Glossary - Herbdata New Zealand

Glossary of Botanical Terms

Compiled by Darla

Term

Definition

Abaxial………………….. Facing away from the axis Abscission………………. The normal shedding of leaves, flowers or fruit from a plant at a special separation layer Achene…………………… A small, dry fruit that contains one loose seed and that does not split open spontaneously, e.g., sunflower seed Acre……………………….. Land measurement of 43,560 square feet, or 0.404686 hectare (ha) Acuminate………………. Tapering gradually to a point at the apex Acute……………………… Coming sharply to a point at the apex Alternate…………………. Arranged Singly at different points along a stem or axis Annual…………………… Completing the cycle from seed to death in one year or season Apex………………………. The tip Appressed.………………. Pressed flat or close up against something Aril………………………… An outer cover or appendage of some seeds Ascending………………. Rising upward gradually from a prostrate base Awn………………………. A bristle characteristic of the spikelets in some grasses Axil……………………….. The angle formed by a stem with a branch, leaf stalk, or flower stalk growing from it. Axillary………………….. Growing from an axil Axis………………………. The main stem of a plant, or a central line of symmetry, development, or growth Berry……………………… A stoneless, pulpy fruit containing one or more embedded seeds, e.g., grape Biennial…………………. Completing the cycle from seed to death in two years or seasons Bilabiate………………… Two-lipped Bipinnate……………….. Pinnate, with pinnate leaflets Blade…………………….. The broad, thin part of a leaf or petal Bloom……………………. The flower of a plant, or a powdery, whitish coating on leaves, stems, or fruit Bract…………………….. A small, sometimes scale-like leaf, usually associated with flower clusters Bud………………………. A protuberance on a stem, from which a flower, leaf, or shoot develops Bulb……………………… A thick, rounded, underground organ consisting of layered, fleshy leaves and membranes. Calyx…………………….. The outer part of a flower, usually consisting of green, leafy sepals Capsule………………….. A dry, many-seeded, spontaneously splitting fruit that arises from a compound pistil Carpel……………………. The wall of a simple pistil, or part of the wall of a compound pistil Catkin…………………… A spike like flower cluster that bears scaly bracts and petal less, unisexual flowers Cauline………………….. Relating to or growing on a stem Clasping………………… Partly or completely surrounding the stem Claw……………………… The narrow, curved base of a petal or sepal in some flowers Compound……………… Made up of two or more partially or completely united carpels Compound pistil……… A pistil made up of two or more partially or completely united carpels Cone……………………… A rounded, more or less elongated cluster of fruits or flowers covered with scales or bracts Cordate………………….. Heart shaped, with the point at the apex Corm……………………… A bulblike but solid, fleshy underground stem base Corolla………………….. The petals of a flower, which may be separate or joined in varying degrees Corymb………………….. A generally flat topped flower cluster with pedicels varying in length, the outer flowers opening first Creeper………………….. A shoot that grows along the ground, rooting all along its length Crenate………………….. Having rounded teeth along the margin Culm…………………….. The hollow stem of grasses and bamboos Cyme…………………….. A branching, relatively flat-topped flower cluster whose central or terminal flower opens first, forcing the development of further flowers from lateral buds Deciduous……………… Falling off each season (as leaves); bearing deciduous parts (as trees) Decompound………….. Having divisions that are also compound Decumbent…………….. Lying on the ground but having an ascending tip Decurrent………………. Descriptive of leaves whose edges run down onto the stem Dentate…………………. Sharply toothed, with the teeth pointing straight out from the margin Digitate…………………. Compound, with the elements growing from a single point Dilated………………….. Expanded, broadened, flaring Disk flower…………….. One of the tubular flowers or florets in the center of the flower head of the composite flower such as the daisy Dissected……………….. Cut into fine segments Double………………….. Descriptive of flowers that have more petals than normal Doubly serrate………… Serrate, with small teeth on the margins of the larger ones Drupe……………………. A fleshy fruit containing a single seed in a hard ‘stone’, e.g., peach Entire …………………… Having no teeth or indentations Evergreen………………. Retaining green foliage for more than one season Falls……………………… Hanging outer petals, e.g., Iris Filiform…………………. Threadlike Floret…………………….. A small flower in a flower head or other cluster Frond …………………… The leaf of a fern Fruit……………………… The seed bearing part of a plant Glabrous……………….. Not hairy Glandular……………… Having glands, which secrete sticky substances Glaucous……………….. Covered with bloom Globose…………………. Approximately spherical Grain…………………….. Achene like fruit, but with the seed not loose Head…………………….. A flower spike or raceme shortened to form a compact, flattened to globose cluster Hectare (Ha)…………. 2.4710 acres = 1 hectare (ha) Herb…………………….. A plant that has no woody tissue and that dies down to the ground at the end of a growing season Herbaceous……………. Herblike; not woody Hesperidium………….. A partitioned berry with a leathery, removable rind, e.g., orange Hoary…………………… Closely covered with short and fine whitish hairs Incised………………….. Sharply and irregularly slashed or cut Indigenous…………….. Native; naturally occurring Inflorescence………….. Technically, the way flowers are arranged Internode………………. The part of a stem or branch between nodes Interrupted……………. Describes a structure, the pattern or sequence of whose elements is broken by conspicuous gaps or the insertion of other elements Lanceolate…………….. Widening to a maximum near the base and tapering to a point at the apex Lateral………………….. Occurring on or growing from the side Leaf……………………… A vegetative organ which, when complete, consists of a flat blade, a petiole or stalk, and usually two small leafy appendages at the base of the petiole Leaflet………………….. A division or part of a compound leaf Legume………………… A one celled fruit that splits along two sutures or seams (e.g., pea) Linear…………………… Long and narrow, with nearly parallel sides Lip……………………….. One of the parts in a corolla or calyx. divided into two unequal parts Lobe…………………….. A part of division, especially when rounded, of an organ Lyrate ………………….. Lobed to resemble a lyre, with the terminal lobe largest and the lower lobes smaller Node……………………. The place where the leaf grows or can grow Nut……………………… A hard walled, one seeded fruit that does not split spontaneously, e.g., Filbert Ob-……………………… A prefix that indicates reversal or inversion of the usual orientation Oblong…………………. Larger than wide and rounded at the ends, with nearly parallel sides for much of the length Obtuse…………………. Rounded or blunt Opposite……………….. Growing two to a node on opposite sides Orbicular………………. Circular or approximately round Oval…………………….. Broadly elliptical Ovate……………………. Shaped like an egg, with the narrow end at the apex Ovoid…………………….. Ovate Palmate………………….. Compounded, divided, lobed, or ribbed so that the divisions or ribs spread out like fingers from a single point Panicle…………………… A raceme compounded by branching Papilionaceous…………. Describes a flower whose petals are arranged to resemble a butterfly Pedicel……………………. The stalk of one flower in a cluster Peduncle ……………….. The stalk of a flower cluster or of a solitary flower Peltate ………………….. Having a stalk attached at or near the middle Perennial ……………….. Living through three or more seasons Persistent………………… Remaining on the plant; not falling off readily Petal……………………… One unit of the corolla Petiole……………………. The stalk of a leaf Pinna …………………… plural pinnate – A leaflet or primary division of a pinnately compound leaf Pinnate………………….. Having leaflets arranged in opposite rows along the petiole Pinnatifid……………….. Split about halfway to the midrib, such that the divisions are pinnately arranged Pinnule………………….. One of the divisions of a pinnate leaflet Pistil……………………… The female reproduction organ of a flower Pod……………………….. Generally, a dry fruit that splits open Pome…………………….. A fleshy fruit with a central seed bearing core, e.g., apple Procumbent……………. Growing along the ground without rooting, and having ascending tips Prostrate………………… Growing flat along the ground Pubescent………………. Covered with down or soft, short hairs Punctate ……………….. Having translucent spots or depressions Raceme…………………. An elongated flower cluster in which flowers grow on pedicels along part of the length of the peduncle Radical…………………. Growing from or pertaining to a root; growing from a non-aerial stem Ray flower…………….. One of the flattened, petal like outer flowers or florets ringing the disk in the heads of some composite flowers, such as the daisy Receptacle…………….. The end of the stem or stalk on which the flower parts are borne Rhizome……………….. An underground portion of a stem, producing shoots on top of roots beneath; different from a root in that it has buds, nodes, and scaly leaves; rootstock Rootstock……………… Rhizome Rosette…………………. A circular spiral arrangement of leaves growing from a center or crown Runner…………………. A thin stem or shoot growing along the ground and producing roots at the nodes Sagittate……………….. Arrowhead in shape Samara ………………… A winged fruit that does not split spontaneously, e.g., Maple Saponify To convert (an ester) by saponification. Saponification………… A reaction in which an ester is heated with an alkali, such as sodium hydroxide, producing a free alcohol and an acid salt, especially alkaline hydrolysis of a fat or oil to make soap Saprophyte……………. A plant that draws nourishment from decaying material Scale…………………….. A small, usually dry leaf that is closely pressed against another organ Scape……………………. A leafless flower stalk that grows from the ground Sepal…………………….. A leaf or division of the calyx Serrate…………………… Saw toothed, with the teeth pointing toward the apex Sessile…………………… Having no stalk Sheath…………………… An expanded or tubular structure that partially encloses a stem or other organ Shoot……………………. A stem or branch and its leaves, especially when young Shrub…………………… A woody plant that produces no trunk but branches from the base Simple………………….. One piece, not compounded (leaves) or branched (stem, flower clusters) Smooth…………………. Not rough Solitary…………………. Not growing as part of a cluster or group Spadix………………….. A fleshy spike Spathe………………….. One or two tracts enclosing a flower cluster, especially a spadix Spatulate………………. Shaped like a spoon, with a narrow end at the base Spike …………………… A flower cluster n which sessile flowers grow along part of the length of the peduncle Spikelet…………………. A small spike, particularly one of the few flowers spikes making up the inflorescence of a grass Spore……………………. A one celled reproductive body produced by relatively primitive plants Spur …………………….. A slender, hollow projection from a petal or sepal Stamen…………………. The male or pollen bearing organ of a flower Strobile…………………. A cone or cone like structure Style…………………….. The slender, elongated part of a pistil Suture ………………….. A natural seam or groove along which a fruit splits Taproot………………… A single main root that grows vertically into the ground Terminal………………. Occurring at or growing from the end opposite the base Ternate…………………. Occurring in threes or divided into three parts Trifoliate……………….. Having three leaves Trifoliolate…………….. Having three leaflets Tripinnate…………….. Descriptive of pinnate leaf having pinnate leaflets with pinnate pinnules Tuber…………………… A thick, fleshy part, usually of a rootstock Umbel …………………. A more or less flat topped flower cluster in which the pedicels (rays) arise from a common point. In compound umbels, each primary ray terminates in a secondary umbel Valve……………………. One of the parts into which a capsule divides when splitting Whorl…………………… A circular arrangement of three or more leaves, flowers, or other parts at the same point or level

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