partly or wholly covers aseed, e.g. the fleshy outer layer oflychee fruit, or that found in members of theSapindaceae.
aristate: With a stiff, bristle-likeawn or tip. See alsoLeaf shape.
article: A segment of a jointedstem or of afruit with constrictions between the seeds; an organ part that separates easily from the rest of the organ at a joint or articulation.
articulate: Jointed; separating freely, leaving a clean scar; e.g. thefronds of certain ferns where they join therhizome.
ascending: 1. (of astem) Spreading horizontally, then directed upward; an ascending stem is more or lessprostrate near its base, thenerect.; 2. (of anovule) Attached somewhat above the base.
ascidiate: Shaped like a pitcher, as with the leaves of pitcher plants, e.g. species ofNepenthes andSarracenia.^[21]
asexual reproduction: Reproduction that does not involvegametes. Often used interchangeably withvegetative reproduction.
asperulous: Having a rough, sandpapery texture; e.g. some leaf surfaces.
asymmetrical: Irregular or unequal; lacking anyplane of symmetry; e.g. flowers ofCanna.
attenuate: Narrowing gradually. See alsoLeaf shape.
auricle: An ear-shapedlobe, particularly a small, roundish, lateralappendage of aleaf or leaf-like organ.
auriculate: Attached at the base with ear-shaped appendages (auricles). See alsoLeaf shape.
autogamous: Self-pollinating, self-fertilizing – in flowering plants
awn: 1. Any long, bristle-likeappendage.; 2. In thePoaceae, an appendage terminating or on the back ofglumes orlemmas of some grassspikelets.; 3. In theGeraniaceae, the part of thestyle that remains attached to thecarpel that separates from thecarpophore (column).; 4. A generally straight, stiffpappus element, varying from stiffly bristle-like to hard and needle-like. InStrophanthus, the awn is the beak of theseed,stipe of thecoma hairs.
axil: The upper angle between one part of a plant and another, e.g. the stem and a leaf.
axile: On an axis; of aplacenta, on the central axis of theovary.
axillary: Borne in or arising from theaxil, usually referring to the axil of a leaf.
axis: The mainstem of a whole plant orinflorescence; also, the line along which this stem extends.

B

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baccate: Fruit appearing like a berry that may or may not be a true berry.^[22]
baculiform: Rod-like; longer than wide. Comparecylindrical.
barb: A rear-facing point, as in afish hook.
barbed: Havingbarbs pointing in one direction.
barbellate: Havingbarbed hairs (barbellae).
bark: The protective external layer of tissue on thestems androots ofwoody trees and shrubs; includes all of the living and non-living tissue external to thecambium.
basal: Situated or attached at or close to the base (of a plant or aphylogenetic tree diagram).
basifixed: Something attached by its base, e.g. ananther attached to thefilament. Comparedorsifixed.
basipetal: Developing sequentially from theapex toward the base (i.e. with the youngest toward the base), e.g. of flowers in aninflorescence. Also, moving from leaves to roots, e.g. of molecular signals in plants.
bathyphyll: A specializedleaf produced at the base of a plant, usually when the plant is immature, and which serves to anchor the plant to a substrate; especially notable in the fernTeratophyllum. Contrastacrophyll.
beak: A prominent, pointed terminal projection, especially of acarpel orfruit.
berry: A type ofindehiscent fruit with theseeds immersed in the pulp, e.g. atomato.
bi-: A prefix meaning "two", e.g.bisulcate, having two sulci or grooves.
biennial: A plant which completes its life cycle (i.e. germinates, reproduces, and dies) within two years or growing seasons. Biennial plants usually form a basalrosette of leaves in the first year and then flower and fruit in the second year.
bifid: Forked; cut in two for about half its length. Comparetrifid.
bifoliate: (of acompound leaf) Having precisely twoleaflets, usually in a symmetrical pair, e.g. a leaf ofColophospermum mopane. Comparejugate lobed leaf, e.g. most species ofBauhinia.
bifusiform: Fusiform with a pinch in the middle.
bilabiate: Having two lips, e.g. the form of thepetals in manyirregular flowers.
bilateral: 1. Having two distinguishable sides, such as the two faces of adorsiventral leaf.; 2. Arranged on opposite sides, e.g.leaves on astem; Comparedistichous andopposite.; 3. Bilaterally symmetrical, as in a leaf with a symmetrical outline.
biloculate: Having twoloculi, e.g. inanthers orovaries.
binomial: Making use of names consisting of two words to form the scientific name (or combination) in a Latin form. For example, where the first is the name of thegenus to which thespecies belongs, and the second is thespecific epithet given to that species to distinguish it from others in the same genus.
binomial nomenclature: The system of nomenclature in which the scientific name of aspecies (and not of a taxon at any other rank) is a combination of two names, the first name being thegeneric name. The second name is referred to botanically as thespecific epithet. Note that the two names together (not just the second name) constitute the species name.
bipinnate: Doublypinnate; e.g. acompound leaf with individualleaflets pinnately divided.
bipinnatisect: Apinnatisect leaf with deeply dissected segments.
bisexual: Bearing both male and female reproductive organs; usually, flowers with bothstamens andcarpels;synonymous withhermaphrodite,synoecious, andmonoclinous. Bisexual flowers occur only onmonoecious plants. See alsoandrogynous,monoicous, andplant reproductive morphology.
bitegmic: (of anovule) Covered by twointeguments. Contrastunitegmic.
biternate: Ternate, with each division divided into three.
bivalve: Having twovalves or hinged parts. Contrasttrivalve.
blade: Thelamina or flattened part of aleaf, excluding the stalk orpetiole.
bloom: A fine white or bluish waxy powder occurring on plant parts, usually stems, leaves, and fruits. It is easily removed by rubbing.
bole: Thetrunk of a tree, usually the portion below the lowest branch. Comparecanopy.
bostrychoid: Arranged on a conical surface (like a snail shell); used to describeinflorescences in which thebuds are arranged in an almost helical manner on the outside of a long, tapering, conicalrachis.
bract: A modifiedleaf associated with aflower orinflorescence and differing in shape, size, or color from other leaves (and without anaxillary bud).
bracteate: Possessingbracts.
bracteole: A smallbract borne singly or in pairs on thepedicel orcalyx;synonymous withbractlet.
bracteolate: Possessingbracteoles (bractlets).
bracteose: Having many or showybracts.^[23]
bractlet: Seebracteole.
branchlet: A smallbranch.
brevideciduous: A plant that loses all of its leaves only briefly before growing new ones, so that it is leafless for only a short time, e.g. approximately two weeks.
bristle: A straight, stiff hair (smooth or with minute teeth); the upper part of anawn (when the latter is bent and has a lower, stouter, and usually twisted part, called thecolumn).
brochidodromous: Pinnate leaf venation in which thesecondary veins do not terminate at the leafmargin, but arejoined in a succession of prominentarcs.
brochus: pl.brochi
Width of one lumen of apollen grain reticulum and half of the width of the surrounding muri (walls), henceheterobrochate andhomobrochate, where the lumina are of different or similar sizes, respectively.
bryophyte: Informally, any plant that is amoss,hornwort, orliverwort. Formally, these plants are placed in three separate divisions: hornworts (Anthocerophyta), liverworts (Marchantiophyta), and mosses (Bryophyta).
bulb: A thick storage organ, usually underground, consisting of a stem and leaf bases (the inner ones fleshy).
bulbel: Abulb arising from another bulb. Seebulblet.
bulbil: A small, deciduousbulb ortuber formed in theaxil of a leaf orpinna; a means of vegetative propagation.
bulblet: Abulb arising from another bulb; abulbel.
bullate: 1. Having a rounded or blister-like appearance; arched or vaulted.; 2. (of a leaf) Having arched leaf tissue between each lateral vein, i.e. the veins appear depressed in the leaf surface.
burl: A deformation or knot in the branches or trunk of a tree, sometimes sought after in woodworking.^[24]
burr: 1. A pricklyfruit.; 2. A rough or prickly propagule consisting of aseed or fruit and associated floral parts orbracts.
buttress root: Aroot growing from an above-ground stem or trunk, and providing support, e.g. commonly ofFicus macrophylla.

C

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caducous: Falling off early, e.g. thesepals of poppies, which fall off when thepetals begin to open. Comparepersistent andfugacious.
caespitose: Tufted or turf-like, e.g. the growth form of some grasses and sedges.
calcarate: possessing aspur.
calcareous: Asoil type or a lichen substrate rock type that is rich in or largely composed ofcalcium carbonate.
calceolate: Shaped like a slipper.^[25]
calcicole: A plant which thrives incalcareous soil. Alsocalciphile,calciphyte.Antonym:calcifuge.^[25]
callose: Hardened; thickened; callous.
callus: pl.calli
1. A protruding mass of tissue; 2. Undifferentiated tissue growth formed in response to wounding; may be grownin vitro.; 3. In orchids, fleshy outgrowths from thelabellum which can be variously shaped frompapillae to plates.; 4. In grasses, a hardened extension from the base of afloret (formed from therachilla joint and/or the base of thelemma), which may or may not elongate and is often covered in hairs or bristles.
calyciflorous: Havingpetals andstamens attached to thecalyx.
calycophyll: Leaf-like structure formed from asepal orcalyx lobe which enlarges, usually many-fold, before or afteranthesis, especially when most of the other sepals or calyx lobes retain their original size. More extreme than anaccrescent calyx, calycophylls are found inRubiaceae. Comparesemaphyll andpterophyll.
calyculate: Having anepicalyx.
calyculus: 1. A cup-shaped structure formed frombracts resembling an outercalyx.; 2. In someAsteraceae, a circle of bracts below theinvolucre.
calyptra: A hood or lid. Seeoperculum.
calyx: pl.calyces
Collective term for thesepals of one flower; the outerwhorl of a flower, usually green. Comparecorolla.
calyx tube: A tube formed by the fusion of the sepals (calyx), at least at the base.
cambium: Tissue layer that provides partially undifferentiated cells for plant growth.
campanulate: Bell-shaped.
camptodromous: Pinnate venation in which thesecondary veins curve toward the margins, in some cases becoming nearly parallel with them, and not reconnecting with other veins to form loops.
campylotropous: When theovule is oriented transversely (i.e. with its axis at right angles to its stalk) and with a curvedembryo sac. Compareamphitropus,anatropous, andorthotropous.
canaliculate: Channelled; having a longitudinal groove.
canescent: Approaching white in color, as in a leaf covered with white down or wool.
canopy: Branches and foliage of a tree; thecrown. Also refers to the protective upper layer of a forest. Comparetrunk.
capillary: 1. Tube, pore, or passage with a narrow, internal cross-section.; 2. Slender; hair-like.
capitate: 1. (of aninflorescence) Having a knob-like head, with the flowers unstalked and aggregated into a dense cluster.; 2. (of astigma) Like the head of a pin.
capitulum: Dense cluster ofsessile orsubsessile flowers orflorets, e.g. a flowerhead in the daisy familyAsteraceae. Seepseudanthium.
capsule: Dryfruit formed from two or more unitedcarpels anddehiscing when ripe (usually by splitting into pieces or opening at summit by teeth or pores).
carduoid: InAsteraceae, having astyle with a ring of sweeping hairs borne on the shaft of the style below the style branches.
carina: Seekeel.
carinal canal: Longitudinal cavity in thestems ofEquisetum and extinctEquisetopsida, coinciding with a ridge in the stem surface.
carneous: Flesh-colored, especially as applied to some flowers.
carnose, carnous: Fleshy or pulpy in texture, especially as applied to some tissues or organs. Contrastcoriaceous andcorneous.
Caropodium: Genus of flowering plants in the familyApiaceae. Native range: Turkey to Iran. Not to be confused withCarpopodium
carpel: The basic female reproductive organ inangiosperms, either consisting of a singlesporophyll or a singlelocule of a compoundovary, with astyle and astigma. Thegynoecium is the collective term for all of the carpels of a singleflower.
carpellary: Referring to carpels or to associated structures or outgrowths of carpels, for examplestaminodes attached to carpels in Nymphaeaceae, were frequently referred to ascarpellary attachments. The current and past usage of the terms "carpellary attachments",paracarpels, andstaminodes is confused and varies among authors.
carpopodium: Onachenes (Cypselae), an elongation of the base of thegynoecium which looks distinct; theabscission zone, where the achene is separated from thereceptacle.; 2. GenusCarpopodium in the familyBrassicaceae; not to be confused withCaropodium.
cartilaginous: Hard and tough; gristly. Comparecorneous andcoriaceous.
caruncle: A small piece of flesh-like tissue, typically lumpy or warty, growing on thetesta near thehilum. Contrastaril.
caryopsis: A dry,indehiscent, one-seededfruit in which theseed coat is closely fused to the fruit wall, e.g. in most grasses.
Casparian strip: A continuous band ofsuberin in the radial primary cell walls of theendodermis in vascular plant stems and roots that forms a permeability barrier to the passive diffusion of external water and solutes into the vascular tissue.
cassideous: Hood-, helmet- or bonnet-shaped; generally referring to floral anatomy, e.g. in the flowers ofAconitum,Satyrium, etc.
castaneous: Chestnut-colored, reddish-brown.^[26]
casual alien: An exotic plant that appears with no apparent human assistance but does not develop a sustained population(s), or one that persists only by repeated new introductions. Comparealien.
cataphyll: Any plant structure which is morphologically aleaf but which has at most an incidental or transientphotosynthetic function. They are either shed when their main function has been completed, or are incorporated into structures where, when dead, they serve a protective or supportive purpose.
catenulate: In the shape of a chain; formed of parts or cells connected as if chained together, e.g. somediatoms,algae, andcyanobacteria such asAnabaena. See alsoconcatenate.
catkin: Aspike, usually pendulous, in which the mostly smallflowers areunisexual and without a conspicuousperianth, e.g. inwillows,poplars,oaks, andcasuarinas. The individual flowers often have scalybracts and are generallywind-pollinated. Catkins are usually shed as a unit.
caudate: Having a narrow, tail-like appendage or tip, e.g. adrip tip. Contrastacuminate,cuspidate, andmucronate.
caudex: pl.caudices
Thestem of a plant, especially awoody one; also used to mean arootstock, or particularly abasal stem structure or storage organ from which new growth arises. Comparelignotuber.
caudiciform: Stem-like orcaudex-like; sometimes used to mean "pachycaul", meaning "thick-stemmed".
caudicle: diminutive ofcaudex. Meaning is context-dependent, usually referring to stem-like support of tiny items such as thepollinium of an orchid. Often used interchangeably withstipe
caulescent: possessing a well-developedstem above ground, similar tocauline.Antonym:acaulescent (lacking an apparent stem).
cauliflory: adj.cauliflorous
Having flowers or fruits growing directly from a tree's trunk.^[27]
cauline: Borne on an aerialstem orcaulis, as with leaves, flowers, or fruits (when applied to the latter two organs, usually referring to older stems.
caulirosulate: Borne at the end of thestem orcaulis, as with leaves or bracts.
cell: 1. The basic, microscopic unit of plant structure, generally consisting of compartments in a viscous fluid surrounded by acell wall.; 2. A cavity of ananther orovary.
cenanthous: (of aperianth) Lacking bothstamens andpistil, i.e. a flower with neitherandroecium norgynoecium.
centrifixed: Of a two-branched organ attached by its center, e.g. a hair oranther.
ceraceous: Having a waxy appearance, color, or texture, e.g. flowers of many species ofCeropegia, and the waxy fruit of some species ofMyrica.
cernuous: Nodding, falling headlong or face down; inclined, stooping, or bowing forward. Applied to many species with a nodding, stoopinghabit, such as manyNarcissus andDierama species. Many plant species bear thespecific epithet "cernua".
cespitose: An alternative spelling ofcaespitose, meaning tufted or turf-like, e.g. the growth form of some grasses.
chamber: A cavity of anovary.
channelled: Sunken below the surface, resulting in a rounded channel.
chartaceous: Having a papery texture.
chasmogamous: Of flowers that are pollinated when theperianth is open. Comparecleistogamous.
chasmophyte: A plant adapted to growing in crevices or hollows, such as in cliff faces. Comparecremnophyte.^[28]^[29]
chimera: An individual composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues, most commonly as a result of agraft and sometimes by mutations that occur during cell division or cellular transfers during seed development.
chiropterophilous: Pollinated bybats.
chlorophyll: Any of a variety of different chemical pigments inchloroplasts that are essential forphotosynthesis.
chloroplast: Anorganelle present in plant cells which containschlorophyll.
chlorosis: An abnormal lack or paleness of color in a normally green organ.
cilia: sing.cilium;adj.ciliate
Very small hairs or hair-like protrusions more or less confined to themargins of an organ, as with eyelashes; in motile cells, minute, hair-like protrusions which aidmotility.
cinereous: Ash-colored, grayish, usually because of a covering of short hairs; somewhat darker thancanescent.
circinate: Spirally coiled with the tip innermost, e.g. circinatevernation of the developingfronds of most ferns.
cirrhose: (of a leaf) Ending in atendril at theapex.
cirrus: Seetendril.
cladode: Aphotosynthetic branch orstem, often leaf-like and usually with foliage leaves either absent or much reduced. Comparephyllode.
class: The principal category for taxa ranking betweendivision andorder.
clathrate: Shaped like a net or lattice; pierced with apertures, as with a cage.
clavate: Club-shaped.
clavuncula: In theApocynaceae, an enlarged, drum-shapedstigma of which the sides and lower surface are the receptive zones. Coherent with theanthers or not.
claw: 1. A narrow, stalk-like,basal portion of apetal,sepal, orbract.; 2. InMelaleuca, the united portion of astamen bundle.
cleistogamous: Having flowers which self-pollinate and never open fully, or which self-pollinate before opening. Comparechasmogamous.
climacteric: A rough category of fruit that can undergo a ripening phase post-harvest, preceded or accompanied by an increase in ethylene respiration .
climber: A plant growing more or lesserect by leaning on or twining around another structure for support, or by clinging withtendrils.
climbing: Seeclimber.
cline: adj.clinal
A continuous morphological variation in form within a species or sometimes between two species.
clone: A plant derived from the asexual vegetative reproduction of a parent plant, with both plants having identical genetic compositions.
coalescent: Having plant parts fused or grown together to form a single unit.
cochleariform: Concave and spoon-shaped.
cochleate: Coiled like a snail's shell.
coenobium: An arranged colony ofalgae that acts like a single organism.
coenocyte: A single cell with multiplenuclei, formed when nuclear division was not followed bycytokinesis.
coleoptile: One type ofsheath in the structure ofmonocotyledonous seeds. The coleoptile is a protective sheath or cap (pileus), generally more or less pointed, that covers the monocotyledonousplumule as it emerges from the soil. It generally turns green and contributes to photosynthesis until its function is superseded by the main growth of the seedling. Contrast this with thecoleorhiza, which remains underground until it is superseded as the roots emerge.
coleorhiza: One type ofsheath in the structure ofmonocotyledonous seeds. The coleorhiza connects the coleoptile to theradicle and protects the monocotyledonous radicle during germination. Unlike the coleoptile, the coleorhiza is associated with the root and does not emerge from the soil during germination. Contrastcoleoptile.
collenchyma: A specialized tissue consisting of living cells with unevenly thickenedcellulose andpectin cell walls that performs a support function in organs such as leaves and young stems that are composed of primary plant tissues.
colleter: A multicellular,glandular hair that usually produces a mucilaginous substance and is located onsepals,stipules, orpetioles, or on nearby parts ofstems; commonly found on plants in the orderGentianales.
columella: In flowering plants, the central axis of thecone orfruit, e.g. inCallitris.
column: 1. A structure extending above theovary and incorporating thestyle andstamens also known as thegynostegium, e.g. inorchids andmilkweeds.; 2. In grasses, the lower, stouter, and usually twisted part of anawn, distinct from the slender upper part or bristle.
columnar: Shaped like a column.
coma: 1. A tuft of hairs fromtesta orfuniculus at one or both ends of some seeds, e.g. inStrophanthus,Asclepias, orAlstonia.; 2. Sterilebracts, e.g. inCurcuma,Ananas, orEucomis.; 3. Sterileflowers, e.g. inMuscari andLeopoldia, at theapex of someinflorescences.; 4. A tuft of hairs at the base of some flowers, e.g. inPfaffia gnaphalioides.; 5. A tuft of hairs at the apex or base of somespikelets.; 6. Anaxil tuft of hairs in inflorescences in somePoaceae, e.g. inEragrostis comata.
commercial name: A name often of no botanical standing and not governed by theICNCP. The term generally applies to names such as Trademark Names, names covered by Plant Breeders Rights, Patents and Promotional Names, which are often used to enhance the sale of a plant.
commissure: The seam or face at which twocarpels adhere. See alsofissure andsuture.
community: An ecological assemblage of plants that characteristically occur together.
compound: Composed of several parts, e.g. aleaf composed of multipleleaflets, agynoecium composed of multiplecarpels, or aninflorescence made up of multiple smaller inflorescences.
compound palmate: Havingleaflets that radiate from a central point (usually at the top of apetiole), like spread-out fingers radiating from the palm of a hand. Comparepalmate.
compressed: Flattened lengthwise, either laterally (from side to side) or dorsally (from front to back).
concatenate: Joined together in a chain-like form. See alsoconcatenate andcatenate.
concolorous: Having the same color throughout; uniformly colored.
conduplicate: Arranged such that two sides of a flat surface are folded along the midline to face each other. See alsoptyxis,aestivation, andvernation.
cone: A type offruit, usuallywoody,ovoid toglobular, includingscales,bracts, orbracteoles arranged around a central axis, e.g. ingymnosperms, especiallyconifers andCasuarina.
conflorescence: A rarely used term describing substantial differences between the overall structure of aninflorescence and that of its individual branches, e.g. the bottlebrush multiple-flower head of members of the genusCallistemon.
connate: Fused to another organ (or organs) of the same kind, e.g.petals in agamopetalous corolla tube. Compareadnate.
connective: The part of ananther that connects the anther cells.
connivent: Coming into contact or converging.
conspecific: Belonging to the samespecies.
contiguous: Adjoining, touching, but not united.
contort: (ofsepals orpetals) A type of imbricateaestivation in which one side of each segment overlaps one of the adjacent segments and the other side is overlapped by the other adjacent segment. Seeconvolute.
contorted: Twisted out of the normal shape.
convolute: 1. Referring to the arrangement of floral or foliar organs in abud when each organ or segment has one edge overlapping the adjacent organ or segment; a form ofimbricate arrangement. Seecontort.; 2. (ofleaves) A type ofvernation in which one leaf is rolled up inside another.; 3. A type of vernation of two leaves at anode, in which one half of each leaf is exposed and the other half is wrapped inside the other leaf.
corcle: A plantembryo,plumule, or plumule plusradicle.
cordate: Heart-shaped, with the notch lowermost; of the base of aleaf, like the notched part of a heart. Contrastobcordate.
coriaceous: Leathery; stiff and tough, but flexible. Comparecorneous.
corm: adj.cormose,cormous
A fleshy, swollenstem base, usually underground and functioning in the storage of food reserves, withbuds naked or covered by very thin scales; a type ofrootstock.
cormel: A smallcorm (or cormlet), forming at the base of a growing larger corm.^[30]
corneous: Horny in texture; stiff and hard, but somewhat tough. Comparecoriaceous.
corolla: A collective term for thepetals of aflower. Comparecalyx.
corona: 1. In flowering plants, a ring of structures that may be united in a tube, arising from thecorolla orperianth of a flower and standing between the perianth lobes and thestamens. The trumpet of adaffodil is a corona.; 2. In grasses, a hardened ring of tissue surmounting thelemma in some species.
cortex: pl.cortexes orcortices
A region of tissue located between thesurface cells and thevascular cylinder.^[31]
corticolous: Growing onbark or on wood with the bark stripped off. Comparelignicolous.
corymb: adj.corymbose
Aninflorescence with branches arising at different points but reaching about the same height, giving the flower cluster a flat-topped appearance.
costa: A costa is an extension of the petiole into the leaf blade, forming a midrib-like structure. This feature is characteristic of costapalmate leaves, which are intermediate between fan-shaped palmate and feather-like pinnate leaves. Also seerib.
costapalmate: Having a definitecosta (midrib), unlike the typicalpalmate or fan leaf, but with theleaflets arranged radially as in a palmate leaf.
cotyledon: The primary leaf or leaves of a plant embryo which upon germination develops into the seed-leaf or the first set of leaves.
craspedodromous: Pinnate venation in which thesecondary veins terminate at themargins, often as teeth.
crateriform: In the shape of a saucer or shallow cup; hemispherical or more shallow.
cremnophyte: A plant adapted to growing on, especially hanging from, cliff faces or crevices. Comparechasmophyte.^[28]^[29]
crenate: Having blunt or rounded teeth;scalloped.
crenulate: Minutely scalloped.
crisped: Finely curled, as with the edges of leaves and petals.
cristarque cell: Asclereid which contains adruse and has thelignin deposited excentrically on thecell wall to form a cup shape, or incross-section, a ∪-shape.
crown: Seecanopy.
cross: To make something interbreed; the act of hybridization.
cruciform: Cross-shaped.
crustaceous: Hard, thin and brittle.
crustose: Forming a closely applied surface layer or crust.
cryptogam: Any of the "lower plants" which producespores and do not havestamens,ovaries, orseeds; literally, plants whose sexual reproductive organs are not conspicuous. This group typically includes theferns,bryophytes, andalgae, and sometimesfungi (including lichenized fungi). Comparephanerogam.
cucullate: Hood-like or hooded, commonly referring to the shape of leaves or petals, e.g.Pelargonium cucullatum. Similarly derived terms includecuculliform andcuccularis.
culm: In grasses, sedges, rushes, and some othermonocotyledons, anaerial stem bearing theinflorescence, extending strictly from the base of the plant to the lowestinvolucral bract (or base of the inflorescence).
cultigen: A plant whose origin or selection is primarily due to intentional human activity.
cultivar: A term derived from "cultivated variety" denoting an assemblage ofcultivated plants clearly distinguished by one or more characters (morphological, physiological, cytological, chemical, or other). When reproduced (either sexually or asexually), the assemblage retains its distinguishing characters. A cultivar may arise in cultivation or be introduced from the wild. It is a variant that is ofhorticultural interest or value. Cultivar names are written with single quotation marks around them, e.g. 'Blue Carpet' or 'Alba'. All new names established after 1 January 1959 must be in common language (that is, not in Latin), but names established in Latin prior to this date are retained in Latin form.
cultivar epithet: The defining part of a name that denominates acultivar. Cultivars are designated by fancy (q.v.) epithets appended either to the scientific name or to the common name of the taxon to which they belong; they are not italicized but placed in single quotation marks, e.g.Rubus nitidoides 'Merton Early'. 'Merton Early' is the cultivar epithet.
cuneate: Wedge-shaped, with straight sides converging at a base.
cupule: A cup-shaped structure composed ofcoalescent bracts, such as the cup of anacorn. Seecalybium.
cupular: Shaped like acupule.
cupulate: Bearingcupules.
cupuliform: Nearly hemispherical, shaped like a cupola or dome.
cushion: Said of compact, low-growing plants that is found in alpine, subalpine, arctic, or subarctic environments around the world.
cusp: A hard, pointed tip, stiffer and more formidable than amucro, hencecuspidate.
cuspidate: Tipped with acusp, as with some leaves.
cuticle: A waterproofing layer covering theepidermis ofaerial plant surfaces and composed of the polymerscutin, and/orcutan and waxes.
cutting: Anapical tip ofshoot structure,root, orleaf which is cut from a plant and used for asexual vegetative propagation.
cyathium: pl.cyathia
Aninflorescence ofunisexual flowers surrounded byinvolucral bracts, especially the flowers ofEuphorbia.
cyathophyll: InEuphorbia, thebract-like structure on which theinvolucre sits, usually but not always occurring in twos. They may sometimes be brightly colored and confused withpetals.
cylindrical: Rod-like and two to three times as long as wide. Comparebaculiform.
cynaroid: Seecarduoid.
cyme: adj.cymose
A type ofinflorescence in which the main axis and all lateral branches end in aflower (each lateral may be repeatedly branched).
cymose: Having acyme or cymes.
cypsela: A type of dry, one-seeded,indehiscent fruit formed from aninferior ovary.

D

[edit]

refer to caption — Seasonal, healthydecortication ofEucalyptus grandis outer bark

deciduous

Dehiscing and falling seasonally, as withbark,leaves, orpetals. Contrastpersistent.

declinate

Curving downward, and then upward at the tip. Often qualified, e.g. declinate-ascendant.

decompound

Divided to more than one level, e.g. inbipinnate leaves, in which theleaflets of what would otherwise be apinnate leaf are themselves pinnately divided.

decorticate

1. (intr. v.) To shed the outer bark of a tree, usually seasonally as part of the natural growth cycle.

2. (tr. v.) To strip the peel, crust, bark, or other surface tissues from a plant or from harvested material, such as in extracting fiber from harvestedAgave leaves.

decumbent

Having branches growing horizontally along the ground but which are turned up at the ends.

decurrent

Extending downward beyond the point ofinsertion, e.g. when the base of a leaf or a fungal gill is prolonged downward along thestem in a raised line or narrow wing.

decussant

A synonym ofdecussate; the usagedecussant is questionable and occurs rarely, probably as an error. The formally correct usage isdecussate.

decussate

Opposite with successive pairs borne at right angles to the last; generally applied to thearrangement of leaves.

definite

Of a constant number, e.g. twice as manystamens aspetals orsepals (or less), or aninflorescence ending in aflower or an aborted floralbud, typically acymose inflorescence. Contrastindefinite.

deflexed

Bent downward. Contrastinflexed.

dehiscent

Breaking open at maturity to release contents; refers e.g. to the opening offruits to releaseseeds, ofanthers to releasepollen, and ofsporangia to releasespores. Contrastindehiscent.

deltoid

Shaped like the uppercase Greek letterΔ, i.e. like a more or less equilateral triangle.

dendroid

Tree-like; branching like a tree.

dentate

Toothed, especially in reference toleaf margins.

denticulate

Finelytoothed; a diminutive form ofdentate.

deserticolous

Inhabiting a desert.

determinate

Limited, usually in growth. Contrastindeterminate.

diadelphous

Referring to a class ofadelphous structure in which thestamens or similar organs are connected in twoadelphiae instead of just one.

diaspore

Any reproductive part of a plant adapted for dispersal and for establishing new plants; may be a disseminule such as aseed, or other parts such as specializedbuds, branches, inflorescences, or fruits.

dichasium

Acymose inflorescence with all branches below the terminal flower inregular opposite pairs. Comparemonochasium andpleiochasium.

dichlamydeous

Having aperianth which is divided into a separatecalyx andcorolla. Comparehomochlamydeous.

dichotomous

Forking into two equal branches. This may result from an equal division of the growing tip, or may besympodial, in which the growing tip is aborted and replaced. Typically refers to mode of branch growth, as inAloidendron dichotomum, but also to other organs, such as thevenation patterns on leaves, the thorns of various species ofCarissa (which morphologically are branches), and thethalli orhyphae of various algae and fungi.

dicotyledon

Also abbreviateddicot.

A flowering plant whose embryo has two or morecotyledons (seed leaves). Contrastmonocotyledon.

digitate

With segments spreading from a common center, like the fingers of a hand. See alsopalmate andpalmatisect. See alsoLeaf shape.

digitiform

Shaped like a finger.

dimorphic

Occurring in two different forms (with respect to shape and/or size), e.g. ofstamens,fronds, or leaves. See alsomonomorphic (having a single form) andpolymorphic (having many forms).

dioecious

(of vascular plants) Having male and female reproductive structures which develop only on different individuals and never on the same individual. Contrastmonoecious.

dioicous

(of abryophyte gametophyte) Having male and female reproductive structures which develop only on different individuals and never on the same individual. Contrastmonoicous.

diploid

Having two complete sets ofchromosomes in the nucleus of asporophyte cell, i.e. one set from each of the parentalgametes. This is often expressed symbolically as2n, wheren = the number of chromosomes in thehaploid gamete.

diplostemonous

Havingstamens arranged in twowhorls, with the outer whorl alternating with thepetals while the inner whorl is opposite the petals. Compareobdiplostemonous andhaplostemonous.

disc

Also spelleddisk.

A plate or ring of structures derived from thereceptacle, and occurring betweenwhorls of floral parts. In some groups, especiallySapindales, thenectary is in the form of a prominent disk. Indaisies, the central part of thecapitulum is a disk, hence flowers borne there are calleddisk flowers or florets.

discoid

Resembling a disc or plate, having both thickness and parallel faces and with a rounded margin. Also used to describe the flowerhead ofAsteraceae where there are no ray florets but only disc florets.

discolorous

(ofleaves) Having upper and lower surfaces of different colors.

disjunct

Occurring in widely separated geographic areas, distinctly separate; applies to a discontinuous range in which one or more populations are separated from other potentially interbreeding populations with sufficient distance so as to preclude gene flow between them.

disk floret

Afloret occurring most typically in thedisk of thecapitulum of flowers in the familyAsteraceae, and to some extent in other plants that bear a flowering head with a disk, such asScabiosa.

dissected

Deeply divided; cut into many segments.

dissepiment

A partition orseptum in a plant part, usually referring to septa between theloculi ofcapsules or of other fruits with multiple partitions.

distal

Remote from the point of origin or attachment; the free end. Contrastproximal.

distichous

Arranged in two opposite rows (and hence in the same plane).

distinct

Separate or free; not united.

distyly

The condition in which the flowers of a species occur in two forms that differ only by the length of thestyle andstamens, and flowers of only one of these forms appear on any one plant. Compareheterostyly.

diurnal

Of the day; occurring or opening in the daytime.

divaricate

Wide-spreading.

divergent

Spreading in different directions, generally upward.

division

A taxonomic rank belowkingdom in the standard taxonomic hierarchy. "Division" is generally used only for plants, and is the approximate botanical equivalent of the termphylum, which is used for animals and other kingdoms.

domatia

sing.domatium

Any hollow structure formed by a plant that is inhabited by animals such as ants or mites.

dorsal

From Latindorsum, a ridge or the back of an animal. Partly because the term originally referred to animals rather than plants, usage in botany is arbitrary according to context and source. Ingeneral "dorsal" refers to "the rear or back or upper surface", but inbotanical usage such concepts are not always clearly defined and may be contradictory. For example:

facing away from the axis (abaxial) in a lateral organ of an erect plant
facing away from the substrate in any part of an erect plant, for example the upper surface of a more or less horizontal leaf (adaxial) or the upper part of the crown of the plant
facing away from the substrate in aprostrate or climbing plant or floating leaves such as those ofNymphaea.

Derived or related terms includedorsad, "toward the dorsal", anddorsum, "the dorsal part of the organ or organism as a unit". Relatedanatomical terms of location includeventral,lateral.

dorsifixed

Attached at or by the back, e.g.anthers on afilament.

dorsiventral

Having structurally and visibly different upper and lower surfaces, e.g. some leaves. Comparebilateral andisobilateral.

drip tip

A long, narrow,acuminate,caudate, orcuspidate extension at the tip of aleaf orleaflet. Commonly an adaptation to rainy conditions, as it promotes shedding of water by its dripping from the narrow tip. The termdrip tip is not anatomically descriptive in the way thatacuminate orcuspidate are, for example; rather, it is a description of the functional shape that aids dripping, regardless of the specific geometry of the shape itself.

drupe

A type ofsucculent fruit formed from onecarpel; the singleseed is enclosed by a stony layer of the fruit wall, e.g. in peaches and olives. Also called akernel.

drupelet

A smalldrupe formed from one of the carpels in anapocarpous flower. Drupelets usually form acompound fruit, as inRubus, but they may become widely separated, as inOchna.

druse

A globular mass ofcalcium oxalate crystals, usually with the crystals radiating from anorganic core.

E

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-eae: A suffix added to the stem of ageneric name to form the name of atribe, e.g.Aster →Astereae.
ebracteate: Lackingbracts;synonymous withebracteolate.
ecological amplitude: The range of environmental conditions in which an organism can survive.
edaphic: Of or influenced by the soil.
eglandular: Alsoaglandular
Not having glands.
elaiosome: An external structure attached to theseed of many species of plants. Elaiosomes generally look fleshy and in some species they are rich in oils or other nutritious materials. Their functions vary and are not always obvious; commonly they attract ants or other animals that aid in dispersal, but they may also repel other animals from eating the seed.^[32]
elephophily: A form ofpollination wherebypollen orspores are distributed by the feet of elephants, as inRafflesia arnoldii.
ellipsoid: A three-dimensional shape that iselliptical in all sections through the long axis.
elliptical: Alsoelliptic.
Planar, shaped like a flattened circle, symmetrical about both the long and the short axis, tapering equally both to the tip and the base;oval.
emarginate: Typically in reference to leaf margins: notched or recessed at some part of the edge, such as theapex; the recess usually is broad and shallow. The location of a leaf's emargination(s) might be one or more of apical, lateral or basal
embryo: The young plant contained by aseed prior togermination.
emergent: A plant taller than the surrounding vegetation or, among aquatic plant species, one that bearsflowers and commonlyleaves above the surface of the water. Aquatic examples include water lilies, reeds, andpapyrus. Some pondweeds such asStuckenia are not emergent until they flower, at which time only their flowers appear above the water surface.
enation: Leaf-like outgrowth from a surface.^[33]
enantiostyly: The condition in which thegynoecium protrudes laterally, to the right (dextrostyly) or to the left (sinistrostyly) of theandroecium, e.g.Senna.
endemic: Having a natural distribution restricted to a particular geographic region. Comparenative.
endocarp: The innermost layer of the wall of a fruit; in adrupe, the stony layer surrounding the seed.
endodermis: The innermost layer of thecortex ofvascular plant roots, also present in the stems ofpteridophytes. The radial walls are impregnated withsuberin to form a permeability barrier known as theCasparian strip.
endosperm: 1. (angiosperms) Anutritive tissue surrounding theembryo of theseed, usuallytriploid, originating from the fusion of bothpolar nuclei with onegamete after the fertilization of the egg.; 2. (gymnosperms) Theprothallus within theembryo sac.
endospory: The production ofspores that germinate into a reduced multicellulargametophyte contained within the spore wall. Contrastexospory.
ensiform: Shaped like the blade of a sword.
entire: 1. Not divided.; 2. (of amargin) Smooth and notlobed ortoothed (though possibly wavy orscalloped). See alsoentire in Glossary of leaf morphology
entomophily: A form ofpollination wherebypollen orspores are distributed byinsects.
epecophyte: Species of recent appearance, usually numerous and constant in the country, but confined to artificial habitats, such as meadows andruderal vegetation and are dependent on humans for existence.^[34]
ephemeral: Short-lived. See alsocaducous.
epicalyx: Aninvolucre resembling an outercalyx, e.g. as inHibiscus.
epicarp: The outer layer of the wall of afruit, i.e. the "skin".
epicormic: Used to refer tobuds,shoots, orflowers developing from the old wood of trees, especially after injury or fire.
epicotyl: The part of the plant axis or stem between thecotyledonary node and the first foliage leaves.
epicuticular wax: A layer of crystalline or amorphouswax deposited on the surface of thecuticle.
epidermis: An organ's outermost layer of cells, usually only one cell thick.
epigynous: Borne on theovary; describes floral parts when attached above the level of the ovary and arising from tissue fused to the ovary wall. Comparehypogynous andperigynous.
epilithic: Growing on stone. Comparelithophytic, a plant growing on stone.
epipetalous: Ofstamens that are attached to thepetals.
epipetric: Growing on rock or stone,lithophytic,epilithic.
epiphloeodal: Growing on the surface ofbark. Contrastendophloeodal (growing inside, not on, the bark) andepilithic (growing on rock, not bark).
epiphyte: A plant, alga or fungus that grows on another plant without deriving nourishment from it but using it for support.
epiphytic: Of anepiphyte; living on the surface of a plant. Compareepilithic,lithophytic.
episepalous: Ofstamens that are attached to thesepals.
epitepalous: Ofstamens that are attached to thetepals.
epithet: The adjectival component in a binomial scientific name, usually more specifically called aspecific epithet; the final word or combination of words in a name of more than one word (other than a term denoting rank) that denominates an individual taxon. The simplest and commonest example is the second word in a two-word name of a species, such as "mirabilis" inWelwitschia mirabilis.
epizoochory: A type ofseed dispersal that occurs when seeds orfruits physically adhere to the outside of vertebrate animal bodies.
epruinose: Notpruinose.
equitant: (of aleaf) Folded lengthwise and clasping another leaf.
erect: Upright, more or less perpendicular to the ground or point of attachment. Comparepatent (spreading) anderecto-patent, between erect and patent.
ericoid: Having leaves like those of the European heaths (Erica); small and sharply pointed.
erose: (of amargin) Irregular as though nibbled or worn away.
ethelochoric: Deliberate introduction by seedlings, seeds or plants in a new habitat by humans.
etiolation: Weak growth due to lack of light, resulting in elongated stems and yellowish color.^[35]
even-pinnate: Having an even number ofleaflets in acompound leaf;synonymous withparipinnate.
evergreen: Notdeciduous; having leaves all year.
ex: In nomenclature, indicating that the preceding author proposed the name but did not legitimately publish it, and that the succeeding author referred to the first author when legitimately publishing the name. SeeAuthor citation (botany).
exalbuminous: In seeds of a given species, having noendosperm, i.e. noalbumen, e.g. inFabaceae andCombretaceae.
exocarp: The outer layer of thepericarp, often the skin of fleshyfruits.
exospory: The production ofspores that germinate into free-living multicellulargametophytes. Contrastendospory.
exotesta: The outer layer of thetesta (seed coat). It is derived from the outerintegument of theovule.
exotic: Not native; introduced from another region or country.
exserted: Projected beyond, e.g.stamens beyond thecorolla tube.
exstipulate: Lackingstipules.
extrastaminal: Outside thestamens orandroecium, usually referring to the location of a nectary disk.
extrorse: (ofanther locules) Opening toward the outside of theflower. Contrastintrorse andlatrorse.

F

[edit]

F1 hybrid: A singlecross; a plant breeding term for the result of a repeatable cross between two pure bred lines.
F2 hybrid: A plant breeding term for the result of a plant arising from across between twoF1 hybrids; may also refer toself-pollination in a population of F1 hybrids.
fabiform: Shaped like akidney bean.
facultative: Able to perform a particular life function, or to live generally, in more than one way.^[36] Compareobligate.
falcate: Curved like the blade of ascythe.
family: A taxonomic group of one or moregenera with features, ancestry, or both in common. It is the term for the principal rank betweenorder and genus.
farina: Powdery, pale yellow, crystalline secretion consisting offlavonoids inPrimula and other species.
farinaceous: Powderiness that is mealy.
fascicle: adj.fasciculate
A cluster of flowers, leaves, needles,vascular tissue, etc., e.g. a tuft of leaves all arising from the same node.
fasciculate: Branching in clusters, e.g. a bundle of sticks or needles; havingfascicles.
fastigiate: 1. InPlant morphology, thehabit of a plant that consists in part, of a bundle of erect, more or less parallel branches or stems, particularly if they form or taper to a peak or point. (Latinfastigiatus,meaning "having a peak".; 2. Inpalynology, the form of a pollen grain that has afastigium, a pointed apex over a hollow between the layers of the pollen outer wall.
faucal: Pertaining to thefauces; located in the throat of acalyx orcorolla.
fauces: The throat of acalyx orcorolla; the conspicuously widened portion between the mouth and theapex of the tube. InBoraginaceae, the site of distinctive appendages.
faveolate: Honeycombed; having regular, angledpits. Comparefoveolate.
felted: Having interlocked hairs to the extent of being matted.^[28]
female flower: Seepistillate flower.
fenestrate: Havingtranslucent or transparent areas that let light through; this variously affects the behavior of animal visitors or permits photosynthesis in many arid-region plants that grow only to the soil surface. Also refers loosely to perforations, for whichperforate is the more precise term.
ferruginous: Ruddy orrust-colored.
fertile: Capable of producing fruit; of flowers when they produce seed, or of anthers containing pollen.
fertilization: The union of male and femalegametes during sexual reproduction.
fiber: 1. A fiber cell.; 2. Any flexible, strong, stringy, and very elongate structure.
fiber cell: A type of cell that is found insclerenchyma; it is much elongated, and dies soon after an extensive modification of itscell wall. The cell wall is usually thicklylignified but is sometimesgelatinous.
filament: 1. The stalk of astamen.; 2. Any very narrow, thread-like structure that is one or a few cells thick.
filamentous: Consisting offilaments orfibers; hairlike.
filiform: Thread-like, e.g.stamen filaments orleaf shapes.
fimbria: pl.fimbriae
Slender, hair-like projection; fringe.
fimbriate: Fringed, e.g. where the ends of a petal are split into two or more divisions.^[37] Havingfimbriae.
fissure: A split or crack, often referring to fissured bark; a line or opening ofdehiscence.
fistule: A tube-shaped cavity.
fistulose: Hollow; usually applied to a tube-shaped cavity, as in areed.
flabellate: Fan-shaped, e.g. a flabellate (fan-shaped) leaf.
flaccid: Limp; tending to wilt. Compareturgid.
flexistyly: Depending on the degree of maturation of thestamens, thestyle moves up or down (cataflexistyle or (ana-)hyperflexisyle).
flexuous
flexuose: Bent alternately in different directions;zigzag.
floccose: Having a soft and wooly covering of hairs.
flora: 1. All the plants growing in a certain region or country.; 2. An enumeration of them, generally with a guide to their identification (e.g. theFlora of North America,Flora of China,Flora of Victoria,Flora of New South Wales, and so on). In this case,flora is written with a capitalF.
floral envelope: Seeperianth.
floral leaves: The upper leaves at the base of the flowering branches.
floral diagram: A graphical means to describe flower structure, usually a schematic cross-section through a young flower.
floral formula: A description of flower structure using numbers, letters, and various symbols.
floral tube: An imprecise term sometimes used as asynonym ofhypanthium,corolla tube, orcalyx tube.
floret: A smallflower, usually referring to the individual true flowers clustered within aninflorescence, particularly those of thePoaceae grasses and thepseudanthia of familyAsteraceae.
flower: The sexual reproductive structure of theangiosperms, typically with agynoecium,androecium,perianth, and anaxis.
foliate: 1. When describing a whole plant: leafy or having leaves (as opposed to nonfoliate).; 2. When preceded by a number: specifying a number of leaflets, e.g.3-foliate means "having three leaflets".
foliicolous: A growth habit of certainlichens,algae, andfungi that prefer to grow on the leaves ofvascular plants.
follicle: A dry fruit formed from onecarpel splitting along a singlesuture to which the seeds are attached, e.g. from thepod of alegume.^[38]
foliole: A small, leaf-like appendage on the front or back.^{[of what?]}
foliose: Leaf-like; flattened like aleaf.
forb: Any non-woodyflowering plant that is not agrass,sedge, orrush.
forest: Vegetation dominated by trees with single trunks, including closely arranged trees with or without an understory of shrubs and herbs.
forma (in common usage,form): A taxonomic category subordinate to species and within the taxonomic hierarchy, belowvariety (varietas), and usually differentiated by a minor character. Its abbreviation is "f."
foveolate: Having regular tinypits. Comparefaveolate.
free: Not united with other organs of the same type; not attached at one end.
free central: (ofplacentation)Ovules attached to a free-standing column in the center of aunilocular ovary.
frond: Aleaf of afern,cycad, orpalm.
frutescent: Shrub-like (fruticose) or becoming shrub-like.
fruticose: Shrubby; having the branching character of ashrub.
fruit: A seed-bearing structure, present in allangiosperms, formed from the matureovary and sometimes associated floral parts uponfertilization.
fugacious: Disappearing, falling off, or withering. Comparepersistent andcaducous.
funicle (funiculus): The stalk of anovule.
funnelform: Having a form gradually widening from the base to theapex; funnel-shaped.
furcate: Forked, usually applied to aterminal division; with two longlobes.
fused: Joined together.
fusiform: Rod-shaped and narrowing gradually from the middle toward each end; spindle-shaped.

G

[edit]

galbulus

Ingymnosperms, a fleshy cone (megastrobilus); chiefly relates to cones borne byjunipers andcypresses, which are often mistakenly calledberries.

galea

An overhanging, helmet-shaped, structure that protects the reproductive parts from precipitation, wind or unwanted visitors.

gall

Abnormal outgrowth on external plant tissues, caused by various parasites, from viruses, fungi and bacteria, to other plants, insects and mites.

gamete

A cell or nucleus that fuses with another of the opposite sex during sexual reproduction.

gametophore

Specialized structures on thegametophytes of somebryophyte species, for example many species in the orderMarchantiales; in such species the gametes are produced on the gametophores.

gametophyte

Thehaploid multicellular phase in thealternation of generations of plants and algae that bearsgametes. Inbryophytes the gametophyte is the dominant vegetative phase; in ferns and their allies it is a small free-living plant known as the prothallus; in gymnosperms and angiosperms the gametophytes are reduced to microscopic structures dependent on thesporophyte, male gametophytes contained inpollen grains and females contained within theovules.

gamopetalous

with joined or fused petals

gamophyllous

a single perianth-whorl of united segments. Comparesymphyllous (synonym),apophyllous, andpolyphyllous.

gemma

an asexual reproductive structure found inliverworts andmosses.

gene pool

The complete range of genetic variation found within a population.

genus

pl. genera

A group of one or morespecies with features or ancestry (or both) in common. Genus is the principal category of taxa intermediate in rank betweenfamily and species in the standard nomenclatural hierarchy.

generic name

The name of a taxonomicgenus, such asAcacia andEucalyptus.

genotype

The genetic make-up of an individual.

geophilous

Growing or rooting in the ground.

germination

1. of seeds, describing the complex sequence of physiological and structural changes that occur from resting to growth stage.

2. of a pollen grain; production of a pollen tube when contacting a stigma receptive to it.

3. of a spore of fungi/bacterium; change of state – from resting to vegetative.

gibbous (gibbose)

(of part of an organ) Swollen, usually with a pouch-like enlargement at the base.

glabrescent

Becomingglabrous, almost glabrous; glabrate.

glabrous

Lacking surface ornamentation such as hairs, scales or bristles; smooth.

gland

A secretory structure within or on the surface of a plant.

glandular hair

A hair tipped with agland.

glaucous

Describing the external surface of a plant part that has a whitish covering, in some cases with a blueish cast. Often applied to plants with a wooly orarachnoid surface, but properly referring topruinose surfaces, meaning those with a waxybloom. The surfaces of the young leaves of manyeucalypts provide good examples, and so do somexerophytes.

globose

Alsoglobular.

Roughly spherical. See alsosubglobose.

globulose

Approximately spherical.

glochid

A tiny barbed hair or bristle, e.g. the fine defensive hairs in cactus species such asOpuntia.

glumes

bracts subtending the floret(s) of asedge, or similar plant; ingrasses forming the lowermost organs of aspikelet (there are usually 2 but 1 is sometimes reduced; or rarely, both are absent).

glutinous

Sticky.

graft

1. The artificial union of plant parts.

2. A plantshoot suitable for grafting; loosely, ascion,sucker, or branch.

graft chimaera (sometimes graft hybrid)

A taxon whose members consist of tissue from two or more different plants in intimate association originated by grafting. The addition sign "+" is used to indicate a graft-chimaera either as a part of a formula (e.g.Crataegus monogyna +Mespilus germanica) or in front of an abbreviated name (e.g.+Crataegomespilus 'Dardari'). The nomenclature of graft hybrids is governed by theInternational Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants.

graminaceous

Alsogramineous

Of or relating to grass.

graminoid

An herbaceous plant with a grass-like morphology.

granular

(of a surface) Covered with small rounded protuberances.

grass

A plant of the familyPoaceae.

grassland

Low vegetation dominated bygrasses.

groundcover

1. Dense vegetation that covers the ground.

2. A term applied to describe a plant that covers the soil surface so densely that it smothers all beneath it.

group

A formal category equivalent to or below the rank ofgenus which distinguishes

an assemblage of two or more cultivars within a species or hybrid;
plants derived from a hybrid in which one or more of the parent species is not known or is of uncertain origin; or,
a range of cultivated plants of a species or hybrid which may exhibit variation but share one or more characters, which makes it worth distinguishing them as a unit.

guard cell

Each of two cells surrounding thestoma which control gas exchange between theapoplast of the plant and the external environment.

guttate

Having droplet-shaped spots. Comparepunctate andmaculate.

guttation

The secretion of liquid water from uninjured plant parts. Seehydathode.

guttulate

Having or appearing to be spotted with oil droplets; of spores, having oil droplets inside.

gymnosperm

A seed-bearing plant with unenclosed ovules borne on the surface of asporophyll. Gymnosperms are among the oldest clades of vascular plants, and today are represented by approximately 1,000 extant species worldwide, including, among others,conifers,Ginkgo,Gnetum andcycads. Compareangiosperm.

gynaecium

Alternative term forgynoecium, but with partly different etymology.

gynobasic

Of a style, arising near the base of thegynoecium, e.g. between the lobes of theovary.

gynodioecious

Of a species, with some plants bearing onlybisexual flowers and others bearing only female flowers.

gynomonoecious

Of a species, withbisexual flowers and female flowers on the same plant.

gynoecium

The collective term for the female reproductive parts of a flower or for thecarpels of a flower, whether united or free. Contrastandroecium. Abbreviation:G. For instance,G indicates asuperior ovary; G(5) indicates having five fused carpels.

gynophore

A stalk supporting thegynoecium and situated above the level ofinsertion of the other floral parts.

gynostegium

A compound organ in milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae) andorchids formed by fusion of thefilaments of thestamens with thestyle. Also known as thecolumn.

H

[edit]

habit: The general external appearance of a plant, including size, shape, texture, and orientation.
habitat: The place where a plant lives; the environmental conditions of its home.
hair: A single elongated cell or row of cells borne on the surface of an organ.
half-inferior ovary: Anovary partly below and partly above the level of attachment of the other floral parts. Compareinferior ovary andsuperior ovary.
halonate: Having a transparent coating, or being of a spore's outer layer.
halophyte: A plant adapted to living in highly saline habitats; a plant that accumulates high concentrations of salt in its tissues.
hand-pollination: The controlled act of pollination that excludes the possibility of open-pollination.
haploid: Having one set of chromosomes, e.g. the complement of chromosomes in each of the cells of thegametophyte, the nucleus of agamete, and thespores. This is expressed symbolically asn, wheren = the gametic number of chromosomes. Comparediploid,triploid, andtetraploid.
haplostemonous: Having a single series ofstamens equal in number to the proper number ofpetals, and alternating with them. Comparediplostemonous andobdiplostemonous.
harmomegathy: process by which pollen grains in arid environments close off theirapertures to avoid losing water
hastate: Triangular in outline, the basal lobes pointing outward, so that the base appearstruncate; may refer only to the base of a leaf with such lobes. Comparesagittate, which refers to basal lobes pointing backward.
haustorium: In parasitic plants, a structure developed for penetrating the host's tissues.
head: Seecapitulum, apseudanthium.
heathland: Vegetation dominated by smallshrubs which usually haveericoid leaves.
helicoid: Coiled; of acymose inflorescence, when the branching is repeatedly on the same side (the apex is oftenrecurved). Comparescorpioid.
heliophilous: Requiring or tolerating strong, direct sunlight.
hemerochory: A plant that has been transported voluntarily or involuntarily by humans in a territory which it could not have colonized by its own natural mechanisms of dissemination, or at least much more slowly.^[34]
hemi-legume: A legume fruit in which the seed or seeds and one valve of the pod are dispersed as a unit. The valve catches the wind and blows away with the seeds, as inAcacia tenuifolia andPeltogyne paniculata.
herb: Anyvascular plant that does not develop awoody stem at any point during its life cycle, e.g. adaffodil.
herbaceous: Notwoody; usually green and soft in texture.
herbarium: pl. herbaria
A collection of preserved, usually pressed and dried, plant material used for identification and comparison; also a building in which such collections are stored.
hermaphrodite: Asynonym ofbisexual.
hesperidium: A form of berry that occurs most familiarly in the genusCitrus. The fruit tends to be large for a berry, ranging from not much more than a centimeter in small fruited genera such asMurraya, to 15 cm or more in some varieties ofCitrus. The outer rind typically is thick and tough with many oil glands, while the carpels within are packed with juicy fibers.
heteroblastic: Having parts, especially leaves, that are distinctly different between thejuvenile and adult stages.
heterophyllous: Having more than one leaf type on the same plant. For example, leaves adapted to the open air and leaves adapted to being under water inRanunculus aquatilis.^[39]
heterophylly: A condition in which a plant has two or more types of leaves that differ in form and/or function.^[40]
heteromorphic: Having two or more distinct morphologies (e.g. of different size and shape). Compareisomorphic.
heterospory: The production ofspores of two different sizes (small and large) by thesporophytes of land plants. Comparehomospory.
heterostyly: The condition of a species having flowers with different style and stamen lengths, but with all the flowers of any one plant being identical. Seedistyly.
hilum: The scar on a seed coat where it separates from its stalk (funicle).
hip: The fruit of a rose plant.
hippocrepiform: Horseshoe-shaped.
hirsute: Bearing coarse, rough, longish hairs. Seeindumentum.
hispid: Bearing long, erect, rigid hairs or bristles, harsh to touch.
hoary: Covered with a greyish to whitish layer of very short, closely interwoven hairs, giving a frosted appearance.
holotype: A type chosen by the author of a name. Comparelectotype.
homochlamydeous: Having aperianth which is not divided into a separatecalyx andcorolla. Contrastdichlamydeous.
homospory: The production ofspores of only one size by thesporophytes of land plants. Compareheterospory.
hort.: (never capitalized)
Of gardens, an author citation used in two ways:
1. as a name misapplied by gardeners; 2. as an invalid name derived from horticultural writings of confused authorship.
husk: Protective outer covering of certain seeds, for example, the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn), the leathery covering of the walnut, or the spiky covering of the chestnut.
hyaline: Translucent; usually delicately membranous and colorless.
hybrid: Plant produced by the crossing of parents belonging to two different named groups, e.g. genera, species, varieties, subspecies, forma and so on; i.e. the progeny resulting within and between two different plants. AnF1 hybrid is the primary product of such a cross. An F2 hybrid is a plant arising from a cross between two F1 hybrids (or from the self-pollination of an F1 hybrid).
hybrid formula: The names of the parents of a hybrid joined by a multiplication sign, e.g.Cytisus ardonoi ×C. purgans.
hydrophily: Form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by the flow of waters.
hypanthium: Tube or cup-like structure in a flower that includes the bases of sepals, petals, and stamens, and may or may not be connected (adnate) to theovary.
hyper-resupinate: Inbotany, describing leaves or flowers that are in the usual position but are borne on apetiole orpedicel that is twisted 360 degrees. The term is used to describe organs, such as orchid flowers, that are usually resupinate. Compareresupinate.
hypocarpium: Enlarged fleshy structure that forms below the fruit from thereceptacle orhypanthium.
hypocotyl: Of an embryo or seedling, the part of the plant axis below thecotyledon andnode, but above the root. It marks the transition from root to stem development.
hypocrateriform: Salver-shaped.Synonym ofsalverform. From Greekkratḗrion: a vessel.
hypogynous: Borne below the ovary; used to describe floral parts inserted below the ovary's level of insertion. Compareepigynous andperigynous.
hysteranthous: Type of growth in which new leaves appear after flowering. Also spelledhisteranthous. Compareproteranthous andsynanthous.

I

[edit]

idioblast: A cell, especially of aleaf, differing markedly from surrounding cells. They often synthesise specialized products such as crystals.
illegitimate name (nomen illeg.): A name not abiding by the rules of the botanical Codes, e.g. laterhomonyms, cultivars that have been Latinised after 1 Jan 1959;cultivar names with more than 10 syllables or 30 letters; cultivar names that use confusing names of other plants, e.g.Camellia 'Rose'.
imbricate: From the Latin for "tiled". Overlapping each other; ofperianth parts, edges overlapping in the bud (the convoluted arrangement is a special form of imbrication). Dormant buds of manydeciduous species are imbricately covered with protective cataphylls called bud scales. Compare with subimbricates meaning lightly overlapping
imparipinnate: Apinnate leaf with an odd number ofpinnae (terminated by a single leaflet). Compareparipinnate.
in: In nomenclature, where the preceding author published the name in an article or book, authored or edited by the succeeding author.
-inae: The suffix added to the stem of ageneric name to form the name of asubtribe: for instance,Corydalinae fromCorydalis +-inae.
inbreeding: The production of offspring between closely related parents leading to a high degree of similarity; self-fertilization is the most intense form of inbreeding.
incertae sedis: Of unknown taxonomic affinity; relationships obscure.
incised: Cut deeply and (usually) unevenly (a condition intermediate between toothed and lobed).
included: Enclosed, not protruding, e.g.stamens within thecorolla.
incomplete flower: A flower which lacks one or more of its usual parts, such as carpels, sepals, petals, pistils, or stamens.
incurved: Bent or curved inward; ofleaf margins, when curved toward theadaxial side.
ined.: An abbreviation of Latininedita, an unpublished work. Used to indicate that a botanical name appeared only in a manuscript that was not published, so the name is invalid.
indefinite: variable in number, and as a rule numerous, e.g. more than twice as many stamens as petals or sepals, but no particular standard number of stamens. In another usage it is a synonym for the preferable termindeterminate, meaning the condition in which an inflorescence is not terminated by a flower, but continues growing until limited by physiological factors. Comparenumerous. Contrastdefinite.
indehiscent: Not opening in any definite manner at maturity; usually referring tofruit. Contrastdehiscent.
indeterminate: usually referring to a stem or inflorescence in which there is no particular terminal bud ormeristem that stops growth and ends the extension of the stem, which continues until physiological factors stop the growth. Racemes of some Xanthorrhoeaceae, such as many Aloes, and of many Iridaceae, such as Watsonias, are indeterminate. Contrastdeterminate.
indigenous: Native to the area, not introduced, and not necessarily confined to the region discussed or present throughout it (hardly distinct from ‘native' but usually applied to a smaller area). For example, the Cootamundra Wattle is native to Australia but indigenous to the Cootamundra region of southern New South Wales. Compareendemic.
indumentum: Collective term for a surface covering of any kind oftrichomes, e.g. hairs, scales.
induplicate: Folded upward, or folded with the twoadaxial surfaces together.
indusium: 1. Membrane covering thesori of some ferns.^[41]; 2. Cup enclosing the stigma inGoodeniaceae.^[41]
inferior ovary: Anovary at least partly below the level of attachment of other floral parts. Comparesuperior ovary andhalf-inferior ovary.
inflated: Swollen, like a bladder.
inflexed: Bent sharply upward or forward. Comparedeflexed.
inflorescence: several flowers closely grouped together to form an efficient structured unit; the grouping or arrangement of flowers on a plant.
infraspecific: denotes taxonomic ranks below species level, for example subspecies.
infrageneric: denoting taxonomic ranks below the genus level, for example, subgenera, sections, and series.
infructescence: the grouping or arrangement of fruits on a plant.
infundibular (infundibuliform): funnel-shaped, for example in thecorolla of a flower.
inrolled: rolled inward.
insectivorous: catching, and drawing nutriment from, insects.
insertion, point of: The point at which one organ or structure (such as aleaf) is joined to the structure which bears it (such as astem).
inserted: growing out from
integument: in general, any covering, but especially the covering of anovule.
intercalary: (e.g. of growth) occurring between the apex and the base of an organ
intercalary meristem: ameristem located between the apex and the base of an organ
interjugary glands: in pinnate leaves, glands occurring along the leafrachis between thepinnae (occurring below the single, and often slightly larger, gland at or just below the insertion of the pinnae). Comparejugary.
internode: The portion of astem between twonodes.
interpetiolar: (ofstipules) Between the petioles of opposite leaves, e.g inRubiaceae.
intramarginal: inside but close to the margin. For example, an intramarginalvein is one that parallels, and is very close to, the leaf margin.
intrastaminal: inside the stamens orandroecium, usually referring to the location of a nectary disk.
introrse: ofanther locules, with opening toward the center of flower (at least in bud). Compareextrorse andlatrorse.
invalid: Use of names not validly published according to the Code, i.e. they are not strictly 'names' in the sense of theInternational Code of Botanical Nomenclature.
involucre: A structure surrounding or supporting, usually a head of flowers. InAsteraceae, it is the group ofphyllaries (bracts) surrounding the inflorescence before opening, then supporting the cup-like receptacle on which the head of flowers sits. InEuphorbiaceae it is the cuplike structure that holds the nectar glands, nectar, and head of flowers, and sits above the bract-likecyathophyll structure. Involucres occur inMarchantiophyta,Cycads,fungi, and many other groups.
involute: Rolled inward, for example when the margins of aleaf are rolled toward theadaxial (usually upper) surface. Comparerevolute.
iridescent: Having a reflective colored sheen produced bystructural coloration, as in the speculum of the mirror orchidOphrys speculum.
irregular: Not able to be divided into two equal halves through any vertical plane. See alsoasymmetrical. Comparezygomorphic,actinomorphic, andregular.
isobifacial: (of flat structures, especially leaves) Having both surfaces similar, usually referring to cell types or to the number and distribution ofstomata.
isomerous: Having an equal number of parts in thewhorls.
isomorphic: with all features morphologically similar, i.e. of similar size and shape. Compareheteromorphic.
isotomic: Having branches of equal diameter. Compareanisotomic.
iteroparity: Referring to an organism, such as a plant, that potentially reproduces repeatedly instead of dying after reproducing for the first time; the opposite ofsemelparity

J

[edit]

joint: Anode or junction of two parts;articulation.
jugary: associated with ajugum or something yoke-like; see for examplejugary gland.
jugary gland: A gland occurring on therachis of apinnate orbipinnate leaf on ajugum, the junction or attachment of pairs ofpinnae orpinnules, as in someAcacia species. Compareinterjugary.
jugate: yoke-like; describing a structure of paired items joined together as in ajugum or something yoke-like, such as some leaves and fruit.
jugum: applied to various yoke-like organs, usually in the sense of their being paired, such as a pair ofpinnae on arachis.
juvenile leaves: Leaves formed on a young plant, typically differing from the adult leaves in form.

K

[edit]

keel: adj.keeled
A prominent longitudinal ridge like the keel of a boat, e.g. the structure of thecorolla formed by the fusion of the lower edge of the two abaxial anterior petals of flowers in theFabaceae.
kernel: Seedrupe.
kettle trap: another term for the kettle-like pitchers of any of the carnivorouspitcher plants, in which they trap their prey.
key innovation: A novelphenotypic trait that allows subsequentevolutionary radiation and success of ataxonomic group.
kidney shape: A term describing akidney-shaped object such as a bean or a leaf; more formally,oblately cordate, orcrescent-shaped with the ends rounded.
kingdom: the highest generally employed category of the taxonomic hierarchy, above that of division (phylum). The Plant Kingdom includesvascular plants,bryophytes andgreen algae and is also known as theclade Viridiplantae.
Klausenfrucht: Klausen or Klausenfrucht (German) is a special type of fruit inLamiaceae andBoraginaceae. A dry, dehiscent fruit formed from a superior ovary with axil or basal placentation, with an adherent calyx, from more than one carpel and usually breaking apart into one-seeded units by separating each carpel by false septa. One unit is a half carpel. Mostly there are four units, seeds. English terms are eremocarp, schizocarp, mericarp or nutlet.
knee: abrupt bend in a root or stem, commonly at anode; acypress knee, orpneumatophore, is a type of bend or knob in the root of some plants, especially conifers such as some of theTaxodioideae, that shows as a projection of the root above ground level or mud level.

L

[edit]

labellum

lip; one of three or five petals which is (usually) different from the others, e.g. inOrchidaceae,Zingiberaceae,Cannaceae andStylidiaceae.

labiate

lipped; where acorolla is divided into two parts, called an upper and lower lip, the two resembling an open mouth with lips.

lacerate

jagged, as if torn.

laciniate

Oflobes – with ends irregularly divided into deeply divided, narrow, pointed segments; Ofmargins – deeply divided into pointed segments in an irregular manner.

lacuna

An empty space, hole, cavity, pit, depression, or discontinuity.

lamella

pl.lamellae

Thin, plate-like layer.

adj.lamellate

Composed of an assemblage of many layers.

lamina

the blade of a leaf or the expanded upper part of apetal,sepal orbract.

lanate

covered in or composed of wooly hairs.

lanceolate

longer than broad, narrowly ovate, broadest in the lower half and tapering to the tip, like a lance or spear head; (sometimes, and incorrectly, used to mean narrowly elliptic).

lanuginose

covered in long hairs that cross and/or interweave with each other. More commonly the termlanate is used.^[42]

lateral

attached to the side of an organ, e.g. leaves or branches on a stem. For more detail seedorsal.

latex

a milky fluid that exudes from such plants such asspurges,figs anddandelions.

laticiferous

latex-bearing, producing a milky juice.

latrorse

a type of antherdehiscence in which theanthers open laterally toward adjacent anthers. Compareintrorse andextrorse.

lauroid

resemblingLaurus, the laurel genus, particularly its leaves.

lax

loose, not compact.

leaf

an outgrowth of a stem, usually flat and green; its main function is food manufacture by photosynthesis. Abbreviation: lvs.

leaf gap

aparenchymatous area in thestele above (distal to) aleaf trace.

leaf scar

A healing layer forming on astem where aleaf has fallen off.

leaf trace

Avascular bundle connecting thestele to aleaf.

leaflets

The ultimate segments of acompound leaf.

legume

1. a fruit characteristic of the familyFabaceae, formed from one carpel and eitherdehiscent along both sides, orindehiscent.

2. a crop species in the family Fabaceae.

3. a plant of the family Fabaceae.

lemma

the lower of 2bracts enclosing agrass flower.

lenticel

Typicallylenticular (lens-shaped)porous tissue in bark with largeintercellular spaces that allows directexchange of gases between the internal tissues and atmosphere through the bark.

lenticellate

Having lenticels

lenticular

1. lens-shaped.

2. covered inlenticels.

lepidote

covered with small scales.

leprose

powdery

liana

a woody climbing plant, rooted in the ground (liane is also used).

liane

a woody climbing plant, rooted in the ground. See alsoliana.

ligneous

having hard lignified tissues or woody parts, woody

lignum

Dead wood, typically in the context of a substrate forlichens.

lignicolous

Growing on wood tissue after bark as fallen or been stripped off (compare tocorticolous).

lignotuber

a woody swelling of the stem below or just above the ground; contains adventitious buds from which new shoots can develop, e.g. after fire.

ligulate

1. bearing aligule.

2. strap-shaped.

ligule

1. A small membranous appendage on the top of thesheath of grass leaves.

2. A minuteadaxial appendage near the base of aleaf, e.g. inSelaginella.

3. An extended, strap-likecorolla in some daisy florets.

linea, line, British line, Paris line

Various pre-metric units somewhat larger than 2 mm, used in botany into the 20th century. SeeLine (unit) andParis line.

linear

Very narrow in relation to its length, with the sides mostly parallel. SeeLeaf shape.

lingulate

tongue-shaped.

lip

Alabellum.

lithophytic

A plant growing on rocks; anepilithic plant.

lobe

Part of aleaf (or other organ), often rounded and formed by incisions to about halfway to themidrib.

lobulate

Having, consisting of or relating to a lobe or lobes.

loculicidal

(of a fruit)Dehiscing through the centers ofloculi. Comparesepticidal.

locule

A chamber or cavity containing seeds within anovary, pollen within ananther or spores in asporangium.

lodicule

One of two or three minute organs at the base of theovary of agrass flower, representing parts of a strongly reducedperianth.

lomentum or loment

A pod-likeindehiscent fruit that develops constrictions between the segments and at maturity breaks into one-seeded segments instead of splitting open.

longicidal

(ofanthers) Opening lengthwise by longitudinal slits. Compareporicidal.

lunate

Crescent-shaped.

lumen

The cavity bounded by a plant cell wall.

lyrate

Lyre-shaped; deeply lobed, with a large terminallobe and smaller lateral ones.

M

[edit]

maculate: Spotted; marked with spots.
male flower: Seestaminate flower.
mallee: A growth habit in which several woody stems arise separately from alignotuber; a plant with such a growth habit, e.g. manyEucalyptus species; vegetation characterized by such plants.
mangrove: Anyshrub or smalltree growing in salt or brackish water, usually characterized bypneumatophores; any tropical coastal vegetation characterized by such species.
margin: The edge of a structure, as in the edge of aleaf blade.
marginal: Occurring at or very close to amargin.
marsh: A waterlogged area or swamp.
mast: Edible fruit and nuts produced by woody species of plants (e.g.acorns andbeechmast) which is consumed on the ground by wildlife species and some domestic animals.
mealy: Covered with coarse, floury powder.
medulla: pith. See alsomedullary rays in wood.
megasporangium: the larger of two kinds of sporangium produced byheterosporous plants, producing large spores that contain the femalegametophytes. Comparemicrosporangium.
megaspore: the larger of two kinds of spores produced by aheterosporous plant, giving rise to the femalegametophyte. Comparemicrospore.
megasporophyll: inhetersoporous plants, a modified leaf bearing one or moremegasporangia. Comparemicrosporophyll.
megastrobilus: the larger of two kinds of cones orstrobili produced bygymnosperms, being female and producing the seeds. Comparemicrostrobilus.
membranous: thin, translucent and flexible, seldom green.
mericarp: one segment of a fruit (aschizocarp) that splits at maturity into units derived from the individualcarpels, or a carpel, usually 1-seeded, released by the break-up at maturity of a fruit formed from 2 or more joined carpels.
meristem: Any actively dividing plant tissue.
mesic: Moist, avoiding both extremes of drought and wet; pertaining to conditions of moderate moisture or water supply; applied to organisms (vegetation) occupying moist habitats.
mesocarp: The fleshy portion of the wall of asucculent fruit inside the skin and outside the stony layer (if any), surrounding the seed(s);sarcocarp.
mesomorphic: Soft and with little fibrous tissue, but notsucculent.
mesophyll: 1. Theparenchyma tissues between the upper and lower epidermis. They vary in function, but usually include the photosynthetic tissue of aleaf.; 2. In ecology, the blade of a leaf orleaflet that has a surface area 4500–18225 mm²; a plant, or vegetation, that has mesophyll (sized) leaves.
mesophyllous: (of vegetation) Of moist habitats and having mostly large and soft leaves.
mesophyte: A plant thriving under intermediate environmental conditions of moderate moisture and temperature, without major seasonal fluctuations.
micropyle: Opening at apex ofovule.
microsporangium: The smaller of two kinds ofsporangium produced by aheterosporous plant, producingmicrospores that contain the malegametophyte. Comparemegasporangium.
microspore: The smaller of two kinds of spores produced by aheterosporous plant. Comparemegaspore.
microsporophyll: Inheterosporous plants, a modified leaf bearing one or moremicrosporangia. Comparemegasporophyll.
microstrobilus: The smaller of two kinds of cones orstrobilus produced bygymnosperms, being male and producing the pollen. Comparemegastrobilus.
midrib: Alsomidvein.
The central and usually most prominentvein of a leaf or leaf-like organ.
midvein: Seemidrib.
monad: A single individual that is free from other individuals, not united with them into a group. The term is usually used for pollen to distinguish single grains fromtetrads or polyads.
monadelphous: A term describing stamen filaments that are fused for the greater part of their length, forming a tube around the style.
moniliform: Resembling a string of beads.
monocarpic: Flowering and setting seed only once before dying. See alsosemelparous.
monochasium: Acymose inflorescence with the branches arising singly. Comparedichasium andpleiochasium.
monocot: An abbreviation ofmonocotyledon.
monocotyledon: A flowering plant whoseembryo contains onecotyledon (seed-leaf). Comparedicotyledon.
monoecious: (of vascular plants)Hermaphroditic, with all flowersbisexual, or with male and female reproductive structures in separate flowers but on the same plant, or of an inflorescence that hasunisexual flowers of both sexes. Contrastdioecious.
monoicous: (ofbryophyte gametophytes)Hermaphroditic orbisexual, where both male and female reproductive structures develop on the same individual. Contrastdioicous.
monograph: Of a group of plants, a comprehensive treatise presenting an analysis and synthesis of taxonomic knowledge of that taxon; the fullest account possible (at the time) of a family, tribe or genus. It is generally worldwide in scope and evaluates all taxonomic treatments of that taxon including studies of its evolutionary relationships with other related taxa, and cytological, genetic, morphological, palaeobotanical and ecological studies. The term is often incorrectly applied to any systematic work devoted to a single taxon. Comparerevision.
monomorphic: Of one type, rather than several. See alsodimorphic (two types) andpolymorphic (many types).
monophyllous: Having a singleleaf.
monopodial: A mode ofstem growth and branching in which the main axis is formed by a single dominantmeristem. Contrastsympodial.
monostromatic: Being a single cell thick, as in thealgaMonostroma.
monothecous: having a sole compartment or cell. CompareDithecous.
monotypic: Containing only one taxon of the next lower rank, e.g. a family with only onegenus, or a genus that includes only a singlespecies.
morphology: The shape or form of an organism or part thereof.
mucro: dim.mucronule.
A sharp, short point, generally at the tip of a leaf or the tip of the midrib of a compound leaf.^[28]
mucronate: Terminating in amucro.
multiple fruit: A cluster offruits produced from more than oneflower and appearing as a single fruit, often on a swollen axis, as with many species of the familyMoraceae. Compareaggregate fruit.
muricate: Covered with short, hard protuberances.
mutation: In times before the nature of genetic encoding was understood, mutation was regarded as an abrupt, and sometimes heritable, variation from the norm of a population; for example a plant might unexpectedly produce "double" flowers, a novel color, or ahabit of growth uncharacteristic of the species or variety. Advances ingenetics andmolecular biology in the mid-twentieth century, showed thatbiological mutations comprise and reflect changes in thenucleic acid molecules thatencode thegenome of anorganism orvirus. The nucleic acid affected could beDNA in the chromosomes, or it could beextrachromosomal DNA (typically DNA in themitochondria orchloroplasts). InRNA viruses a mutation would be a change to the geneticinformation that theRNA encodes.
mycelium: The "vegetative" (nonreproductive) part of afungus, mostly composed of aggregations ofhyphae. It functions in substrate decomposition and absorption of nutrients.
mycorrhiza: pl.mycorrhizae;adj.mycorrhizal
One of several types ofsymbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a plant.
mycotroph: adj.mycotrophic
A plant that obtains most or all of its carbon, water, and nutrients by associating with afungus.

N

[edit]

native: Naturally occurring in an area, but not necessarily confined to it. Compareendemic.
natural hybrid: Ahybrid taxon produced by chance in the wild.
naturalised: Describing a plant, introduced from another region, that grows and reproduces readily in competition with the natural flora.
nectar: A usually sweet, nutrient-rich fluid produced by the flowers of many plants and collected by bees and otherpollinators.
nectary: adj.nectariferous
A specialized gland that secretesnectar.
neophyte: A plant that has recently been introduced to a geographic area. Contrastarchaeophyte.
nerve: Another name for avein.
node: The part of astem from which leaves or branches arise.
nomen conservandum: (Latin) A conserved name, usually a name that became so much better known than the correct name, that a substitution was made.
nomen illegitimum: A name that is either superfluous at its time of publication because the taxon to which it was applied already has a name, or the name has already been applied to another plant (a homonym).
nomen invalidum: A name that is not validly published, and technically is therefore not abotanical name. Abbreviation:nom. inval. Seevalid publication.
nomen nudum: A name not published in accordance with theInternational Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, usually without a diagnosis or description of the entity to which it applies, and without reference to either; such a name should not be used.
nomenclature: The naming of things; often restricted to the correct use of scientific names in taxonomy; a system that sets out provisions for the formation and use of names.
noxious: Of plants, containing harmful or unwholesome qualities. Applied in conjunction with 'weed' to specifically describe a plant which legislation deems harmful to the environment. Each state and territory in Australia has specific legislation governing noxious weeds.
nucellus: The tissue of theovule of aseed plant that surrounds the femalegametophyte. It is enclosed by integuments and is not ofepidermal origin.
numerous: Stamens are described as numerous when there are more than twice as many as sepals or petals, especially when there is no set number of them. Compareindefinite.
nut: A hard, dry,indehiscent fruit containing only one seed.
nutlet: 1. A smallnut.; 2. One of the lobes or sections of the matureovary of some members of theBoraginaceae,Verbenaceae, andLamiaceae.

O

[edit]

ob-: A prefix meaning "inversely"; usually the same shape as that described by the word stem, but attached by the narrower end. Seeobcordate,oblanceolate andobovate.
obconic: (of afruit,hypanthium,pistil, orcalyx) Shaped like an inverted cone, attached at the apex.
obcordate: (of a leafblade) Broad and notched at the tip; heart-shaped but attached at the pointed end.
obdiplostemonous: Havingstamens arranged in twowhorls, and having twice as many stamens aspetals, with the outer whorl being opposite the petals. Comparediplostemonous andhaplostemonous.
oblanceolate: Having alanceolate shape but broadest in the upper third.
oblate: Having a spherical shape but flattened at the poles.
obligate: (of parasites) Unable to survive without a host. Contrastfacultative.
oblique: Slanting; of a leaf or stem, larger on one side of themidrib than the other, in other wordsasymmetrical.
obloid: Having a three-dimensionaloblong shape, e.g. a fruit.
oblong: Having a length a few times greater than the width, with sides almost parallel and ends rounded.
obovate: (of a leaf) Having a length about 1.5 times the width, and widest above the center.
obsolete: Not evident, or at mostrudimentary orvestigial.
obtrapeziform: trapeziform, but attached by the narrower trapezoidal base (e.g. of a leaf)
obtuse: Blunt or rounded; having converging edges that form an angle of more than 90°. Compareacute.
ocrea: Also spelledochrea.
Asheath formed from twostipules encircling thenode in members of thePolygonaceae.
odd-pinnate: Alsoimparipinnate
Having an odd number ofleaflets in acompound pinnate leaf, such that there is only one terminal leaflet.
oft.: An abbreviation of "often". Compareusu. ands.t..
-oideae: A suffix added to the stem of ageneric name to form the name of asubfamily, e.g.Fumaria →Fumarioideae.
olim: Formerly, e.g. "olim B", formerly in the Berlinherbarium (Herbarium Berolinense).
ontogeny: The sequence of developmental stages through which an organism passes as it grows.
operculum (calyptra): A lid or cover that becomes detached at maturity, e.g. inEucalyptus, a cap covering the bud and formed by the fusion or cohesion ofperianth parts.
opposite: 1. Describing leaves or flowers borne at the same level but on directly opposite sides of their commonaxis.; 2. Describing the occurrence of something on the same radius as something else, e.g.anthers oppositesepals. Comparealternate.
opus utique oppressum: pl.opera utique oppressa
Listed after the botanical name of a plant, or the name of a publication, this indicates that a publication is listed in theInternational Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants as a suppressed work. Botanical names of the specified rank in the publication are considered notvalidly published (article 34).
orbicular: Flat and more or less circular.
order: A group of one or more families sharing common features, ancestry, or both.
ortet: The original single parent plant from which aclone ultimately derives.
orthotropous: Describes an ovule that is erect, with themicropyle directed away from the placenta;atropous. Compareamphitropous,anatropous, andcampylotropous.
oval: Seeelliptical.
ovary: The basal portion of acarpel or group of fused carpels, enclosing theovules.
ovate: Shaped like a section through the "long axis" of an egg and attached by the wider end.
ovoid: Egg-shaped, with wider portion at base; 3-dimensional object, ovate in all sections through long-axis.
ovule: Loosely, the seed before fertilization; a structure in a seed plant within which one or moremegaspores are formed (after fertilization it develops into a seed).

P

[edit]

pachycaul: with a disproportionately thick trunk
pachycladous: with disproportionately thick stems
palate: An expanded lower lip of a flower that nearly or entirely blocks the opening of a flower tube, as in asnapdragon flower.^[43]
palea: pl.paleae
1. The upper of twobracts enclosing a grass flower, major contributors to chaff in harvested grain.; 2. Chaffy scales on the receptacles of manyAsteraceae.; 3. Chaffy scales on thestipe of many ferns.
paleate: Bearingpaleae or chaffy scales, as in description of the receptacle of acapitulum of a plant in theAsteraceae.
paleaceous: Chaff-like in texture.
palmate: 1. leaf withveins radiating out from a central point (usually at the top of apetiole), resembling spread out fingers pointing away from the palm.; 2. Acompound palmate leaf hasleaflets that radiate from a central point (usually at the top of a petiole).
palmatifid: Deeply divided into several lobes arising from more or less the same level.
palmatisect: Intermediate betweenpalmate andpalmatifid, i.e. the segments are not fully separated at the base; often more or lessdigitate.
pandurate: shaped like the body of afiddle (mainly, of plant leaves)
panicle: adj.paniculate
Acompound raceme; anindeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are borne on branches of the main axis or on further branches of these.
papilionate: Butterfly-like; having acorolla like that of apea.
papilla: pl.papillae;adj.papillose orpapillate
A small, elongated protuberance on the surface of an organ, usually an extension of oneepidermal cell.
pappus: In daisyflorets, a tuft or ring of hairs or scales borne above theovary and outside thecorolla (representing the reducedcalyx); a tuft of hairs on a fruit.
paracarpel: Ill-defined term, variously interpreted and applied to: organs attached tocarpels;staminodes close to thegynoecium; and to apistillode in astaminate flower
paraperigonium: Alsoparaperigone.
An anomalous secondary outgrowth of theperianthal meristem withramifying vasculature. See alsoperigonium,perianth, andcorona.^[44]
parasite: An organism living on or in a different organism, from which it derives nourishment. Some plant species are parasitic. Comparesaprophyte andepiphyte.
parenchyma: A versatile ground tissue composed of living primary cells which performs a wide variety of structural and biochemical functions in plants.
parietal: Attached to the marginal walls of a structure, e.g. ovules attached to placentas on the wall of the ovary. Seeplacentation.
paripinnate: Having an even number ofleaflets (orpinnae), i.e. terminated by a pair of pinnae as opposed to a single pinna. Compareimparipinnate.
parthenocarpy: The development or production offruit withoutfertilization. Comparestenospermocarpy.
patent: Alsopatulous.
Spreading; standing at 45–50° to the axis. See alsoerecto-patent.
patulous: Seepatent.
pauciflor: Having few flowers perinflorescence. Comparepluriflor anduniflor.
pectinate: Pinnately divided with narrow segments closely set like the teeth of a comb.
pedate: Having a terminal lobe orleaflet, and on either side of it an axis curving outward and backward, bearing lobes or leaflets on the outer side of the curve.
pedicel: adj.pedicellate
The stalk of aflower; may also be applied to the stalk of acapitulum in theAsteraceae.
peduncle: adj.pedunculate
The stalk of aninflorescence.
peltate: Shield-like, with the stalk attached to the lower surface and not to themargin.
pellucid: Transmitting light; for example, said of tiny gland dots in the leaves of e.g.Myrtaceae andRutaceae that are visible when held in front of a light.
pendulous: Hanging, for example an ovule attached to a placenta on the top of the ovary. Comparesuspended.
penicillate: Tufted like an artist's brush; with long hairs toward one end.
penninervation: adj.penninerved
Withpinnately arrangedveins.
pentamerous: In five parts, particularly with respect to flowers, five parts in each whorl. See alsotrimerous andtetramerous.
pepo: A type ofberry formed from aninferior ovary and containing many seeds, usually large with a tough outer skin (e.g. acucumber,pumpkin orwatermelon).
perennating: Of an organ that survives vegetatively from season to season. A period of reduced activity between seasons is usual.
perennial: A plant whose life span extends over several years.
perfect: (of aflower)Bisexual; containing both male and female reproductive parts in the sameinflorescence. Contrastimperfect.
perfoliate: With its base wrapped around the stem (so that the stem appears to pass through it), e.g. of leaves andbracts.
perforate: With many holes. Used to describe the texture of pollen exine, and also to indicate thattracheary elements have a perforation plate. See alsofenestrate.
perforation plate: in atracheary element, part of the cell wall that is perforated; present in vessel members but not in tracheids. Should not be confused with apit.
perianth: The collective term for thecalyx andcorolla of aflower (generally used when the two are too similar to be easily distinguishable). Abbreviation:P; for instance, P 3+3 indicates the calyx and corolla each have 3 elements, i.e. 3sepals + 3petals.
pericarp: The wall of a fruit, developed from theovary wall.
periclinal: Curved along parallel to a surface. Compareanticlinal.
pericycle: A cylinder of parenchyma or sclerenchyma cells that lies just inside the endodermis and is the outer most part of the stele of plants.
perigonium: Inflowering plants,synonym ofperianth.; 2. Inmosses, the leaves surrounding the antheridia, also called asplash-cup, e.g. inPolytrichum juniperinum.
perigynium: A sac from a modified tubular bract, or when fully closed anutricle, around thepistillate flower ofsedges
perigynous: Borne around the ovary, i.e. of perianth segments and stamens arising from a cup-like or tubular extension of receptacle (free from the ovary but extending above its base). Compareepigynous andhypogynous.
persistent: Remaining attached to the plant beyond the usual time of falling, for instance sepals not falling after flowering, flower parts remaining through maturity of fruit. Comparedeciduous andcaducous.
perule: adj.perulate
1. The scales covering a leaf orflower bud, or a reduced scale-like leaf surrounding the bud. Buds lacking perulae are referred to as "naked".; 2. In Camellias the finalbracts and sepals become indistinguishable and are called perules.; 3. A kind of sac formed by the adherent bases of the two lateralsepals in certain orchids.
petal: In aflower, one of the segments or divisions of the inner whorl of non-fertile parts surrounding the fertile organs, usually soft and conspicuously colored. Comparesepal,tepal.
petalody: The transformation of reproductive organs of flower intopetals.
petaloid: Like apetal; soft in texture and colored conspicuously.
petiolary (or petiolar): Associated with apetiole, as in petiolary glands.
petiolate: (of aleaf) Having apetiole. Contrastsessile.
petiole: The stalk of aleaf.
petiolule: The stalk of aleaflet.
petricolous: Rock-dwelling; living on or among rocks.
phaneranthous: Showy, as in showy flowers that advertise topollinators, as opposed toaphananthous (unshowy)
phanerogam: Gymnosperms and angiosperms; plants producing stamens and gynoecia; literally plants with conspicuous sexual reproductive organs. Comparecryptogams.
phenology: The study of the timing of seasonal biological phenomena, such as flowering, leaf emergence, fruit ripening and leaf fall.
phloem: Specialized conducting tissue invascular plants that transportssucrose from the leaves to other plant organs.
photosynthesis: Process by which energy from sunlight is used to convertcarbon dioxide andwater intosimple sugars in cells containingchloroplasts. All plants, except certainparasites, can perform photosynthesis.
phyllary: Individualbract within aninvolucre orinvolucel.
phyllid: Leaf-like extension of the stem inBryophytes
phyllode: adj.phyllodineous
A leaf with the blade much reduced or absent, and in which the petiole and orrachis perform the functions of the whole leaf, e.g. manyacacias. Comparecladode.
phyllopodium: (in ferns) A short outgrowth of the stem on which thefrond is borne and which remains attached to therhizome after the frond has been shed.
phylloplane: the surface of a leaf, considered as a habitat for organisms.
phyllosphere: The above-ground surface of plants as a habitat forepiphytic microorganisms.
phylum: A level ofclassification or taxonomic rank belowkingdom and aboveclass. Traditionally, in botany the termdivision has been used instead ofphylum.
phytomelan: Alsophytomelanin;adj.phytomelanous
A black, inert, organic material that forms a crust-like covering of some seeds, commonly found inAsparagales,Asteraceae, etc.
pileate: Having a cap, apileus.
pileus: A cap or cap-shaped structure, such as the cap of mushrooms or theplumule of somemonocotyledons.
piliform: Having the shape of a cap, apileus.
pilose: covered with soft, weak, thin and clearly separated hairs, which are usually defined as long and sometimes ascending.
pinna: pl.pinnae
A primary segment of acompound leaf.
pinnate: Acompound leaf withleaflets arranged on each side of a common petiole oraxis; also applied to how the lateralveins are arranged in relation to the main vein.
pinnatifid: Pinnately lobed.
pinnatisect: pinnately divided almost to midrib but segments still confluent.
pinnule or pinnula: Usage varies:
ultimate free division (orleaflets) of acompound leaf,
or
a pinnate subdivision of a multipinnate leaf.
pistil: 1. a singlecarpel when the carpels are free.; 2. a group of carpels when the carpels are united by the fusion of their walls.
pistillate flower: a flower containing one or morepistils but no fertilestamens. Sometimes called a female flower. Contrast withstaminate flower
pistillode: A sterile or rudimentary pistil such as may appear in astaminate flower.
pit: Intracheary elements, a section of the cell wall where the secondary wall is missing, and the primary wall is present. Pits generally occur in pairs and link two cells.
pith: The central region of a stem, inside thevascular cylinder; the spongyparenchymatous central tissue in some stems and roots.
placenta: The tissue within an ovary to which the ovules are attached.
placentation: The arrangement of ovules inside ovary; for example axile, free-central, parietal, marginal, basal, or apical.
Plant Breeders Rights (PBR): These rights, governed by Plant Breeder's Rights Acts give the plant breeder legal protection over the propagation of a cultivar, and the exclusive rights to produce and to sell it, including the right to license others to produce and sell plants and reproductive material of a registered, deliberately bred variety. CompareUPOV.
Plant Variety Rights (PVR): Governed by the Plant Variety Rights the registration of new varieties is now governed by Plant Breeders Rights.
plastochron: The time between successive leaf initiation events.
pleiochasium: pl. pleiochasia. An inflorescence in which several buds come out at the same time. Comparemonochasium anddichasium.
plicate: Pleated; folded back and forth longitudinally like a fan, such as the leaves offan palm species. The concept often appears in specific names in forms such asKumara plicatilis andAcacia plicata. Commonly such names are not correctly appropriate, but are applied todistichous structures rather than plicate.
-plinerved: (of leaves) A suffix indicating that the main nerves are lateral and arise from a point distinctly above the base of the leaf. Combined with a numerical prefix to form words like 3-plinerved, 5-plinerved, and so on. Such leaves are especially characteristic of the family Melastomataceae. See for exampleDissotis.
plumose: Like a feather; with fine hairs branching from a main axis.
plumule: The part of an embryo that gives rise to the shoot system of a plant. Compareradicle.
pluriflor: Having many flowers perinflorescence. See alsopauciflor anduniflor.
pluriovulate: Having manyovules as inplacentae,carpels, orovaries.
pneumatophore: A vertical appendage, aerial at low tide, on the roots of some plants. Pneumatophore functions are unclear, but possibly related to gas exchange, or to root anchoring. Pneumatophores typically occur onmangrove roots, but someversions occur on species of conifers, such as some in theTaxodioideae.
pod: 1. Alegume, the fruit of a leguminous plant, a dry fruit of a singlecarpel, splitting along twosutures.; 2. Asiliqua andsilicula, the fruit ofBrassicaceae, a dry fruit composed of twocarpels separated by a partition.
podocarpium: In fourgenera of the coniferous familyPodocarpaceae (Acmopyle,Dacrycarpus,Falcatifolium, andPodocarpus), a group of fleshy fusedbracts beneath the femalecone, often brightly-colored, which swell to enclose the developing seeds above and attract fruit-eating animals.^[45]
pollen: pollen-grains, the microspores of seed plants fromanthers ofangiosperms or the microsporangia (of gymnosperms); .
pollen-mass: Sometimes =pollinium, but more loosely, any mass of pollen a plant produces, such as around thespadix and within thespathe of someAraceae.
pollen transmitting tissue: the tissue in thestyle of a flower through which thepollen tubes grow.
pollinarium: Seepollinium. Variously applied to structures of two or more pollinia connected or joined together. Pollinaria occur in various planttaxa, notablyOrchidaceae andAsclepiadoideae
pollination: The transfer ofpollen from a male organ (such as ananther) to the receptive region of a female organ (such as astigma).
pollinium: A structure of coherent pollen-grains from a single anther; pollinia commonly occur in e.g.orchids andAsclepiadoideae as woolly, sticky or waxy masses, adapted to being stuck to appropriate pollinators and carried away to another flower of the same species. Such flowers typically are adapted to stripping incoming pollinia from carrier insects, thereby avoiding pollen from unrelated species.
polygamodioecious: Having bisexual and male flowers on some plants and bisexual and female flowers on others. Compareandrodioecious,andromonoecious,dioecious,monoecious,polygamomonoecious, andpolygamous.
polygamomonoecious: having male, female, and bisexual flowers on the same plant. Compareandrodioecious,andromonoecious,polygamodioecious, andpolygamous.
polygamous: havingbisexual andunisexual flowers on the same plant.
polymorphic: Of several different kinds (in respect to shape and/or size), hencepolymorphism. See alsomonomorphic (a single type) anddimorphic (two types)
polyphyllous: having many leaves orperianth segments. Comparesymphyllous,gamophyllous, andapophyllous.
polyploid: with more than two of the basic sets ofchromosomes in thenucleus; anysporophyte with cells containing three or more complete sets of chromosomes. Various combinations of words or numbers with '-ploid' indicate the number ofhaploid sets of chromosomes, e.g. triploid = 3 sets,tetraploid = 4 sets, pentaploid = 5 sets, hexaploid = 6 sets, and so on.
polystemonous: havingnumerous stamens; the number of stamens being at least twice the number of sepals or petals, but not strictly three or four times that number.
pome: Afruit that has developed partly from theovary wall but mostly from thehypanthium (e.g. anapple).
population: 1. All individuals of one or more species within a prescribed area.; 2. A group of organisms of one species, occupying a defined area and usually isolated to some degree from other similar groups.; 3. In statistics, the whole group of items or individuals under investigation.
poricidal: Opening bypores, as with thecapsule of a poppy or theanthers in several families of plants. Comparelongicidal.
posterior: Positioned behind or toward the rear. Contrastanterior.
prickle: adj.prickly
A hard, pointed outgrowth from the surface of a plant (involving several layers of cells but not containing avein); a sharp outgrowth from the bark, detachable without tearing wood. Comparethorn.
primary vein: The singlevein or array of veins that is conspicuously larger than any others in a leaf. Inpinnate venation, the single primary vein can generally be found in the middle of the leaf; inpalmate venation, several such veins radiate from a point at or near the base of the leaf.
procumbent: Spreading along the ground but not rooting at thenodes; not as close to the ground asprostrate.
propagule: Any structure capable of generating a new plant; includesseeds,spores,bulbils, etc.
pro parte: In part. In nomenclature, used to denote that the preceding taxon includes more than one currently recognized entity, and that only one of those entities is being considered.
prophyll: A leaf formed at the base of ashoot, usually smaller than those formed later.
prostrate: Lying flat on the ground; commonly rooting at nodes that touch the soil surface.
protandrous: Having male sex organs which mature before the female ones, e.g. a flower shedding pollen before the stigma is receptive. Compareprotogynous.
proteranthous: With newleaves appearing beforeflowers. See alsohysteranthous andsynanthous.
prothallus: Agametophyte plant, usually flattened and delicate, e.g. in ferns and fern allies.
protogynous: Having female sex organs which mature before the male ones, e.g. a flower sheddingpollen after thestigma has ceased to be receptive. Compareprotandrous.
proximal: Near the point of origin or attachment. Comparedistal.
pruinose: Covered with a powdery, waxy material; having abloom.
pseudanthium: A type ofinflorescence occurring in theAsteraceae andEuphorbiaceae, in which multiple flowers are grouped together to form a flower-like structure, commonly called ahead orcapitulum.
pseudo-: A prefix meaning "false, not genuine", e.g. a pseudo-bulb is a thickened, bulb-like internode inorchids, but not an actualbulb.
pseudobasifixed: (of ananther) Connected to thefilament of thestamen by connective tissue which extends in a tube around the filament tip. See alsobasifixed anddorsifixed.
pseudostipule: An enlarged, persistentaxillary bud scale that resembles astipule; common inBignoniaceae.
pseudoverticillate: Having the appearance of being whorled (verticillate), without actually being so.
puberulous: Alsopuberulent.
Covered with minute soft erect hairs.
pubescent: Downy; covered with short, soft hairs, especially erect hairs.
pulverulent: Having powdery or crumbly particles as if pulverized.
pulvinate: Having apulvinus.
pulvinus: a swelling at either end of apetiole of a leaf orpetiolule of a leaflet, e.g. inFabaceae, that permits leaf movement.
punctate: (from Latinpuncta= puncture or prick-mark) marked with an indefinite number of dots, or with similarly small items such as translucent glands or tiny hollows.
punctiform: Dot-like or in the shape of a prick-mark.
pungent: Having a sharp, hard point.
pustule: A blister-like swelling.
pustulate: Havingpustules.
pyramidal: (of a growth habit) Conical or pyramid-shaped. Most familiar in some coniferous trees, especially species adapted to snowy climates
pyrene: The stone of adrupe, consisting of the seed surrounded by the hardenedendocarp.
pyriform: Pear-shaped; a term for solid shapes that are roughly conical in shape, broadest one end and narrowest at the other. As a rule thedistal third of their length is the broadest, and they are narrowest near theproximal end, the base, where the stalk, if any, attaches.
pyrophile: Plants which need fire for their reproduction.
pyrophyte: Plants which have adapted to tolerate fire.

Q

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quadrate: More or lesssquare.

R

[edit]

raceme: adj.racemose,
Anindeterminate inflorescence in which the main axis produces a series of flowers on lateral stalks, the oldest at the base and the youngest at the top. Comparespike. Alsoracemiform orracemoid - having the form of a raceme.
rachilla (rhachilla): 1. the axis of a grassspikelet, above theglumes; seespikelet.; 2. therachis of higher order in leaves that are compound more than once
rachis: pl.rachises orrachides
The axis of an inflorescence or apinnate leaf; for example ferns; secondaryrachis is the axis of apinna in a bipinnate leaf distal to and including the lowermostpedicel attachment.
radial: With structures radiating from a central point asspokes on a wheel (e.g. the lateral spines of acactus).
radiate: (of daisies, of a capitulum) Withray floret surrounding disc florets.
radical: Springing from the root; clustered at base of stem.
radicle: The part of anembryo giving rise to the root system of a plant. Compareplumule.
rainforest: A moist temperate or tropical forest dominated by broad-leaved trees that form a continuous canopy.
ramet: An individual member of aclone.
ramicaul: a single-leafed stem, as inPleurothallis orchids.^[46]
ramiflory: Having flowers or fruits growing directly from a tree's branches.
ramify: To divide or spread out into individual branches or branchlike parts.
ray: 1. zygomorphic (ligulate)flowers in aradiate flowerhead, that is, ray-florets/flowers, for exampleAsteraceae.; 2. each of the branches of anumbel.
receptacle: theaxis of aflower, in other words,floral axis;torus; for example inAsteraceae, the floral base orreceptacle is the expanded tip of the peduncle on which the flowers areinserted.
recumbent: bent back toward or below the horizontal.
recurved: bent or curved backward or downward.
reduplicate: folded outward, or with the twoabaxial surfaces together.
reflexed: bent sharply back or down.
registered name: acultivar name accepted by the relevantInternational Cultivar Registration Authority.
registration: 1. the act of recording a newcultivar name with anInternational Cultivar Registration Authority.; 2. recording a new cultivar name with a statutory authority like thePlant Breeder's Rights Office.; 3. recording atrademark with a trade marks office.
regular: Seeactinomorphic.
reniform: Kidney-shaped.
replum: a framework-likeplacenta to which the seeds attach, and which remains after eachvalve drops away.
resupinate: Describing leaves or flowers that are in an inverted position because thepetiole orpedicel, respectively, is twisted 180 degrees. compare:hyper-resupinate.
reticulate: forming a network (or reticulum), e.g.veins that join one another at more than one point.
retrorse: Bent backward or downward. Compareantrorse.
retuse: Having a blunt (obtuse) and slightly notched apex.
revision: an account of a particular plant group, like an abbreviated or simplifiedmonograph. Sometimes confined to the plants of a particular region. Similar to a monograph in clearly distinguishing the taxa and providing a means for their identification. Comparemonograph.
revolute: rolled under (downward or backward), for example when the edges of leaves are rolled under toward the midrib. Compareinvolute.
rhachis: Seerachis.
rhizodermis: the rootepidermis, the outermost primary cell layer of the root
rhizome: a perennial underground stem usually growing horizontally. See alsostolon. Abbreviation: rhiz.
rhizomatous: (adj.) having above-ground stems that are derived from below-ground stems (rhizomes). Comparearhizomatous (arhizomatic).
rhizosphere: the below-ground surface of plants and adjacent soil as a habitat for microorganisms.
rhytidome: the dead region of the bark and root that lies outside the periderm.
rhombic: like arhombus: an oblique figure with four equal sides. Comparetrapeziform andtrullate.
rhomboid: a four-sided figure with opposite sides parallel but with adjacent sides an unequal length (like an oblique rectangle); see alsorhombic.
rhomboidal: a shape, for instance of a leaf, that is roughly diamond-shaped with length equal to width.
rimose: with many cracks, as in the surface of acrustose areolate lichen.
root: a unit of a plant's axial system which is usually underground, does not bear leaves, tends to grow downward, and is typically derived from theradicle of theembryo.
root hairs: outgrowths of the outermost layer of cells just behind the root tips, functioning as water-absorbing organs.
root microbiome: the dynamic community of microorganisms associated with plant roots.
rootstock: 1. the part of a budded orgrafted plant which supplies the root system, also simply called a stock.; 2. plants selected to produce a root system with some specific attribute, e.g. a virus-free rootstock.
rosette: when parts are not whorled or opposite but appear so, due to the contractions ofinternodes, e.g. the petals in a double rose or a basal cluster of leaves (usually close to the ground) in some plants.
rostellate: possessing a beak (rostellum). Synonym ofrostrate.
rostrate: with a beak.
rotate: circular and flattened; for example acorolla with a very short tube and spreading lobes (for instance someSolanaceae).
ruderal: a plant that colonises or occupies disturbed waste ground. See alsoweed.
rudiment: In the structure of a plant, an item that is at best hardly functional, either because it is immature and has not yet completed its development (such as a leaf still incompletely formed inside a bud), or because its role in the organism's morphology cannot be completed and therefore is futile (such as the leaf rudiment at the tip of a phyllode, that will be shed while immature, because the leaf function will be taken over by the phyllode). Comparecataphyll andvestige.
rudimentary: Being of the nature of arudiment; at most barely functional because incompletely developed; begun, but far from completed, either temporarily or permanently. Comparevestigial.
rugose: Wrinkled, either covered with wrinkles, or crumpled like a wrinkled leaf, either as a stiffening structure, or in response to disease or insect damage.
rugulose: Finely wrinkled.
ruminate: (usually applied toendosperm) Irregularly grooved or ridged; appearing chewed, e.g. the endosperm in certain members ofMyristicaceae.
runcinate: Sharplypinnatifid or cleft, with the segments directed downward.
runner: Seestolon.
rupicolous: Rupestral,saxicolous, growing on or among rocks. Compareepilithic andlithophytic.
rush: A plant of the familyJuncaceae or, more loosely, applied to variousmonocotyledons.

S

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saccate: Pouched or shaped like a sack.
sagittate: Shaped like the head of an arrow; narrow and pointed but gradually enlarged at the base into two straight lobes directed downward; may refer only to the base of a leaf with such lobes. Comparehastate.
salverform: Shaped like a salver - Trumpet-shaped; having a long, slender tube and a flat, abruptly expanded limb
samara: A dry,indehiscent fruit with its wall expanded into a wing, e.g. in the genusAcer.
samphire: A common name given to various edible coastal plants, such asSalicornia spp. (Amaranthaceae),Crithmum maritimum (Apiaceae) andLimbarda crithmoides (Asteraceae).
sanguine: (from Latinsanguineus) Blood-colored: crimson; the color of blood.
saprophyte: adj.saprophytic
A plant, or loosely speaking, a fungus or similar organism, deriving its nourishment from decaying organic matter such as dead wood or humus, and usually lackingchlorophyll. Compareparasite,saprotroph, andepiphyte.
saprotroph: adj.saprotrophic
An organism deriving its nourishment from decaying organic matter. Contrastparasite andepiphyte.
sarment: A long, slender,prostrate stolon, commonly called arunner.
sarmentose: Reproducing bysarments; strawberry plants are the most familiar example.
saxicolous: Growing on stone, like somelichens.
scabrid: Alsoscabrous
Rough to the touch, with short hard protrusions or hairs.
scalariform: Ladder-like in structure or appearance.
scale: 1. A reduced or rudimentary leaf, for example around a dormant bud.; 2. A flattened epidermal outgrowth, such as those commonly found on the leaves and rhizomes of ferns.
scandent: Climbing, by whatever means. See also:scandent in Wiktionary.
scape: adj.scapose
Usages vary, e.g.: a leaflesspeduncle arising directly from the ground, or astem-like flowering stalk of a plant withradical leaves.
scapose: Having the floral axis more or lesserect with few or noleaves; consisting of ascape.
scarious: Dry andmembranous.
schizocarp: A dryfruit formed from more than onecarpel but breaking apart into individual carpels (mericarp) whenripe. For illustration, seemericarp
scion: Theaerial part of agraft combination, induced by various means to unite with a compatible understock orrootstock.
sclereid: A cell with a thick,lignified,cell wall that is shorter than afiber cell and dies soon after the thickening of its cell wall.
sclerenchyma: A strengthening or supporting tissue composed ofsclereids or of a mixture of sclereids and fibers.
sclerophyll: adj.sclerophyllous
A plant with hard, stiff leaves; any structure stiffened with thick-walled cells.
scorpioid: (of acymose inflorescence) Branching alternately on one side and then the other. Comparehelicoid.
scrobiculate: Having very small pits.
scrubland: Dense vegetation dominated byshrubs.
scurf: Minute, loose, membranousscales on the surface of some plant parts, such as leaves.
secondary metabolite: Chemicals produced by a plant that do not have a role in so-called primary functions such as growth, development, photosynthesis, reproduction, etc.
secretory tissue: The tissues concerned with the secretion of gums, resins, oils and other substances in plants.
section (sectio): The category of supplementary taxa intermediate in rank between subgenus and series. It is a singular noun always written with a capital initial letter, in combination with the generic name.
secund: Having all the parts grouped on one side or turned to one side (applied especially to inflorescences).
sedge: A plant of the familyCyperaceae.
seed: A ripenedovule, consisting of a protective coat enclosing an embryo and food reserves; a propagating organ formed in the sexual reproductive cycle ofgymnosperms andangiosperms (together, theseed plants).
segment: A part or subdivision of an organ, e.g. a petal is a segment of the corolla. A term sometimes used when the sepals and petals are indistinguishable.
self-pollination: (alsoselfing) The acceptance by stigmas of pollen from the same flower or from flowers on the same plant, which means they are self-compatible.
semaphyl]]: A structure such as abract orsepal (if the remainder of theperianth is inconspicuous) which has become modified to attractpollinators.
semelparity: When a plant flowers once, then dies. Opposite ofiteroparity
semiterete: Of a stem, more or less semicircular in cross-section: rounded on one side but flat on the other. Compare with:terete.
senecioid: Seeanthemoid.
sensitive: A descriptive term for stigmas that, in response to touch, close the two lobes of the stigma together, ending the receptivity of the stigma, at least for the time that the lobes are closed together.Mimulus is perhaps the best-known example.
sensu: In the sense of.
sensu auct.: (of a plant group or name) As cited by a named authority.
sensu amplo: (of a plant group or name) In a generous or ample sense.
sensu lato: (of a plant group) In a broad sense.
sensu strictissimo: (of a plant group) In the narrowest sense.
sensu stricto: (of a plant group) In a narrow sense.
sepal: In a flower, one of the segments or divisions of the outerwhorl of non-fertile parts surrounding the fertile organs; usually green. Comparepetal,tepal.
septicidal: (of a fruit)Dehiscing along the partitions betweenloculi. Compareloculicidal.
septum: pl.septa
A partition, e.g. themembranous wall separating the two valves of the pod ofBrassicaceae.
seriate: Arranged in rows.
sericeous: Silky with denseappressed hairs.
series: The category of supplementary taxa intermediate in rank betweensection andspecies. It is often used as a plural adjective, as in "Primula subgenusPrimula sect.Primula seriesAcaules".
serrate: Toothed with asymmetrical teeth pointing forward; like the cutting edge of a saw.
serrulate: Finelyserrate.
sessile: Attached without a stalk, e.g. of a leaf without apetiole or astigma, when thestyle is absent.
seta: pl. setae;adj.setose,setaceous
A bristle or stiff hair (inBryophytes, the stalk of thesporophyte). A terminal seta is anappendage to the tip of an organ, e.g. the primaryrachis of abipinnate leaf inAcacia.
sheath: A tubular or rolled part of an organ, e.g. the lower part of the leaf in mostgrasses.^[47]
sheathing: When the rolled or tubular part of a plant contains another it is described as sheathing.^[47]
shoot: Theaerial part of a plant; astem and all of its dependent parts (leaves, flowers, etc.).
shrub: Awoody perennial plant without a single maintrunk, branching freely, and generally smaller than atree.
sigmoid: Shaped like the letter 'S'.
silicula or silicle: A fruit like asiliqua, but stouter, not more than twice as long as wide.
silique
siliqua: A dry, dehiscent fruit (in contrast to asilicula, more than twice as long as wide) formed from asuperior ovary of twocarpels, with twoparietal placentas and divided into twoloculi by a 'false' septum.
silky: Densely covered with fine, soft, straight,appressed hairs, with a lustrous sheen and satiny to the touch.
silviculture: The science offorestry and the cultivation ofwoodlands for commercial purposes and wildlife conservation.
simple: Undivided or unsegmented, e.g. a leaf not divided intoleaflets (note, however, that a simple leaf may still beentire,toothed orlobed) or an unbranched hair or inflorescence.
sinuate: Having deep, wave-like depressions along themargins, but more or less flat. Compareundulate.
sinus: A notch or depression between two lobes or teeth in themargin of an organ.
solitary: Single, of flowers that grow one plant per year, one in each axil, or widely separated on the plant; not grouped in an inflorescence.
sorus: pl. sori
A cluster ofsporangia. Sori typically occur in ferns, someAlgae and some fungi. In many fern species the sorus is covered by a protectiveindusium.
sp.: An abbreviation ofspecies (singular), often used when thegenus is known but the species has not been determined, as in "Brassica sp." Seespp..
spp.: An abbreviation ofspecies (plural), often used to collectively refer to more than one species of the samegenus, as in "Astragalus spp." Seesp..
spadix: Aspicate (spike-like)inflorescence with the flowers crowded densely, even solidly, around a stout, oftensucculent axis. Particularly typical of the familyAraceae
spathe: adj.spathaceous
A largebract ensheathing an inflorescence. Traditionally any broad, flat blade.
spathulate or spatulate: Spoon-shaped; broad at the tip with a narrowed projection extending to the base.
species: A group, or populations of individuals, sharing common features and/or ancestry, generally the smallest group that can be readily and consistently recognized; often, a group of individuals capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. The basic unit of classification, the category of taxa of the lowest principal rank in the nomenclatural hierarchy. Strict assignment to a species is not always possible, as it is subject to particular contexts, and thespecies concept under consideration.
specific epithet: Follows the name of the genus, and is the second word of a botanical binomial. The generic name and specific epithet together constitute the name of a species, i.e. the specific epithet is not the species name.
speirochoric: Unintentional introduction by seeds.^[48] Compareagochoric.
spica: adj.spicate
Another name for aspike.
spike: adj.spicate
An unbranched,indeterminate inflorescence in which the flowers are without stalks. Compareraceme.
spikelet: A subunit of aspike inflorescence, especially ingrasses,sedges, and some othermonocotyledons, consisting of one to many flowers and associatedbracts orglumes.
spine: adj.spinose
A stiff, sharp structure formed by the modification of a plant organ that contains vascular tissue, e.g. a lateral branch or astipule; includes thorns.
spinescent: Ending in a spine; modified to form a spine.
spiral: Of arrangement, when plant parts are arranged in a succession of curves like the thread of a screw, or coiled in a cylindrical or conical manner.
splash-cup (sporangia): A cup-like structure in fungi such asNidulariaceae and incryptogams such as some mosses. The cups function in spore dispersal, in which the energy of raindrops falling into the cup causes the water to splash outward carrying the spores.^[49]
sporangium (sporangia): A structure in which spores are formed and from which the mature spores are released
sporangiophore: An organ bearing sporangia, e.g. the cones ofEquisetum.
spore: Ahaploid propagule, produced bymeiosis in diploid cells of asporophyte that can germinate to produce a multicellulargametophyte.
sporocarp: A fruiting body containingspores.
sporophyll: Inpteridophytes, a modified leaf that bears asporangium or sporangia.
sporophyte: Thediploid multicellular phase in thealternation of generations of plants and algae that produces the spores. Comparegametophyte.
sport: A naturally occurring variant of a species, not usually present in a population or group of plants; a plant that has spontaneously mutated so that it differs from its parent plant.
spreading: Extending horizontally, e.g. in branches. Standing out at right angles to an axis, e.g. in leaves or hairs.
spur: 1. a short shoot.; 2. a conical or tubular outgrowth from the base of aperianth segment, often containing nectar.
squamula: pl.squamulae;adj.squamulose
A small scale.
squamule: A small scale.
squamulose: Covered with small scales (squamules).
squarrose: Having tips of leaves, stems, etc. radiating or projecting outward, e.g. in the mossRhytidiadelphus squarrosus.
s.t.: An abbreviation for "sometimes". Compareusu. andoft..
stalk: The supporting structure of an organ, usually narrower in diameter than the organ itself.
stamen: adj.staminate
The male organ of a flower, consisting (usually) of a stalk called thefilament and a pollen-bearing head called theanther.
staminate flower: Alsomale flower.
A flower withstamens but nopistil.
staminode: A sterilestamen, oftenrudimentary, sometimespetal-like. Commonly has a function in attracting pollinators that feed on the staminodes.
staminophore: A structure, around the apex of eucalypt, myrtaceae hypanthia, that supports the stamens.
standard: The large posterior petal of pea-flowers.
standard specimen: A representative specimen of acultivar or other taxon which demonstrates how the name of that taxon should be used.
stele: The primary vascular system (includingphloem,xylem, andground tissue) of plant stems and roots.
stellate: Star-shaped.
stem: The plantaxis, either aerial or subterranean, which bears nodes, leaves, branches, and flowers.
stem-clasping: Seeamplexicaul.
stenospermocarpy: The development or production of fruit that is seedless or has minute seeds because of the abortion of seed development. Compareparthenocarpy.
sterile: Infertile, as with astamen that does not bear pollen or a flower that does not bear seed.
stigma: The pollen-receptive surface of acarpel or group of fused carpels, usually sticky; usually a point or small head at the summit of thestyle.
stilt root: A descendingroot growing from the trunk above ground and sometimes featuringlenticels; characteristic of e.g.Rhizophora.^[50]
stipe: Generally a small stalk or stalk-like structure. Thestalk of afrond of a fern; the stalk supporting thepileus of a mushroom; the stalk of a seaweed such as akelp; the stalk-like support of agynaecium, apollinium, or a carpel
stipella: Alsostipel;pl.stipellae
One of two small secondarystipules at the base ofleaflets in some species.
stipitate: stalked; borne on astipe; of anovary, borne on agynophore.
stipulate: Bearingstipules.
stipule: A small appendage at the bases of leaves in manydicotyledons.
stock: Seerootstock.
stolon: Alsorunner.
A slender,prostrate or trailing stem, producing roots and sometimes erect shoots at itsnodes. See alsorhizome.
stoloniferous: Havingstolons.
stoma: pl.stomata
A pore or small hole in the surface of a leaf (or other aerial organ) allowing the exchange of gases between tissues and the atmosphere.
stone cell: asclereid cell, such as the cells that form the tissue of nut shells and the stones ofdrupes.
striate: Striped with parallel, longitudinal lines or ridges.
strigillose: Minutely strigose.
strigose: Covered withappressed, straight, rigid, bristle-like hairs; the appressed equivalent ofhispid.
strobilus: pl. strobili
A cone-like structure consisting ofsporophylls (e.g.conifers andclub mosses) orsporangiophores (e.g. inEquisetopsida) borne close together on anaxis.
style: An elongated part of acarpel or a group of fused carpels between theovary and thestigma.
stylodium: An elongatestigma that resembles astyle; a false style, e.g. commonly found in thePoaceae andAsteraceae.
stylopodium: A swelling on top of the ovary, at the base of thestyles commonly found in flowers of theApiaceae.
stylulus: The elongated apex of a freecarpel which functions like the style of asyncarpous ovary, allowingpollen tubes from itsstigma to enter thelocule of only that carpel.
subacute: Having a tapered but not sharply pointed form; moderately acute. See alsoacute.
subcoriaceous: Slightly leathery orcoriaceous.
subgenus: A category of supplementary taxa intermediate betweengenus andsection. The name of a subgenus is a singular noun, always has a capital initial letter and is used in combination with the generic name, e.g.Primula subgenusPrimula.
subglobose: Inflated, but less than spherical. See alsoglobose.
suborbicular: Nearly orbicular, flat and almost circular in outline. See alsoorbicular.
subpetiolate: (of aleaf) Having an extremely shortpetiole, and may appearsessile.
subquadrangular: Not quite square. Comparequadrangular.
subshrub: Alsoundershrub
A smallshrub which may have partiallyherbaceous stems, but generally a woody plant less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) high.
subspecies: A taxonomic category within aspecies, usually used for geographically isolated or morphologically distinct populations of the same species. Its taxonomic rank occurs between species andvariety.
subtend: To stand beneath or close to, as in abract at the base of a flower.
subulate: Narrow and tapering gradually to a fine point.
succulent: 1. Juicy or fleshy.; 2. A plant with a fleshy habit.
sucker: Ashoot of more or less subterranean origin; anerect shoot originating from a bud on a root or arhizome, sometimes at some distance from the stem of the plant.
suffruticose: Having a woody base, but herbaceous higher up.
suffrutex: pl.suffrutices
Asubshrub or undershrub.
sulcate: Furrowed; grooved. May be single (monosulcate), two (bisulcate) or many (polysulcate).
superficial: On the surface.
superior ovary: Anovary borne above the level of attachment of the other floral parts, or above the base of ahypanthium. Compareinferior ovary andhalf-inferior ovary.
suspended: Of anovule, when attached slightly below the summit of the ovary. Comparependulous.
suture: A junction or seam of union. Seefissure andcommissure.
sward: Extensive, more or less even cover of a surface, e.g. a lawn grass. Comparetussock.
sympatric: Having more or less similar or overlapping ranges of distribution.
sympodial: A mode of growth in which the main axis is repeatedly terminated and replaced with a lateral branch. Examples occur in the familyCombretaceae, including the generaTerminalia andCombretum. Comparemonopodial.
syconium: A hollowinfructescence containingmultiple fruit, such as that of afig.
syn-: Alsosym-.
A prefix meaning "with, together".
symmetrical: Capable of being divided into at least two equal, mirror-image halves (e.g.zygomorphic) or having rotational symmetry (e.g.regular oractinomorphic). Compareirregular andasymmetrical.
sympetalous: Having united (connate or fused)petals, not free (apopetalous). See alsosyntepalous (having fusedtepals).
symphyllous: a single perianth-whorl of united segments. Comparegamophyllous (synonym),apophyllous, andpolyphyllous.
synangium: A fused aggregate ofsporangia, e.g. in the trilocular sporangia of the whisk fernPsilotum.
synanthous: A type of growth in which new leaves and flowers appear and die back at the same time. See alsohysteranthous andproteranthous.
synaptospermy: The dispersal ofdiaspores as units, where each bears more than one seed, for example where each diaspore comprises an entire inflorescence, as inBrunsvigia or multi-seeded fruit as inTribulus zeyheri.Ephemeral synaptospermy is the term for when the diaspores split into units containing fewer or single seeds each, as in mosttumbleweeds.True synaptospermy is when the diaspore generally remains entire until germination, as commonly happens in species ofGrielum.
syncarpous: (of agynoecium) Composed of unitedcarpels.
synonym: An outdated or 'alternative' name for the same taxon.
synoecious: A synonym ofbisexual.
syntepalous: Having fusedtepals. See alsosympetalous (having fusedpetals).

T

[edit]

taproot: The primary descendingroot of a plant with a single dominant root axis.
tartareous: Having a surface that is coarse, thick, rough, and crumbling.
taxon: pl.taxa
A group or category in a system of biological classification.
taxonomy: The study of the principles and practice of classification.
tegmen: The inner layer of thetesta (seed coat). It develops from the innerintegument of theovule.
tendril: Any slender organ modified from a stem, leaf, leaflet, orstipule and used by climbing plants to cling to an object.
tepal: A segment of aperianth, eithersepal orpetal; usually used when all perianth segments are indistinguishable in appearance.
terete: Alsosemiterete
Circular in cross-section; more or lesscylindrical without grooves or ridges.
terminal: Situated at the tip or apex.
ternate: In groups of three; of leaves, arranged in whorls of three; of a single leaf, having theleaflets arranged in groups of three.
terrestrial: Of or on the ground; of a habitat, on land as opposed to in water (aquatic), on rocks (lithophytic), or on other plants (epiphytic).
tessellate: With cracks or fissures arranged in squares so as to give a chequered appearance. Usually applied to the appearance of the bark of a tree
testa: The seed coat.
tetrad: A group of four; usually used to refer to four pollen grains which remain fused together through maturity (e.g. in theEpacridaceae).^[51]
tetragonal: Square; having four corners; four-angled, e.g. the cross-sections of stems of herbaceousLamiaceae.
tetramerous: In four parts, particularly with respect to flowers; four parts in each whorl. See alsotrimerous andpentamerous.
tetraploid: Having four complete sets of chromosomes in eachsporophyte cell.
tetraspore: The asexual spore ofred algae. It is so named because eachsporangium produces just four spores. SeeRhodophyceae.^[52]
thalamus: Obsolete
1. A synonym forreceptacle.; 2. The inflorescence disk of members of theAsteraceae.; 3. Acalyx, as used byCarl Linnaeus.
: having athallus-like structure; in the form of a thallus; thalloid
thallus: pl.thalli
A vegetative structure that is not differentiated into stem and leaves, as inlichens,algae,thallose liverworts, and certainvascular plants, e.g.Lemna
theca: One of the usually twosynangia in which pollen is produced in flowering plants. It consists of two fusedsporangia known aspollen sacs. The wall between the pollen sacs disintegrates before dehiscence, which is usually by a common slit.
thorn: A sharp, stiff point, usually amodified stem, that cannot be detached without tearing the subtending tissue; a spine. Compareprickle.
throat: The opening of acorolla orperianth.
thyrse: A branched inflorescence in which the main axis is indeterminate (racemose) and the lateral branches determinate (cymose).
tomentellous: Minutely tomentose.
tomentum: Alsotomentose
A dense covering of short, matted hairs.Tomentose is often used as a general term for bearing anindumentum, but this is not a recommended use.
toothed: Having a more or less regularly incisedmargin.
torus: Seereceptacle.
transmitting tissue: Seepollen transmitting tissue.
trapeziform: 1. Like atrapezium (a four-sided figure with two parallel sides of unequal length).; 2. Like a trapezoid (a four-sided figure, orquadrilateral, with neither pair of sides equal); sometimes used erroneously as a synonym forrhombic.
tree: A woody plant, usually with a single distincttrunk and generally more than 2–3 metres (6.6–9.8 ft) tall.
triad: A group of three.
triangular: Planar and with 3 sides.
tribe: A taxonomic grouping that ranks betweengenus andfamily.
trichome: In non-filamentous plants, any hair-like outgrowth from theepidermis, e.g. a hair or bristle; sometimes restricted to unbranched epidermal outgrowths.
trichotomous: 3-forked or branched into three. Comparedichotomous.
trifid: Split into three parts. See alsobifid.
trifoliate: Acompound leaf of threeleaflets; for example, aclover leaf.
trifoliolate: Seetrifoliate.
trigonous: Triangular in cross-section and obtusely angled. Comparetriquetrous.
trimerous: In three parts, particularly with respect to flowers; having three parts in each whorl. See alsotetramerous andpentamerous.
trinerved: Having threenerves orveins.
triplinerved: (of leaves) Having three main nerves with the lateral nerves arising from the midnerve above the base of the leaf.
triporate: (of pollen) Having three pores.
triquetrous: More or less triangular in cross-section, but acutely angled (with 3 distinct longitudinal ridges). Comparetrigonous.
trivalve: Divided into threevalves. Alsotrivalvar. See alsobivalve.
trivial name: The second word in the two-part scientific name of an organism. Comparespecific epithet.
trophophyll: A vegetative, nutrient-producing leaf ormicrophyll whose primary function isphotosynthesis. It is not specialized or modified for some other function. Comparesporophyll.
trullate: Ovate but angled, as with a bricklayer'strowel; inverselykite-shaped. Comparerhombic.
truncate: Cut off squarely; having an abruptly transverse end.
trunk: The upright, large and typically woody mainstem of a tree.
truss: A compact cluster of flowers or fruits arising from one center; evident in manyrhododendrons.
tuber: Any of many types of specialized vegetative underground storage organs. They accumulate food, water, or in protection from death by fire, drought, or other hard times. Tubers generally are well differentiated from other plant organs; for example, informally a carrot is not generally regarded as a tuber, but simply a swollen root. In this they differ from the tuber of a sweet potato, which has no special root-like function. Similarly,corms are not generally regarded as tubers, even though they are underground storage stems. Tubers store food for the plant, and also have important roles invegetative reproduction. They generally are of two main types:stem tubers form by the swelling of an underground stem growing from a root, or from structures such as undergroundstolons. Stem tubers generally produce propagative buds at their stemnodes, forming a seasonalperennating organ, e.g. apotato. The main other class is theroot tuber, also calledtuberoid. They differ from stem tubers in features such as that, like any normal root, they do not form nodes.
tubercle: A smallwart-like outgrowth or protuberance of tissue.
tuberculate: Covered intubercles. Seewarty.^[53]
tuberoid: An alternative name for underground storage organ formed by the swelling of a root; occurs in manyorchids.
tuberous: Resembling atuber or producing tubers.
tubular: Having the form of a tube orcylinder.
tufted: Denselyfasciculate at the tip.
tunic: The outer covering of somebulbs andcorms.
tunicate: (ofbulbs) Consisting of concentric coats.
turbinate: Shaped like aspinning top orbeetroot.
turgid: Swollen with liquid; bloated; firm. Compareflaccid.
tussock: A dense tuft of vegetation, usually well separated from neighbouring tussocks, for example in some grasses. Comparesward.
two-ranked: Having leaves arranged in two rows in the same plane, on opposite sides of the branch. Seedistichous.
type: An item (usually anherbarium specimen) to which the name of a taxon is permanently attached, i.e. a designated representative of a plant name. Important in determining the priority of names available for a particular taxon.
type genus: In nomenclature, a singlegenus on which a taxonomicfamily is based.

U

[edit]

umbel: Aracemose inflorescence in which all the individual flower stalks arise in a cluster at the top of thepeduncle and are of about equal length; in a simple umbel, each stalk is unbranched and bears only one flower. Acymose umbel looks similar to an ordinary umbel but its flowers open centrifugally.
umbo: A rounded elevation, such as in the middle of the top of an umbrella ormushroom; a central boss or protuberance, such as on thescale of acone.
umbonate: Having anumbo, with a conical or blunt projection arising from a flatter surface, as on thetop of a mushroom or in the scale of a pinecone.
unciform: Hook-shaped.
uncinate: Having a hook at the apex.
undershrub: A lowshrub, often with flowering branches that die off in winter. Comparesubshrub.
understory: Plant life growing beneath the forestcanopy.
undulate: Wavy and not flat. Comparesinuate.
uniflor: Having a single flower (uniflory). Comparepauciflor (few) andpluriflor (many).
unilocular: Having oneloculus or chamber, e.g. the ovary in the familiesProteaceae andFabaceae.
uniserial: Arranged in a single row or series. Unbranched.Uniseriate.
uniseriate: Arranged in a single row or series. Unbranched.Uniserial.
unisexual: Of one sex; bearing only male or only female reproductive organs,dioecious,dioicous. SeeSexual reproduction in plants.
unitegmic: (of anovule) Covered by a singleintegument. See alsobitegmic, having two integuments.
urceolate: Shaped like anurn orpitcher, with a swollen middle and narrowing top. Examples include the pitchers of many species of thepitcher plant generaSarracenia andNepenthes.
usu.: An abbreviation ofusually. Compares.t. andoft..
utricle: 1. A small bladder; amembranous bladder-like sac from the ovary wall, thin pericarp, becomes more or less bladdery or inflated at maturity enclosing anovary or fruit.; 2. Insedges, a fruit in which the fruit is loosely encloses from a modified tubular bract, seeperigynium.

V

[edit]

vallecular canal

A resin canal coinciding with a longitudinal groove in the seeds ofAsteraceae. A longitudinal cavity in the cortex of the stems ofEquisetum, coinciding with a groove in the stem surface.

valvate

(of sepals and petals in bud) Meeting edge-to-edge but not overlapping.

valve

A portion of an organ that fragments or splits open, e.g. the teeth-like portions of apericarp in a split (dehisced)capsule orpod when ripe.

var.

An abbreviation ofvarietas.

variant

A plant or group of plants showing some measure of difference from the characteristics associated with a particulartaxon.

variegated

Irregularly marked with blotches or patches of another color.

varietas

Oftenvariety in common usage and abbreviated asvar.

A taxonomic rank below that ofspecies and between the ranks ofsubspecies andform.

vascular

Referring to the conducting tissues (xylem andphloem) ofvascular plants.

vascular bundle

A bundle ofvascular tissue in the primary stems ofvascular plants, consisting of specialized conducting cells for the transport of water (xylem) and assimilate (phloem).

vasculum

A container used by botanists for collecting field specimens.

vein

Alsonerve.

A strand ofvascular tissue, e.g. in the leaves ofvascular plants.

veinlet

A smallvein; the ultimate (visible) division of a vein.

velamen

A spongy tissue covering theaerial roots oforchids and some otherepiphytes.

velutinous

Seevelvety.

velvety

Densely covered with fine, short, soft, erect hairs.

venation

The arrangement ofveins in a leaf.

ventral

From Latinventer, meaning "belly". The opposite ofdorsal. Partly because the term originally referred to animals rather than plants, usage in botany is arbitrary according to context and source. Ingeneral "ventral" refers to "the belly or lower part", but inbotanical usage such concepts are not always clearly defined and may be contradictory. For example:

facing toward the axis (adaxial) in referring to a lateral organ of an erect plant
facing toward the substrate in any part of an erect plant, for example the lower surface of a more or less horizontal leaf (abaxial)
facing toward the substrate in aprostrate or climbing plant.

For more detail seedorsal.

vernation

The arrangement of unexpanded leaves in abud; the order in which leaves unfold from a bud.

vernicose

Having a shiny or polished surface as if covered in varnish and a slick or smooth texture.^[54]

vernonioid

In the familyAsteraceae, style with sweeping hairs borne on abaxial surfaces of style branches.

verruciform

Wart-like in form.

verrucose

Having warts.

verruculose

Minutelyverrucose; minutely warty.

versatile

(ofanthers) Swinging freely about the point of attachment to thefilament.

verticillate

Arranged in one or morewhorls, i.e. several similar parts arranged at the same point of theaxis, e.g. leaf arrangement. Comparepseudoverticillate (appearing whorled or verticillate but not actually so).

verticillaster

A type ofpseudoverticillate inflorescence, typical of theLamiaceae, in which pseudo-whorls are formed from pairs of oppositecymes.

vesicular

(of hairs) Bladder-like; vesiculous, bearing such hairs.

vessel

A capillary tube formed from a series of open-ended cells in the water-conducting tissue of a plant.

vestigial

Reduced in form and function from the normal or ancestral condition.

villosulous

Minutely villous.

villous

Abounding in or covered with long, soft, straight hairs; shaggy with soft hairs.

vine

1. Scandent plantsclimbing by means of trailing or twining stems orrunners.

2. Such a stem or runner.^[28]^[55]

3. A member of the genusVitis.

virgate

Diminutive:virgulate

Wand-shaped, twiggy, especially referring to erect, straight stems. Inmycology, referring to apileus with radiating ribs or lines.

Viridiplantae

A clade ofautotrophic organisms that includes thegreen algae,Charophyta andland plants, all of which havecellulose in theircell walls,chloroplasts derived from primaryendosymbiosis withcyanobacteria that containchlorophylls a andb and lackphycobilins.

viscid

Sticky; coated with a thick, syrupy secretion.

viscidium

A sticky pad or strap coated with an adhesive secretion, forming part of the structure of thepollinium or thepollinarium of many species of plants, most notoriously orchids. Inpollination the viscidium sticks the pollen burden to a visiting pollinator, that in turn is likely to visit other flowers of the same species, bearing a concentrated burden of pollen. Such flowers commonly are adapted to stripping the pollinium off incoming pollinators.

vitta

pl.vittae

An oil tube in the fruit of some plants.^[56]

viviparous

1. Referring to seeds or fruits which germinate before being shed from the parent plant.

2. The development of plantlets on non-floral organs, e.g. leaves.

Photomicrograph of a cross section of avascular bundle in the stem of a typicalherbaceous dicotyledon
A: Phloem
B: Cambium
C: Xylem
D: Fibrous sheath of vascular bundle
Leafveins andvelutinous hairs ofNepeta
Velamen, the pale grey membrane covering the mature part of the root of anepiphyte
Flower stalks and sepal tubes ofPueraria phaseoloides are covered withvelutinous (velvety) hairs.
Verticillaster ofSalvia yangii
Verticillate leaves and emerging branchlets of aforb
In thispollinarium theviscidium is the sticky lump in the middle of the yoke-likestipe connecting the two pollinia.
Vestigial leaf scales on stemnodes ofViscum capense
Asparagus virgatus owes itsspecific epithetvirgatus to the twiggy appearance of itsvirgate shoots.

W

[edit]

warty: A surface covered with small round protuberances, especially in fruit, leaves, twigs and bark. Seetuberculate.
watershoot: Anerect, strong-growing, orepicormic shoot developing from near the base of a shrub or tree, but distinct from asucker.
weed: 1. Any plant growing where it is not wanted; commonly associated with disrupted habitats. See alsoruderal.; 2. An unwanted plant which grows among agriculturalcrops.; 3. A naturalised, exotic, or ecologically "out-of-balance" indigenous species outside of the agricultural or garden context, which, as a result of invasion, adversely affects the survival or regeneration of indigenous species in natural or partly natural vegetation communities.^[57]
wild: Originating from a known wild or purely natural habitat (wilderness).
whorl: A ring of organs borne at the same level on anaxis (e.g. leaves,bracts, or floral parts).
wing: 1. A membranous expansion of a fruit or seed which aids in dispersal, for instance onpine seeds.; 2. A thin flange of tissue extending beyond the normal outline of a structure, e.g. on the column of someorchids, on stems, on petioles.; 3. One of the two lateral petals of a flower of subfamilyFaboideae of familyFabaceae, located between theadaxial standard (banner) petal and the twoabaxial keel petals.
woody: hard andlignified; notherbaceous
wooly
woolly: Very densely covered with long, more or less matted or intertwined hairs, resembling a sheep'swool.

X

[edit]

xeromorph: A plant with structural features (e.g. hard or succulent leaves) or functional adaptations that prevent water loss by evaporation; usually associated with arid habitats, but not necessarily drought-tolerant. Comparexerophyte.
xerophyte: A plant generally living in a dry habitat, typically showing xeromorphic or succulent adaptation; a plant able to tolerate long periods of drought. Comparexeromorph.
xylem: A specialized water-conducting tissue invascular plants.

Z

[edit]

zonate: Having light and dark circular bands or rings, typically on leaves or flowers.
zygomorphic: Bilaterally symmetrical; symmetrical about one vertical plane only; applies to flowers in which theperianth segments within each whorl vary in size and shape. Contrastactinomorphic andirregular.
zygote: A fertilized cell, the product of fusion of twogametes.

References

[edit]

^New Oxford Dictionary v1 2007, p. 2.
^^a ^b ^cHarris & Harris 2001, p. 3.
^New Oxford Dictionary v1 2007, p. 7.
^New Oxford Dictionary v1 2007, p. 8.
^Shreve & Wiggins 1964, p. 738.
^Shreve & Wiggins 1964, p. 355.
^Shreve & Wiggins 1964, p. 351.
^New Oxford Dictionary v1 2007, p. 16.
^Turland et al. 2018,Article 18.
^IPNI 2022.
^^a ^bHarris & Harris 2001, p. 4.
^Harris & Harris 2001, pp. 4–5.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱHarris & Harris 2001, p. 5.
^Sims 1803,[p. 93].
^Harris & Harris 2001, p. 6.
^Cappers & Neef 2012, p. 95.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 15.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 16.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 17.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 20.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 24.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 27.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 35.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 39.
^^a ^bPell & Angell 2016, p. 41.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 46.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 47.
^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eJackson 1928.
^^a ^bJaeger 1959.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 58.
^Beentje 2010, p. 33.
^^a ^bHanzawa, Beattie & Holmes 1985.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 78.
^^a ^bSchulze & Zwölfer 2012, p. 261.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 83.
^Copied definition from Wiktionary entry forfaculative biology adjective. See that page's history for attribution.
^Copied definition from Wiktionary entry forfimbriate biology adjective. See that page's history for attribution.
^Rendle 1911.
^Hickey & King 2000, p. 20, 87.
^Hickey & King 2000, p. 20.
^^a ^bCarolin & Tindale 1994, p. 23.
^Beentje 2010, p. 67.
^"Glossary: P".Go Botany. Native Plant Trust.Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved4 January 2024.
^Meerow et al. 1999.
^Eckenwalder 2009, pp. 648–661.
^Pell & Angell 2016, p. 169.
^^a ^bBeentje 2010, p. 107.
^Kucewicz, Maćkiewicz & Źróbek-Sokolnik 2010.
^Brodie 1951.
^Mandal & Bar 2018, p. 64.
^Beach 1914a.
^Beach 1914b.
^"tuberculate".Dictionary of botany. Retrieved7 January 2024.
^Harris & Harris 2001, p. 132.
^New Oxford Dictionary v2 2007, p. 3534.
^Beentje 2010, p. 129.
^Carr, G.W., in Foreman & Walsh, 1993.

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External links

[edit]

Look upCategory:li:Plants in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Herman, P. P. J. (2015)."Botanical glossary"(PDF).SANBI. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 18 October 2020. Retrieved21 May 2020.
Plants of southern Africa (Archived 17 October 2016 at theWayback Machine)

Botany

Subdisciplines

Plant groups

Plant anatomy

Plant morphology
(glossary)

Plant cells	Cell wall Phragmoplast Plastid Plasmodesma Vacuole
Tissues	Cork Ground tissue Mesophyll Meristem Storage organs Vascular tissue Vascular bundle Wood
Vegetative	Bulb Root Rhizoid Rhizome Shoot Bud Leaf Cataphyll Petiole Sessility Stem
Reproductive (incl. Flower)	Archegonium Antheridium Androecium Pollen Stamen Anther Filament Staminode Tapetum Flower Aestivation Flower development Floral diagram Floral formula Floral symmetry Whorl Fruit Anatomy Berry Capsule Nut Pyrena Seed Dispersal Endosperm Gametophyte Gynandrium Gynoecium Carpel Ovary Locule Ovule Stigma Style Hypanthium (Floral cup) Inflorescence Bract Pedicellate Raceme Umbel Perianth Tepal Petal Sepal Plant embryo Receptacle Sporophyll Sporophyte
Surface structures	Cuticle Epicuticular wax Epidermis Nectar Stoma Thorns, spines, and prickles Trichome

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Materials

Plant growth
and habit

Reproduction

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