Glossary of Botanical Terms

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Acaulescent: stemless Accumbent: a term referring to seeds in which the embryonic root is wrapped around and lies along the edges of the two cotylodons (compare incumbent) Acerose: needle-shaped Achene: a small, dry, one-seeded, indehiscent fruit (i.e. one that does not split open), deriving from a one-chambered ovary, typical of the Asteraceae Acicular: needle-shaped, as applied to some kinds of foliage Actinomorphic: radially symmetrical Aculeate: pointed or prickly Acuminate: tapering gradually to a pointed apex with more or less concave sides along the tip Acute: tapering to a sharp-pointed apex with more or less straight sides along the tip Acyclic: with the floral parts arranged spirally rather than in whorls Adenophorous: gland-bearing Adherent: two or more organs appearing to be fused but actually separable Adnate: grown together, used only to describe unlike parts (compare connate) Adpressed: closely pressed together but not united Aduncate: hooked Adventitious: occurring in unusual or unexpected locations such as roots on aerial stems or buds on leaves. Also meaning: out of the usual place, introduced but not yet naturalized Adventive: see adventitious Aequilateral: equal-sided, as opposed to oblique Aestivate: to become dormant in summer Aggregate: densely clustered Aianthous: flowering constantly Alate: having wings or wing-like structures Alkaline: soils that contain high amounts of various salts of potassium and/or sodium, as well as other soluble minerals, and are basic rather than acidic with a Ph greater than 7.0 Allelopathy: a characteristic of some plants according to which chemical compounds are produced that inhibit the growth of other plants in the immediate vicinity Allopatric: occupying different geographic regions Alternate: a leaf arrangement along the axis in which the leaves are not opposite to each other or whorled Ammophilous: sand-loving Amplexicaul: describing a sessile leaf that has its base completely surrounding the stem Anandrous: without stamens Ananthous: without flowers Ancipital: two-edged, such as the winged stem of Sisyrinchium Androecium: a collective term for the stamens of a flower (compare gynoecium) Androgynous: having staminate and pistillate flowers in the same inflorescence Anemophilous: wind-pollinated Angled: sided, as in the shape of stems or fruits Angular: having sharp angles or corners, generally used in reference to structures such as stems to contrast them with rounded stems Annual: a plant that completes its life cycle from the its germination as a seed to the production of new seeds in a single year and then dies Annular: in the form of a ring Anterior: on the front side away from the axis Anther: the pollen-bearing portion of a stamen Anthesis: time during which the flower is open Antrorse: pointing forward or upward (compare retrorse) Aperturate: with one or more openings or apertures Apetalous: lacking petals Apex: the tip of a plant part Aphyllous: without leaves Apiculate: ending in an abrupt slender tip which is not stiff Applanate: flattened Appressed: lying flat against or nearly parallel to, as leaves on a stem or hairs on a leaf Arborescent: approaching the size and habit of a tree Arcuate: arching or curved like a bow Areole: a raised area on a cactus from which spines develop Aristate: with an awn or stiff bristle, typically at the apex Armed: provided with prickles, spines or thorns Ascending: growing obliquely upward Asperous: rough to the touch Asteraceae: sunflower family Asymmetrical: not divided into like and/or equal parts Attenuate: gradually narrowing to a tip or base Auricle: a small earlike lobe or appendage Auriculate: having earlike appendages Austral: southern (compare boreal) Autophilous: self-pollinated Awn: a slender, stiff terminal bristle attached at its base to another structure or organ such as a leaf or grass stem Axil: the upper angle formed between two structures or organs, such as a leaf and the stem from which it grows Axillary: borne or carried in the axil Axis: the main stem

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Baccate: like a berry, having berries Balsamiferous: sticky and aromatic, like balsam Banner: the upper petal of a pea flower Barbed: with a backward-facing tip Basal: at or near the base, often describing leaves and where they attach Basifixed: attached by the base (compare dorsifixed, versatile) Beak: a firm, pointed terminal appendage Berry: a fleshy, indehiscent fruit in which the seeds are not encased in a stone and are typically more than one Biennial: a plant that takes two years to complete its life cycle, usually growing vegetation in the first year and producing flowers and seeds in the second, then dying Bifarious: in two vertical rows Bifid: two-lobed or two-cleft Biflorous: flowering in the spring and again in the autumn Bifurcate: divided into two forks or branches Bilabiate: two-lipped Bipinnate: twice pinnately compound Bipinnatifid: two times pinnately cleft Bisexual: having both stamens and pistils Bladdery: thin-walled and inflated Blade: the expanded terminal portion of a leaf, petal or other structure, i.e. that portion of the leaf that does not include the stalk Bloom: a white, powderlike coating sometimes found on a leaf or stem surface Bole: the trunk or stem of a tree Boreal: northern (compare austral) Brackish: a mixture of salt and fresh water, somewhat saline Bract: a modified leaf which may be reduced in size or different in other characteristics from the foliage leaves and which usually subtends a flower or an inflorescence Brassicaceae: mustard family Bristle: a stiff hair, usually erect or curving away from its attachment point Brunescent: brownish Bud: a developing leaf, stem or flower Bulb: an underground plant part derived from a shoot that is enclosed in numerous overlapping thickened leafy scales whose purpose is to store food Bulblet: a small bulb produced at the base of a bulb Bullate: blistered or puckered Bundle scar: scar left on a twig by the vascular bundles when a leaf falls Bur: a prickly or spiny seed or fruit Burl: a woody swelling where the stem joins the roots

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Caducous: falling off very early as compared to similar structures in other plants Caerulescent: bluish Caespitose: growing in tufts Calathiform: basket- or cup-shaped Calciphilous: lime-loving Callus: a hardened or thickened area at the point of attachment Calyx: the outer whorl of the perianth, composed of the sepals, usually but not always green, which enclose other flower parts in bud Campanulate: bell-shaped Canescent: with gray or white short hairs, often having a hoary appearance Capillary: very slender and hairlike Capitate: in a globular or head-shaped cluster Capitulescence: a special term used in Asteraceae to describe a group of associated heads--also called capitula; it is analogous to an inflorescence) Capitulum: a raceme consisting of a tightly packed head of almost stalkless flowers, as in the Asteraceae Capreolate: with tendrils Capsule: a dry, generally many-seeded fruit divided into two or more seed compartments that dehisces or splits open longitudinally with the line of dehiscence either through the locule (loculicidal) or through the septa (septicidal), or, less commonly, through pores (poricidal) or around the circumference (circumscissile) Carinate: keeled with one or more longitudinal ridges Carpel: a simple pistil, or a single unit of a compound pistil, the ovule-bearing portion of a flower Caryopsis: the grain or fruit of grasses Castaneous: dark reddish-brown Catkin: a spikelike, often pendulous, inflorescence of petalless unisexual flowers, either staminate or pistillate Caudate: bearing a tail or slender tail-like appendage Caudex: the persistent, often woody base of an otherwise annual herbaceous stem Cauline: attached to or referring to the stem, as opposed to 'basal', often used to describe leaf position Cernuous: nodding, drooping Cespitose: having a densely clumped, tufted or cushion-like growth form with the flowers extending above the clump Chaff: thin scales or bracts subtending individual flowers in many species of the Asteraceae Chaparral: an area characterized by dense, leathery-leaved, evergreen shrubs Chlorophyllous: of or containing chlorophyll Chlorotic: lacking chlorophyll Cilia: marginal hairs Ciliate: with a row of fine hairs situated along the margin of a structure such as a leaf Ciliolate: with a marginal fringe of minute hairs Cinereous: ash-colored, light-gray due to a covering of short hairs Circumboreal: distributed around the globe at northern latitudes Circumsessile: dehiscing along a transverse circular line around the fruit or anther, so that the top separates or falls off like a lid Cismontane: referring to the ocean-facing side as opposed to the desert-facing side of the mountains Citreous: lemon-yellow Clasping: having the lower edges of a leaf blade partly surrounding the stem Clavate: club-shaped, gradually thickened or widened toward the apex Claw: the narrow, basal stalklike portion of some sepals and petals Cleft: deeply cut, usually more than one-half the distance from the margin to the midrib or base Cleistogamous: self-fertilizing, flowers not opening Collar: in grasses the outer side of the leaf at the junction of the sheath and blade Coma: a tuft of hairs, often at the tip of seeds Complete: describing flowers that contain petals, sepals, pistils and stamens Composite: a member of the Asteraceae, or sunflower family, previously called the Compositae Compound: made up of two or more similar parts, as in a leaf which has leaflets Concolor: of uniform color Confluent: running together or blending of one part into another Connate: Describing similar structures that are joined or grown together (compare adnate) Connivent: converging, but not actually fused or united Conspecific: of the same species Contracted: narrowed or shortened as opposed to open or spreading Convolute: rolled up longitudinally, with one edge inside the other and the upper surface on the inside (compare revolute, involute) Cordate: heart-shaped Coriaceous: leathery in texture Corm: an enlarged underground structure that consists of stem tissue and thin scales Corneous: horny Corniculate: having little horns or hornlike appendages Cornute: horned Corolla: the inner whorl of the perianth, between the calyx and the stamens, a collective term for the petals of a flower Coroniform: crown-shaped Corrugated: wrinkled, folded Corymb: a broad, flat-topped inflorescence in which the flower stalks arise from different points on the main stem and the marginal flowers are the first to open (compare cyme) Costate: ribbed, having longitudinal elevations Crenate: with shallow roundish or bluntish teeth on the margin, scalloped Crenulate: similar to crenate, but with smaller, rounded teeth Crisped: curled on the margin like a strip of bacon Cristate: with a terminal tuft or crest Cruciform: cross-shaped Crustaceous: dry and brittle Cucullate: hooded or hood-shaped Culm: a hollow or pithy slender stem such as is found in the grasses and sedges Cultivar: a form of a plant derived from cultivation Cuneate: wedge-shaped, with the narrow part at the point of attachment Cupule: a cup-shaped involucre, as in an acorn Cuspidate: tipped with an abrupt short, sharp, firm point (compare mucronate) Cyathiform: cup-shaped Cyathium: the specialized inflorescence characteristic of the Euphorbiaceae, consisting of a flower-like, cup-shaped involucre which carries the several true flowers within Cyme: a broad, flat-topped inflorescence in which the central flower is the first to open (compare corymb)

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Deca-: a prefix meaning ten Decumbent: prostrate at the base but ascending at the end Decurrent: adnate to the petiole or stem and extending downward, as a leaf base that extends downward along the stem (compare surcurrent) Decussate: arranged in pairs along the stem with each pair at right angles to the one above and below Deflexed: Bent downward or backward Dehiscent: opening spontaneously when ripe to discharge the seed content (compare indehiscent) Deltoid: broadly triangular in shape Dense: congested, describing the disposition of flowers in an inflorescence (compare open) Dentate: with sharp, outward-pointing teeth on the margin Depauperate: starved or stunted, describing small plants or plant communities that are growing under unfavorable conditions Determinate: describes an inflorescence in which the terminal flower blooms first, thereby halting further elongation of the flowering stem (compare indeterminate) Dextrorse: turned to the right or spirally arranged to the right (compare sinistrorse) Di-: prefix meaning two or twice Diandrous: having two stamens Dichotomous: branching regularly and repeatedly in pairs Dicotyledon: a plant having two seed leaves, one of the two major divisions of flowering plants (compare monocotyledon) Didymous: twinned, being in pairs Didynamous: with two pairs of stamens of unequal length Diffuse: looosely branching or spreading Digitate: radiating from a common point, having a fingered shape, i.e. a shape like an open hand Digynous: having two pistils Dimorphic: having two forms Dioecious: having staminate and pistillate flowers on separate plants (compare monoecious) Disciform: having a flowering head that contains both filiform and disk flowers, referring to members of the Asteraceae Discoid: having only disk flowers, referring to flower heads in the Asteraceae Disjunct: separated from the main distribution of the population Disk: the central portion of composite flowers, made up of a cluster of disk flowers Dissected: finely cut or divided into many, narrow segments Distal: the end opposite the point of attachment, away from the axis (compare proximal) Distichous: two-ranked, that is with leaves on opposute sides of a stem and in the same plane Distinct: having separate, like parts, those not at all joined to each other, often describing the petals on a flower (compare united) Disturbed: referring to habitats that have been impacted by the actions of people Diurnal: growing in the daytime Divaricate: widely diverging or spreading apart Divergent: diverging or spreading Divided: cut deeply, nearly or completely to the midrib Dodeca-: prefix meaning twelve Dorsal: referring to the back or outer surface Dorsifixed: attached at the back (compare basifixed, versatile) Drooping: erect or spreading at the base, then bending downwards Drupe: a fleshy indehiscent fruit enclosing a nut or hard stone containing generally a single seed such as a peach or cherry

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E-: prefix usually meaning without Ebeneous: black Eccentric: off-center, not positioned directly on the central axis Echinate: prickly Ecotone: transition zone between two adjoining communities Ecotype: those individuals adapted to a specific environment or set of conditions Elliptic: broadest near the middle and tapering gradually to both ends Elongate: stretched out, many times longer than broad Emarginate: with a shallow notch at the apex Endemic: confined to a limited geographic area Endocarp: the inner layer of the pericarp, which is the wall of the ripened ovary or fruit (compare mesocarp, exocarp) Ensiform: sword-shaped, as applied to a leaf Entire: describing a leaf that has a continuous, unbroken margin with no teeth or lobes Entomophilous: insect-pollinated Ephemeral: describes a plant or flower that lasts for only a short time or blooms only occasionaly when conditions are right Epigynous: with stamens, pistils, and sepals attached to the top of the ovary (compare hypogynous) Erose: having an irregular margin as if it has been gnawed Escapee: a plant that has escaped from cultivation and now reproduces on its own Evanescent: fleeting, lasting for only a short time Even-pinnate: a pinnately-compound leaf ending in a pair of leaflets (compare odd-pinnate) Exfoliating: peeling off in thin layers or flakes Exocarp: the outer layer of the pericarp of a fruit (compare endocarp, mesocarp) Exotic: not native, introduced from another area Exserted: projected from or extending beyond, as stamens from a flower Extant: still surviving, not completely extinct Extirpated: destroyed or no longer surviving in the area being referred to, but may survive outside of that area Extrorse: turned or opening outward away from the axis (compare introrse) Exudate: a substance exuded or secreted from a plant

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Fabaceae: pea family Fagaceae: oak family Falcate: scimitar- or sickle-shaped Farinose: covered with a mealy or whitish powdery substance Fascicle: a small cluster or bundle, a fairly common leaf arrangement Fastigiate: clustered, parallel and erect, having a broom-like appearance Fenestrate: with small slits or areas thinned so as to be translucent Ferruginous: rust-colored Fertile: having the capacity to produce fruit, having a pistil Filament: the basal, sterile portion of a stamen below the anthers Filiform: (1) threadlike; (2) a type of flower in the Asteraceae which is pistillate and has a very slender, tubular corolla Fimbriate: having fringed margins Fistulose: hollow like a tube or pipe Flabellate: fan-shaped, as in a fan-shaped structure Flaccid: soft and weak, limp Flange: a projecting rim or edge Flavescent: yellowish Flexuose or flexuous: with curves or bends, somewhat zigzagged Floc: a tuft of soft, woolly hair Floccose: wooly, covered with soft wooly tufted hairs that are usually easily rubbed off Floret: a small individual flower in a flower head Floricane: the second-year flowering and fruiting cane or shoot of Rubus (compare primocane) Fluted: with furrows or grooves Foliolate: having leaflets Follicle: a dry, many-seeded fruit derived composedof a single carpel l and opening along one side only like a milkweed pod Forb: a non-grasslike herbaceous plant Fovea: a small pit or depression Frond: a fern leaf Fructiferous: fruit-bearing Frutescent: shrubby or bushy in the sense of being woody Fulvous: dull yellowish-brown or yellowish-gray, tawny Funnelform: gradually widening upwards, as in the flowers of morning glory Furcate: forked Furfuraceous: scurfy, branlike, flaky Fuscous: dark grayish-brown, dusky Fusiform: spindle-shaped, thickest in the middle and drawn out at both ends

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Gall: an abnormal growth on a plant that is caused by insects Geniculate: bent abruptly like a knee or a stove pipe Glabrate: becoming glabrous in age Glabrous: smooth, without hairs Gland: a depression or protuberance that exists for the purpose of secreting Glandular: producing tiny globules of sticky or oily substance Glans: a dry dehiscent fruit borne in a cupule, such as the acorn Glaucescent: slightly glaucous Glaucous: covered with a thin, light-colored waxy or powdery bloom Globose: globe-shaped, spherical Glochids: barbed bristles on cacti Glomerate: crowded, congested or compactly clustered Glume: in grasses, the bracts (generally two) that form the lowermost parts of the spikelet Glutinous: having a sticky surface Gracile: slender and graceful Grain: the fruit of grasses Gregarious: growing in groups or colonies Grenadine: bright red Gynobase: an elongation or enlargement of the receptacle that supports the carpels or nutlets, as in many species of the Boraginaceae Gynoecium: a collective term for the pistils of a flower (compare androecium)

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Habit: the overall appearance of a plant Halophyte: a plant that can tolerate an abnormal amount of salt in the soil Hamate: hook-shaped, hooked at the tip Hastate: spear- or arrowhead-shaped with the basal lobes facing outward Helicoid: coiled spirally like a spring or a snail shell Heliotropic: the movement of plant parts in response to a light source Hemiparasite: a plant that derives its energy both from parasitism and from photosynthesis Herbaceous: fleshy-stemmed, not woody Heteromorphic: of one or more kind or form Heterostylous: having different kinds of style (and stamen) lengths Hexa-: a prefix meaning six Hibernal: flowering or appearing in the winter Hilum: a scar on a seed indicating its point of attachment Hip: a fleshy, berry-like fruit, as in some members of the Rosaceae Hirsute: pubescent with stiff, coarse hairs Hirtellous: pubescent with very small, coarse, stiff hairs Hispid: rough-haired Hoary: covered with white or gray, short, fine hairs Holosericeous: covered with fine, silky hairs Homomorphic: all of the same kind or form Hooked: abruptly curved at the tip Host: a plant providing nourishment to a parasite Humifuse: spreading along or over the ground Humistrate: lying on the ground Hyaline: thin, translucent or transparent Hydrophytic: adapted to growing in water Hypanthium: a cup-shaped enlargement of the receptacle, creation by the fusion of sepals, petals and stamens Hypogynous: with stamens, petals and sepals atteched below the ovary (compare epigynous)

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Imbricate: overlapping, like shingles on a roof Imperfect: describes a flower that has stamens or pistils but not both Implicate: twisted together, intertwined Incised: cut, often deeply, usually irregularly, but seldom as much as one-half the distance to the midrib or base Included: not exserted or protruding beyond the surrounding organ Incumbent: a term referring to seeds in which the embronic root is wrapped around and lies adjacent to the back of one of the two cotylodons (compare accumbent) Indehiscent: not opening by itself, said of a seed pod (compare dehiscent) Indeterminate: describes an inflorescence in which the outer or lower flowers bloom first, allowing an indefinite elongation of the flowering stem (compare determinate) Indigenous: native to an area Indurate: hardened and/or stiffened Indusium: a scale-like outgrowth on a fern leaf which forms a covering for the sporangia Inferior ovary: one that is situated below the point of attachment of the sepals and petals, and possibly below the point of attachment of all other flower parts and embedded in the floral stem Inflexed: turned abruptly or bent inwards Inflorescence: the flowering portion of a plant Infra-: a prefix meaning below or beneath Inframedial: below the middle Infraspecific: below the species level Infundibular: funnel-shaped Innate: borne at the apex Inter-: a prefix meaning between or among Internode: the portion of a stem between two successive nodes Interrupted: not continuous, with gaps Introrse: turned or opening inward toward the axis as an anther toward the center of a flower (compare extrorse) Involucel: a secondary involucre as in the Apiaceae Involucre: a set of bracts subtending a flower or an inflorescence Involute: with both edges inrolled toward the midnerve on the upper surface (compare revolute) Irregular: describes a flower that is not radially symmetric, the similar parts of which are unequal in size or form

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Joint: the point on a plant stem from which a leaf or leaf-bud grows, more commonly termed a node Jugate: with parts in pairs Junciform: rush-like in appearance

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Keel: the two lower petals of most pea flowers, united or partially joined to form a structure similar to the keel of a boat

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Labiate: lipped Lacerate: irregularly cut or cleft Laciniate: cut into slender lobes Lacunate: pitted Lacustrine: growing around lakes Laevigate: lustrous, shining Lanate: with long tangled wooly hairs Lanceolate: Significantly longer than wide and widest below the middle, gradually tapering toward the apex Lanulose: with very short hairs, minutely downy or wooly Lateral: borne at or on the side of Latifoliate: with broad leaves Leaflet: one segment of a compound leaf Legume: a dry, dehiscent fruit derived from a single carpel and usually opening along two lines of dehiscence like a pea pod Lemma: in grasses, the lower and usually larger of the two bracts of the floret Lepidote: covered with small scurfy scales Liana: a herbaceous or woody, usually perennial, climbing vine that roots in the ground and is characteristic especially of tropical forests Ligneous: woody Ligulate: (1) Describing a floral head in the Asteraceae that contains only ray flowers, or ligules; (2) strap-shaped Limb: the upper, expanded portion of a corolla which has fused petals Linear: long and narrow with sides that are parallel or nearly so Lineate: marked with parallel lines Lingulate: tongue-shaped Littoral: growing along the shore Livid: pale grayish-blue Lobe: usually a rounded segment of an organ Lobed: more or less deeply cut but not as far as the midrib Lobulate: with small lobes Locule: a cavity of the ovary which contains the ovules Loculicidal: said of a capsule, longitudinally dehiscent through the ovary wall at or near the center of each chamber or locule (compare poricidal, septicidal) Loment: a legume which is constricted between the seeds Lunate: crescent-shaped Lurid: pale brown to yellowish-brown Lutescent: yellowish Lyrate: lyre-shaped, pinnatifid with the terminal segment large and rounded and the lower lobes increasingly smaller toward the base

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Machaerantheroid: having involucral bracts with recurved tips Macro-: prefix meaning large or long Macrophyllous: having large leaves Maculate: spotted or blotched Malacophyllous: with soft leaves Malvaceous: mallow-like Mammilate: with nipple-like protuberances Manicate: with a thick, interwoven pubescence Many: same as numerous, often used to describe the number of stamens on a flower and specifically meaning eleven or more Marcescent: withering but still persistent as with petals and sepals or the basal leaves of some plants Margin: the edge, as of a leaf blade Marginate: distinctly margined Matinal: blooming in the early morning Mauve: bluish or pinkish-purple Mealy: describing a surface that is covered with minute, usually rounded particles Mega-: prefix meaning large Membranous: thin, flexible and more or less translucent, like a membrane -merous: a suffix utilized to indicate the number of parts or divisions in a particular structure or organ, as in 4-merous or 4-parted Mesic: describes a habitat that is generally moist throughout the growing season (compare xeric) Meso-: prefix meaning middle Mesocarp: the middle layer of the pericarp of a fruit (compare endocarp, exocarp) Mesophytic: adapted to growing under medium or average conditions, especially relating to water supply Micro-: prefix meaning small Microphyllous: bearing small leaves Midrib: the main or central rib or vein of a leaf Monadelphous: having stamens with filaments united in a single group, bundle or tube Monandrous: with a single stamen Monanthous: one-flowered Mono-: prefix meaning one Monocotyledon: a plant having only one seed-leaf (compare dicotyledon) Monoecious: having both male and female flowers on the same plant (compare dioecious) Monotypic: describing a genus that contains only a single species Montane: of or pertaining to, or growing in, the mountains Mucilaginous: slimy and moist Mucronate: having a short projection at the tip, as of a leaf Multi-: prefix meaning many Multifid: cleft into very many narrow lobes or segments Multiflorus: many-flowered Multifoliate: bearing many leaves Muricate: rounded or roughened with short, hard or warty points Mycorrhizal: having a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and the root of a plant

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Nacreous: having a pearly luster Napiform: turnip-shaped Nascent: in the process of being formed Natant: floating in water Navicular: boat-shaped Nectary: a plant part that secretes nectar, a sweet liquid that attracts bees, insects and birds Netted: same as reticulated, in the form or pattern of a network Neuter: lacking a pistil or stamens Nidulent: lying within a cavity, embedded within a pulp Nigrescent: blackish Nitid: lustrous, shining Niveous: white Nodding: hanging down Node: a point on a stem where leaves or branches originate Nodose: knobby or knotty Nomophilous: growing in or loving pastures Notate: marked with lines or spots Numerous: eleven or more, same as 'many' Nut: a dry, usually one-seeded, indehiscent fruit with a hard-walled exterior Nutant: nodding, drooping Nutlet: a small nut or one of the sections of the mature ovary of some members of the Boraginaceae, Verbenaceae or Lamiaceae Nyctanthous: night-flowering Nyctagimous: opening at night

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Ob-: prefix signifying inversion or reversal of normal direction Obconic: inversely cone-shaped and attached at the pointed end Obcordate: inversely heart-shaped, attached at the point Oblanceolate: inversely lanceolate Obligate: restricted to particular conditions or circumstances Oblique: with sides unequal, usually describing the base of a leaf Oblong: two to four times longer than broad with nearly parallel sides, but broader than 'linear' Obovate: inversely ovate Obtuse: blunt or rounded at the apex Obverse: describing a leaf that is narrower at the base than at the apex Obvolute: a vernation in which two leaves are overlapping in the bud in such a manner that one-half of each is external and the other half is internal, i.e. each leaf both overlaps the next and is in turn overlapped by the one before Ocrea (pl. ocreae): a sheath around the stem derived from the leaf stipules, primarily used in the Polygonaceae Ochreoleucous: yellowish-white, cream-colored Octo-: prefix meaning eight Odd-pinnate: describing a pinnately-compound leaf with a single terminal leaflet (compare even-pinnate) Oligomeris: with less than the typical number of parts Oligophyllous: with few leaves Olivaceous: olive-green Open: uncongested, usually describing the organization of flowers in an inflorescence (compare dense) Opposite: describing leaves that are situated in pairs at each node along an axis Orbicular: circular Ornithophillous: bird-pollinated Orophilous: growing in or preferring mountain areas Oval: broadly elliptic, the width over half the length Ovary: the basal portion of a pistil where female germ cells develop into seeds after germination Ovate: egg-shaped, wider below the middle Ovoid: an egg-shaped solid Ovule: the structure that develops into the seed inside the ovary

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Pachyphyllous: with thick leaves Palate: an appendage or raised area on the lower lip of the corolla which partially blocks the throat Palea: in grasses, the upper and generally smaller of the two bracts of the floret Pallid: pale Palmate: radiating from a single point like the spreading fingers of an outstretched hand Palmatifid: palmately cleft or lobed Paludose: growing in wet meadows or marshes Palustrine: same as paludose Pandurate: fiddle-shaped Panicle: a compound inflorescence in which the branches are racemose and the flowers are pedicelled on the branches Pannose: with a covering of short, dense, felty or wooly tomentum Papilionaceous: describing the structure of a corolla typical of the Fabaceae with banner, wings and keel Pappose: pappus-bearing Pappus: collectively, the bristles, hairs or scales at the apex of an achene in the Asteraceae Parasite: a plant which derives most or all of its food from another organisim to which it attaches itself Parietal: attached to the wall of the ovary instead of the axis Parted: lobed or cut in over half-way and often very close to the base or midrib Pectinate: describing a pinnatifid leaf whose segments are narrow and arranged like the teeth of a comb Pedicel: the stalk of a single flower that is part of an inflorescence Peduncle: the stalk of a flower cluster, or of a solitary flower not associated with others in an inflorescence Peltate: a type of leaf having its petiole attached to the center of the lower surface of the blade Pendent: hanging downward or drooping Penicillate: with a tuft of short hairs at the end, like a brush Penta-: prefix meaning five Pepo: a fleshy, indehiscent fruit with a hard, more or less thickened rind and a single many-seeded locule, characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae Perennial: a plant living for more than two years Perfect: containing both stamens and pistils Perfoliate: the stem apparently piercing the leaf or surrounded by basally joined opposite leaves Perianth: a collective term for the calyx and corolla Pericarp: the outer wall of mature fruit Perigynous: situated around but not attached to the ovary directly, describing a flower whose stamens and pistils are joined to the calyx tube and the ovary is superior Persicicolor: peach-colored Persistent: remaining attached after the usual time of falling Petal: a single segment of a divided corolla Petaloid: having the appearance of a petal Petiole: the stalk of a leaf Phloem: the food conducting tissue of vascular plants, bark Phreatophyte: a perennial plant that has deep and extensive root systems that enable it to tap underground sources of water Phyllary: one of the bracts below the flowerhead in the Asteraceae Phytolaccaceae: pokeweed family Pilose: having long, soft, straight hairs Pinnate: with separate segments which are arranged feather-like on either side of a common axis Pinnatifid: so deeply cleft or cut as to appear pinnate Pisaceous: pea-green Pistil: the central reproductive organ of a flower, consisting of ovary, style and stigma Pistillate: a female flower that has two or more pistils but no functional stamens Planoconvex: flat on one side and rounded on the other Plicate: folded like the pleats of a curtain Plumbeous: lead-colored Plumose: appearing plumelike or feathery from fine hairs that line two sides of a central axis Poly-: prefix meaning many Polyandrous: with many stamens Polyanthous: with many flowers Polycephalous: with many flower heads Polygamous: having both unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant Pome: a fleshy indehiscent fruit derived from an inferior, compound ovary and consisting of a modified floral tube surrounding a core with several seeds, such as an apple Poricidal: opening by pores, like a poppy capsule (compare loculicidal, septicidal) Posterior: on the side next to the axis (compare anterior) Prickle: a superficial, sharp-pointed outgrowth of the bark or epidermis of a plant Primocane: the first-year (usually flowerless) cane or shoots of Rubus (compare floricane) Procumbent: lying flat or trailing but not rooting at the nodes Prostrate: lying flat Protandrous: describing a plant in which the release of pollen precedes and does not overlap the period of stigma receptivity (compare protogynous) Protogynous: describing a plant in which stigma receptivity precedes and does not overlap the period of pollen release (compare protandrous) Proximal: nearest the axis or base (compare distal) Ptero-: prefix meaning winged Pterocarpous: with winged fruits Pterospermous: with winged seeds Puberulent: minutely pubescent Pubescent: covered with short, soft hairs Punctate: dotted or pitted, often with glands Pulverulent: dusty or chalky, as applied to the powdery coating on the stems and leaves of some plants Pulvinate: cushion- or mat-like Punctate: dotted with pits or with translucent, sunken glands, or with colored dots Puniceous: crimson-colored Purpurescent: becoming purplish Pyriform: pear-shaped

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Quadrate: square Quadri-: prefix meaning four Quinate: with five nearly similar structures from a common point Quinque-: prefix meaning five

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Raceme: an elongate, unbranched inflorescence with pedicelled flowers on the main stem Racemose: raceme-like or bearing racemes Rachilla: a small rachis, in particular the axis of a grass spikelet Rachis: the main stalk of a flower cluster or of a compound leaf, also that part of a fern frond stem that bears the leaflets Radical: belonging to or proceeding from the root Radiate: describing a flower head in the Asteraceae that contains both ray and disk flowers Radicant: rooting from the stem Ramose: branching or branchy Rank: a vertical row usually of leaves or bracts that can be either opposite or alternate Receptacle: the expanded apex of a flower stalk which bears the floral organs, either such structures as individual petals, sepals etc., or entire flowers in head-like inflorescences such as is typical of the Asteraceae Recumbent: leaning or reposing upon the ground Recurved: curved backwards or outwards Reflexed: abruptly bent or curved downward Regular: describes a flower with petals or sepals all of equal size and shape, i.e. radially symmetrical or capable of being divided into mirror images on either side of any plane that passes through the center Reniform: kidney-shaped or rounded with a notch at the base Repand: with an undulating margin, less strongly wavy than 'sinuate' Repent: creeping Reticulate: having a netted pattern Retrorse: Bent backward or downward, reflexed (compare antrorse) Retuse: having a rounded apex with a shallow notch Revolute: having the margins inrolled toward the underside (compare convolute, involute) Rhizome: an underground stem capable of producing new stems or plants at its nodes Rhombic: with the shape of a diamond Rosette: a cluster of leaves in a circular arrangement at the base of a plant, often called the basal rosette Rostrate: having a beak or beak-like form Rotate: a rotate corolla is wheel-shaped with a short tube and a wide horizontally flaring limb Rotundifolius: with round leaves Rubescent: becoming red or reddish Rubiginous: rust-colored Ruderal: growing in disturbed habitats, weedy Rudiment: an imperfectly developed organ, a vestige Rufous: reddish-brown Rugose: wrinkled or bumpy Runcinate: sharply incised or pinnatifid with the segments facing backwards

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Saccate: sac-shaped or pouch-shaped Sagittate: arrowhead-shaped, with two retrorse basal lobes Salient: projecting outward Salverform: with a slender tube abruptly expanded into a rotate limb Samara: dry fruit with wings that do not open when mature, as in maple trees Sanguineous: blood-red Sapid: with an agreeable taste Saponaceous: soapy Saprophytic: Deriving food from dead or decaying organic material in the soil and usually lacking in chlorophyll Sarcocaulis: with fleshy stems Saxatile: growing among rocks or in rocky, arid situations Scaberulent: slightly scabrous Scabrous: rough to the touch Scalariform: ladder-like Scale: a greatly reduced leaf or other outgrowth on a plant surface Scandent: climbing Scape: a leafless flowering stem arising directly from the ground Scarify: to roughen, score or scrape the hard, outer coating of a seed to assist in the absorption of moisture before germination, a process that many desert wash seeds require Scarious: thin, dry, membranous and more or less translucent Scissile: splitting easily Sclerophyllous: with stiff, firm leaves Scorpioid: describing a coiled inflorescence Scurfy: covered with small scale-like or bran-like particles or projections Sebaceous: tallowy or fatty Secund: Borne from only one side of an axis Semi-: prefix meaning half Sepal: a single segment of a divided calyx Septate: divided by one or more partitions Septicidal: said of a capsule, longitudinally dehiscent through the ovary wall at or near the center of each septa, preserving each locule as an intact entity (compare loculicidal, poricidal) Septum: any kind of a partition, specifically the wall between chambers in a compound ovary Seriate: arranged in rows or series Sericeous: covered with long, soft, straight, appressed hairs giving a silky appearance Serpentine: refers to soils that are low in calcium and high in magnesium and iron, derived from greenish or gray-green rocks that are essentially magnesium silicate, other characteristics of which are a high nickel and chromium content, and a low content of nutrients such as nitrogen Serrate: having sharp, forward-pointing teeth on the margin Serrulate: serrate with very small teeth Sessile: attached directly and without a petiole, pedicel or other type of stalk, said of either leaves or flowers Setaceous: bristle-like Setose: covered with bristles Sheath: a leafy, tubular structure usually on a sedge or grass that envelopes the stem Shrub: a small, woody plant with several stems Sigmoid: double-curved, S-shaped Silicle: a fruit similar to a silique, but much shorter, not much longer than wide Silique: a type of capsule found in the Brassicaceae, either half of which peels away from a central, transparent, dividing membrane Simple: a leaf that has one part, not subdivided into leaflets Sinistrorse: turned to the left or spirally arranged to the left (compare dextrorse) Sinuate: strongly or deeply wavy, usually referring to a leaf margin Sinus: the space or division, usually on a leaf, between two lobes or teeth Sori: clusters of spore sacs on a fern frond (singular: sorus) Sp: abbreviation for 'species' Spadix: a floral spike or head in which the flowers are borne on a fleshy axis Spathe: a large bract or pair of bracts subtending and usually partially enclosing an inflorescence Spatulate: spoon-shaped, gradually widening to a rounded apex Specific epithet: the second part of a scientific name which identifies the species Spicule: a short, pointed, epidermal projection Spike: an elongated, unbranched inflorescence with sessile or nearly-sessile flowers Spikelet: in grasses, the smallest aggregation of florets plus any subtending glumes Spine: a sharp-pointed rigid structure, usually a highly modified leaf or stipule Spinescent: bearing a spine or spine-like point Spinose: having a stiff and tough acuminate tip Spinulose: bearing very small spines Sporangium: a spore-case or sac in which spores are produced in a fern Spp: abbreviation for the plural of 'species' Spumose: foamy or frothy Spur: a hollow extension of a petal or sepal such as characterizes the larkspurs, and which often produces nectar Squamate: having or producing scales Squarrose: having spreading, recurved tips Ssp: abbreviation for 'subspecies' Stamen: the male or pollen-bearing organ of a flower, composed of filament and anthers Staminate: describing a male flower that contains one or more stamens but no functional pistils Staminode: a sterile stamen or other nonfunctional structure occupying the position and having the overall appearance of a stamen Standard: also called a banner, this is the upper petal or segment of a papilionaceous flower Stellate: starlike, with radiating branches and often referring to the pattern of hairs on the surface of a leaf Stem: the main upward-growing axis of a plant which bears the leaves and flowers Stenopetalous: with narrow petals Stenophyllous: with narrow leaves Stigma: the terminal portion of a pistil, which receives the pollen Stipe: that portion of a fern frond below the rachis, i.e. below where the leaflets are attached Stipitate: borne on a stipe or stalk Stipule: an appendage at the base of a petiole, usually in pairs Stolon: an elongated horizontal shoot above or below the ground, rooting at the nodes or apex Stomate: a small pore or opening on the surface of a leaf through which gaseous exchange takes place, i.e. the diffusion of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapor Stone: the hard, woody endocarp enclosing the seed of a drupe Stramineus: straw-colored Striate: with fine longitudinal lines or ridges Strict: very straight and upright Strigose: covered with rough, stiff, sharp hairs that are more or less parallel to a particular surface Strobilus: an inflorescence that is characterized by imbricated bracts or scales such as are borne on the ephedras Style: the narrowed portion of a pistil between and connecting the ovary and the stigma Sauveolent: fragrant Sub-: prefix meaning under, slightly, somewhat or almost Suberose/Suberous: corky-textured Subspecies: a group of plants within a species that has consistent, repeating, genetic and structural distinctions Subtend: to occupy a position below and adjacent to Subulate: awl-shaped Succulent: fleshy, juicy and thickened Suffruticose: low shrubby, with the lower part of the stem woody and the upper part herbaceous Suffused: tinted or tinged Sulcate: grooved or furrowed Sulfureous: sulfur-colored Summer annual: plant with seeds germinating in spring or early summer and completing flowering and fruiting in late summer or early fall (compare winter annual) Superior ovary: one that is located above the perianth and free of it Surcurrent: extending upward from the point of insertion, as a leaf base that extends up along the stem (compare decurrent) Surficial: growing near the ground, or spread over the surface of the ground Suture: a junction or seam of union, or a line of dehiscence Swale: a depression or shallow hollow in the ground, typically moist Sympatric: growing together with, or having the same range as Sympetalous: having the petals more or less united Syn-: prefix meaning united Synandrous: with united anthers Synoecious: having male and female flowers in the same flowerhead Synsepalous: having the sepals more or less united

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Taproot: the primary root continuing the axis of the plant downward often quite deeply into the ground Tawny: tan in color Taxon: any group of plants occupying a particular hierarchical category, such as genus or species Tendril: a slender portion of a leaf or stem, modified for twining Tenuous: slender or thin Tepal: a collective term for sepals and petals, used when they cannot be easily differentiated Terete: circular in cross-section Terminal: at the end of the branch or stem Tesselate: checkered Ternate: in three's Tetra-: prefix meaning four Thorn: a short, stiff, sharp-pointed branch Throat: in some corollas with fused petals, the point of juncture between the tube and limb, a somewhat difficult point to distinguish Tiller: in grasses the young vegetative shoots Tomentose: wooly, with long, soft, matted hairs Toothed: having small lobes or points along the margin (as on a leaf) Tortuous: twisted or bent Transpiration: emission of water vapor from the leaves Transverse: at a right angle to the longitudinal axis of a structure Tri-: prefix meaning three Triad: a cluster of three, as spikelets of Hordeum or Hilaria Triandrous: having three stamens Trichome: a hair-like outgrowth from the epidermis Trichotomous: three-forked Trifid: three-cleft to about the middle Trifoliate: having three leaves Trifoliolate: having three leaflets Tripinnate: thrice divided Tropism: the turning of a plant part such as a leaf in response to some external stimuli Truncate: with a base or apex appearing as if cut straight across Tube: the lower or narrower portion of a corolla or calyx Tuber: a short, thickened underground stem which bears numerous buds Tubercle: a knoblike projection Tufted: in a dense cluster Tumescent: somewhat tumid, swelling Tumid: swollen Tunicate: having several concentric layers, such as in onions Turbinate: shaped like a top or inverted cone Twining: climbing by coiling around some support

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Umbel: an inflorescence in which the flower stalks arise from a common point (in a compound umbel, this branching is repeated) Umbellet: a secondary umbel in a compound umbel Umbellulate: in the form of or having the appearance of an umbel Umbraculate: umbrella-shaped Unarmed: lacking thorns or prickles Uncinate: hooked near the apex or having the form of a hook Unctuous: greasy, oily Undulate: wavy Unguiculate: contracted at the base into a claw, as a petal Uni-: prefix meaning one Unilocular: having only a single locule in the ovary Uniseriate: arranged in one row or series Unisexual: bearing either stamens or pistils but not both United: describes petals that are fused together Urceolate: urn-shaped or pitcher-like, contracted at the mouth Urent: stinging Utricle: a small, thin-walled, single-seeded, more or less bladdery-inflated fruit Uva: a grape-like berry formed from a superior ovary

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Vaginate: provided with or surrounded by a sheath Valvate: opening by valves or provided with valves Valve: one of the parts or segments into which a dehiscent fruit splits Varicose: swollen or enlarged in places Variegated: having a variety of colors Vascular: containing both xylem, the principal water and mineral-conducting tissue, and phloem, food conducting tissue Vein: the vascular portion of a leaf Velutinous: velvety Venation: the arrangement of veins in a leaf Ventral: on the inner or axis side of an organ or the upper surface of a leaf Ventricose: inflated or swollen unequally on one side Vermicular: worm-shaped or wormlike, or of worm-eaten appearance Vernal: appearing in the spring Vernation: the arrangement of leaves within a bud Vernicose: appearing as though varnished Verrucose: covered with wart-like projections Versatile: referring to an anther which attaches at or near its middle and is able to turn freely on its support (compare basifixed, dorsifixed) Versicolor: having various colors Verticillate: same as 'whorled' Vesicle: a bladder or cavity Vespertine: opening or functioning in the evening Villous: with fine, long, unmatted hairs Vinaceous: wine-colored Violaceous: violet-colored Virescent: becoming green or greenish Virgate: wand-like, as a straight, slender, erect stem Viscid: sticky or greasy Vitreous: transparent

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Wanting: absent, lacking, nonexistent Weed: a troublesome or aggressive plant that intrudes where it is not wanted, especially a plant that vigorously colonizes disturbed areas Whorl: a circle of three or more structures radiating outward from the same node Wing: a thin, paperlike flat margin bordering or extending from a seed capsule, stem or flower Winter annual: plant with seeds germinating in late summer or fall and completing flowering and fruiting in spring or summer (compare summer annual) Woolly: having soft, woollike hairs

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X: a symbol which when placed before a specific epithet indicates a hybrid of two species Xanthic: yellowish Xeric: pertaining to arid or desert conditions, implying a minimal water supply throughout most of the year (compare mesic) Xero-: prefix meaning dry Xerophytic: adapted to dry or arid conditions, places where fresh water is scarce or where water absorption is difficult due to an excess of dissolved salts Xylem: the water-conducting tissue of vascular plants Xylocarp: a hard, woody fruit such as the coconut

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Zonate: marked or colored in circular rings or zones Zoophilous: animal-pollinated Zygomorphic: with inequality in the size or form of similar parts, specifically bilaterally symmetric and capable of being bisected into equal mirror-image halves along one plane only