| TERM |
DEFINITION |
|
| Acaulescent |
flowering stem with out leaves |
|
| achene |
a dry one-seeded fruit |
|
| acuminate |
tapering to a sharp point |
|
| acute |
pointed, but not as sharp as
acuminate |
|
| alternate |
one side and then the other; not
opposite or whorled |
|
| annual |
grows from seed, flowers,
produces seeds, and dies in one year |
|
| anther |
upper portion of the stamen
containing the pollen |
|
| apetalous |
without petals; sepals may or
may not be present |
|
| apex |
tip |
|
| appendage |
any supplementary part |
|
| appressed |
flattened against or close |
|
| areoles |
specialized structures of cacti
from which the spines and flowers develop |
|
| ascending |
curving upward in growth |
|
| auriculate |
with ear-like lobes |
|
| awn |
a bristle, as in the grasses |
|
| axil |
angle between the leaf and the
stem |
|
| axillary |
borne in the axil |
|
| basal |
occurring at the base |
|
| beak |
a prolonged, narrow tip of a
fruit or a seed |
|
| berry |
a fleshy fruit |
|
| biennial |
grows from seed to maturity and
dies in two years |
|
| bifid |
two-parted |
|
| bipinnate |
twice pinnate |
|
| bipinnatifid |
two times pinnately cleft |
|
| bract |
leaf-like structure associated
with a flower cluster |
|
| bulb |
underground storage structure
composed of stem tip and fleshy leaves |
|
| bur |
fruit covered with spines |
|
| callosity |
a hardened, thick area |
|
| calyx |
collective term for the sepals |
|
| campanulate |
bell-shaped |
|
| capillary |
hair-like |
|
| capitate |
in a dense, head-like cluster |
|
| capsule |
a dry fruit that opens at
maturity |
|
| catkin |
dangling flower cluster; a spike
of unisexual flowers |
|
| caulescent |
with a leafy stem |
|
| cauline |
on the stem |
|
| chaparral |
dense, scrubby vegetation
occurring in regions where most rainfall is between 12 and 25 insches.
Most precipitation occurs during winter; summer and fall are extremely dry
and hot. |
|
| cilia |
short marginal hairs |
|
| ciliate |
with a row of fine hairs on the
margin |
|
| ciliolate |
with very fine hairs on the
margin |
|
| clasping |
base of leaf surrounds or partly
surrounds the stem |
|
| clawed |
narrowed at the base |
|
| cleft |
indented to about the middle as
in leaves |
|
| compound |
composed of more than one |
|
| compound leaf |
with two or more leaflets |
|
| connate |
united into a single structure |
|
| cordate |
heart-shaped |
|
| corolla |
collective term for the petals
of a flower |
|
| crenate |
leaf margin with rounded teeth |
|
| crenulate |
leaf margin with small rounded
teeth |
|
| crisped |
curled on the margins |
|
| cuneate |
wedge-shaped; often with an
indentation at the tip |
|
| cyme |
flat topped flower cluster |
|
| deciduous |
falling at maturity or when
function is performed |
|
| decumbent |
flat on ground with slightly
raised tip |
|
| decurrent |
running down the stem |
|
| dentate |
sharply toothed |
|
| denticulate |
with fine teeth |
|
| dichotomous
branching |
branching into two equal
divisions |
|
| dicot
(dicotyledons) |
have two cotyledons or seed
leaves. Flowers have 4, 5, or more petals, but rarely 6.
Dicots that have flowers with 6 petals have leaves that are not parallel
veined. Dicots leaves are "net-veined:. |
|
| digitate |
appearing finger-like |
|
| dioecious |
male and female flowers on
different plants |
|
| discoid head |
composite head with only disk
flowers |
|
| disk flower |
type of flower in the Compositae
family |
|
| dissected |
cut up into smaller segments |
|
| divaricate |
widely branching or separated |
|
| emarginate |
with a notch at the apex |
|
| entire |
smooth margined |
|
| epidermis |
outer layer tissue |
|
| exfoliating |
peeling off |
|
| exserted |
protruding beyond, as stamens
protruding beyond the corolla |
|
| fascicled |
clustered into a bunch |
|
| filiform |
very thin or fine |
|
| fimbriate |
with a fringed margin |
|
| fleshy |
thick and somewhat juicy |
|
| floccose |
with soft woolly tufts |
|
| foliate |
leaflets. 3-foliate=with 3
leaflets |
|
| fruit |
matured ovary of a flower;
contains the seeds |
|
| funnelform |
funnel-shaped |
|
| glabrous |
without hairs |
|
| glandular |
with glands, usually sticky or
gummy |
|
| glaucous |
whitened |
|
| globose |
spherical |
|
| habitat |
place in which the plant lives |
|
| hastate |
arrow-shaped, but with lobes
pointing outward |
|
| head |
dense cluster of sessile flowers |
|
| herb |
stem not woods |
|
| herbaceous |
pertaining to an herb |
|
| herbage |
stem and leaves of the plant |
|
| hirsute |
with long hairs |
|
| hispid |
with stiff hairs |
|
| hoary |
covered with fine white hairs |
|
| hood |
with a curved structure at the
top like a hood |
|
| host |
the plant upon which the
parasite lives |
|
| hyaline |
clear or transparent |
|
| imbricate |
shingled or overlapping |
|
| incised |
sharply indented |
|
| inferior ovary |
ovary below the petals |
|
| inflorescence |
cluster of flowers |
|
| involucel |
a secondary involucre |
|
| involucral
bracts |
bracts surrounding a flower
cluster as in the composites |
|
| involucre |
bracts beneath a flower cluster,
often forming a cup-like structure |
|
| irregular flower |
flower with bilateral symmetry
rather than radial symmetry |
|
| keeled
|
with a ridge down the center |
|
| laciniate |
deeply toothed |
|
| lanceolate |
several times longer than wide |
|
| leaflet |
one of the leaves of a compound
leaf |
|
| legume |
fruit of the pea plant; usually
splits into two valves at maturity |
|
| ligule |
ray flower of the Compositae
family |
|
| limb |
spreading portion of a corolla |
|
| linear |
very narrow; long and thin |
|
| lobe |
rounded division of a leaf or
petal |
|
| mealy |
with a whitish granular
substance that can be rubbed off |
|
| merous |
suffix meaning with parts; for
example, 4 merous, with 4 parts |
|
| monocot |
plants whose seeds have one
cotyledon |
|
| mucronate |
with a short, abrupt tip |
|
| nerve |
a vein or rib |
|
| nettle-like |
with stinging hairs |
|
| nodding |
inclined |
|
| node |
the place on a stem where a leaf
or branch arises |
|
| nut |
a fruit with a hard shell and a
single seed |
|
| nutlet |
a small nut |
|
| oblanceolate |
lanceolate, but with widened
portion at the tip |
|
| obovate |
ovate, with enlarged end near
the petiole |
|
| obtuse |
not tapering to a narrow point
or tip |
|
| opposite |
one on side of a node |
|
| orbicular |
round or circular |
|
| ovary |
swollen basal portion of the
pistil |
|
| ovate |
about 1/2 times longer than
broad |
|
| paleaceous |
composed of membranous scales |
|
| palmate |
finger-like; fanning out from a
common point as in leaves |
|
| panicle |
a compound flower cluster |
|
| papilionaceous |
with a flower like that of a
sweet pea |
|
| pappus |
scales or bristles at the top of
the achene in Compositae |
|
| parasite |
deriving its nourishment from
another, with ultimate harm to the host. Many parasitic plants lack
chlorophyll |
|
| parted |
divided to below the middle, as
in a leaf |
|
| pedicel |
stem of a flower in a flower
cluster |
|
| peduncle |
stem of a flower cluster |
|
| pendulous |
hanging down |
|
| perennial |
living for many years |
|
| perfoliate |
the stem surrounded by the leaf |
|
| perianth |
floral parts; calyx and corolla,
collectively |
|
| petiolate |
with petioles |
|
| petiole |
stem at the base of a leaf |
|
| pilose |
with long spreading hairs |
|
| pinnate |
feather-like; arranged along
each side of a common axis |
|
| pinnatifid |
divided into pinnate segments |
|
| pistil |
female portion of the flower;
will mature into the fruit |
|
| pistillate |
female |
|
| plumose |
feathery; with fine hairs on
each side |
|
| pod |
a dry fruit; usually elongate
and legume-like |
|
| pollen |
male spores found in the anther
of the stamen; a fine powdery substance |
|
| prickle |
a sharp pointed projection from
the outer layer of the stem or leaf |
|
| procumbent |
trailing on the ground |
|
| prostrate |
lying flat on the ground |
|
| puberulent |
minutely pubescent |
|
| pubescent |
covered with soft, short hairs |
|
| pulverulent |
covered with a fine powdery or
chalky like substance |
|
| raceme |
flower cluster; flowers
pedicelled on either side of a main axis |
|
| radiate |
spreading out in a star-like
fashion from a common center; with rays |
|
| ray flower |
a flower of the Compositae
family |
|
| receptacle |
the portion of a plant which
bears the flowers; the base of the flowers or flower |
|
| reflexed |
turned downward |
|
| regular |
with radial symmetry |
|
| reniform |
kidney-shaped |
|
| retrorse |
pointing backward |
|
| revolute |
rolled inward |
|
| rhizome |
horizontal underground stem |
|
| rib |
a ridge or vein |
|
| rosette |
rose-like cluster at the base |
|
| rotate |
wheel-shaped |
|
| rugose |
crinkled or wrinkled texture |
|
| sagittate |
arrow-shaped |
|
| salverform |
with a long thin tubular base
and expanded upper part |
|
| samara |
winged fruit |
|
| scabrous |
rough or sandpapery to the touch |
|
| scape |
leafless flowering stem |
|
| scarious |
thin, membranous |
|
| scurfy |
covered with a whitish mealy or
granular substance |
|
| segment |
portion or part, as of a divided
leaf |
|
| sepal |
green, leafy portion of a
flower; occurs beneath the petals |
|
| serrate |
toothed; teeth pointing forward |
|
| sessile |
without petioles or pedicels |
|
| setose |
covered with bristles |
|
| sheath |
base of leaf circling the stem,
as in the grasses |
|
| shrub |
a woody plant; smaller than a
tree |
|
| silique |
a narrow many seeded capsule |
|
| simple |
occurring singly, as a leaf; or
without branching, as a stem |
|
| sinuate |
with a strongly wavy margin |
|
| solitary |
occurring singly |
|
| sordid |
dull or brownish |
|
| spathulate |
somewhat wedge-shaped |
|
| spike |
inflorescence of sessile flowers |
|
| spine |
a sharp pointed structure |
|
| spinescent |
spine tipped |
|
| spinose |
having spines |
|
| spreading |
growing outward from the main
stem |
|
| spur |
slender extension of part of a
structure, such as a petal in larkspur |
|
| squarrose |
with recurving tips |
|
| stamen |
the male portion of the flower;
contains the pollen |
|
| staminate |
male; with stames, but no
pistils |
|
| stellate |
star-like; radiating from a
central point |
|
| sterile |
without male or female organs |
|
| stipules |
small leaf-like structures
occasionally found at the base of the petiole |
|
| strigose |
covered with straight,
flat-lying hairs |
|
| style |
upper narrow neck of the pistil;
below the stigma and above the ovary |
|
| subhirsute |
hairs slightly rigid or stiff |
|
| subsessile |
with very short petioles or
pedicels |
|
| succulent |
thick and fleshy; juicy |
|
| superior |
above; superior ovary is when
the ovary is placed above the petals and sepals |
|
| symmetrical |
divisible into two or more equal
parts |
|
| tendril |
spiral or corkscrew structure
arising from the stem; enables climbing |
|
| terete |
cylindrical |
|
| thorn |
a sharp-pointed structure; a
modified branch |
|
| throat |
expanded portion of flower
between tube and limb |
|
| tomentose |
woolly |
|
| tooth |
a small, marginal lobe; may be
rounded or pointed |
|
| trichotomous
branching |
branching into three's |
|
| trifoliate |
with 3 leaflets |
|
| tripinnate |
three times pinnate |
|
| truncate |
blunt tipped, appearing chopped
off |
|
| tube |
narrow portion at the base of
the flower |
|
| turbinate |
top-shaped |
|
| two-lipped |
irregular flower with an upper
and lower lobe |
|
| umbel |
flower cluster in which
pedicelled flowers rise from a single point |
|
| undulate |
wavy |
|
| unisexual flower |
flower with stamens or pistil
but not both |
|
| vein
|
ridge in a leaf which carries
the conducting tissue |
|
| venation |
referring to the arrangement of
the veins |
|
| villous |
with many soft hairs |
|
| virgate |
straight and erect |
|
| viscid |
sticky |
|
| whorl |
more than two parts radiating
out from a point |
|
| winged |
with a thin papery extension |
|
| woolly |
with a mat of soft tangled hairs |
|
|
|
|
