| Term | Meaning |
|---|
| 2-pinnate | see bipinnate |
| abaxial | facing away from the axis; hence abaxially; used of leaf surface. |
| abbreviated | shortened. |
| aberrant | departing from the normal. |
| aborted | imperfectly developed. |
| abscissing | falling off; often used of floral parts, hence abscission. |
| abscission | the normal shedding of mature or aged organs from a plant. |
| acaulescent, acaulous | lacking a distinct stem. |
| accrescent | enlarging toward maturity, as of calyx after flowering. |
| accumbent | lying closely face to face; a radicle lying against the edges of a cotyledon. |
| acentric | not located at the centre. |
| acerose | narrow, with a sharp, stiff point. |
| achene | a small, dry, indehiscent, one-seeded fruit with thin pericarp. |
| acicle, acicula | needle-shaped process; hence acicular. |
| acicular | having a needle-shaped tip. |
| acropetal | produced in succession towards the tip. |
| acroscopic | of a pinna or lobe pointing toward the apex. |
| actinomorphic | with the parts radially symmetrical, regular; as of flowers. |
| acuminate | tapering to a fine point. |
| acute | sharply pointed. |
| adaxial | facing towards the axis; hence adaxially; used of leaf surface. |
| adherent | separate parts or organs touching or in union, but not fused. |
| adjacent | lying near, next to. |
| adnate | united to an organ of a different kind; as sepals to petals. |
| adventitious | arising from an unusual position, as of roots. |
| adventive | arriving from outside; in contrast to native. |
| aerial | arising in the air, as roots from branches. |
| aestivation | the arrangement of perianth parts in the bud; see imbricate, valvate. |
| agamospecies | microspecies reproducing by apomixis. |
| ala(-ae) | a wing; used in special sense for lateral petals in legumes. |
| alate | winged. |
| allopatric | of taxa having different ranges of distribution |
| allopolyploid | a polyploid derived from a hybrid between two or more taxa. |
| alluvial | of deposits of earth, sand, etc., left by water. |
| alpine | an altitudinal zone extending upwards from the upper treeline . |
| alternate | placed singly along an axis, not in opposite pairs; hence alternately. |
| alveola(-ae) | deep, close pits; hence alveolate. |
| alveolate | deeply pitted, honey-combed. |
| amphibious | living on both land and in water. |
| amphitropous | of ovules, retaining an essentially straight axis but turned through 90° on and fused with funiculus. |
| amplexicaul | clasping the stem. |
| ampliate | enlarged. |
| anadromic | with the first vein or pinnule of a pinna on the side towards the apex. |
| anastomosing | joining to form a network, as of nerves or veins. |
| anatomy | the study of internal structure. |
| anatropous | of ovules, turned through 180° and with funiculus fused along one side and micropyle close to placental surface. |
| ancipital | 2-edged, used especially of flattened stems. |
| androecium | male organs of a flower, i.e. stamens with their filaments, and anthers. |
| androgynophore | a stalk bearing both stamens and pistil above the point of perianth attachment. |
| androgynous | with male and female flowers in the same inflorescence; male above female (in Carex). |
| andromonoecious | with male and hermaphrodite flowers on the same plant. |
| androphore | a stalk bearing the stamens. |
| anemophilous | wind-pollinated. |
| angustate | narrowed gradually and concavely to the base. |
| angustiseptate | of a flattened 2-locular capsule (or silique) with the septum across the narrow diameter. |
| anisophyllous | with leaves of a pair differing markedly in shape or size. |
| annual | completing its life-cycle within one year. |
| annular | ring-shaped. |
| annulus | a ring; particularly the ring of thick-walled cells in a fern sporangium forming part of the dehiscence mechanism. |
| anterior | on the side away from the axis and thus appearing at the front. |
| anther | the pollen-bearing part of a stamen. |
| antheridium(-ia) | in cryptogams, the organs producing ? gametes. |
| anther-tail | an elongated outgrowth from the lower part of the anther-wall. |
| anthesis | opening of floret to allow emergence of anthers and stigmas. |
| anthocarp | an achene enclosed by the persistent base of the calyx. |
| anthocyanin | pigment producing blue or purple coloration. |
| anthoecium(-ia) | floral envelope of lemma and palea. |
| antipetalous | positioned opposite the petals; usually of stamens. |
| antisepalous | positioned opposite the sepals; usually of stamens. |
| antrorse | directed forward, usually of teeth or hairs. |
| apetalous | without petals. |
| apetiolate | without a petiole; hence apetiolulate, of leaflets. |
| apex(-ices) | tip of an organ or part; hence apical, apically. |
| aphyllous | leafless. |
| apiculate | ending in a short, slender, ± flexible point. |
| apiculus | a short slender ± flexible point; hence apiculate. |
| apocarpous | having free carpels. |
| apomict | plant producing viable seed without fertilization; hence apomictic. |
| apomixis | process of producing seeds without fertilisation; hence apomictic. |
| apophysis | exposed, expanded, distal part of ovuliferous scale in female conifer cones. |
| appendage | a secondary or subsidiary part of an organ; a special outgrowth. |
| apposite | side by side. |
| appressed | closely and flatly pressed against a surface. |
| approximate | close together. |
| aquatic | living in water. |
| arborescent | tree-like. |
| archegonium(-ia) | in cryptogams, the organs producing female gametes. |
| arcuate | curved or arched, ± strongly. |
| areolate | marked out into small angular spaces. |
| areole | a small delimited area, as the space between anastomosing veins; hence areolate. |
| aril | a fleshy or hardened outgrowth from the funicle, which covers or is attached to the mature seed; hence arillate. |
| arillate | provided with an aril. |
| arista | awn, as of lemma, sometimes borne on column; hence aristate. |
| aristate | abruptly terminated in a hard, straight, subulate point (awned) |
| armature | covering or occurrence of spines, hooks, or prickles; hence armed. |
| articulate | jointed; with nodes of joints where parts may separate. |
| artificial | modified by humans. |
| ascending | directed or rising upward obliquely. |
| aspergilliform | divided into several fine branches so as to resemble a brush; of stigma branches arranged in all directions. |
| asperous | rough to the touch; hence asperities, asperulous. |
| asymmetric | lateral halves of dissimilar shape. |
| attenuate | gradually tapering, drawn out. |
| auricle | an ear-shaped appendage or lobe. |
| autogamous | automatic self-pollination within a flower. |
| autonym | a name established automatically at the subdivision of a taxon, whether or not published at the same time. |
| autotrophic | see holophytic. |
| awn | a stiff or bristle-like projection, often from the tip or back of an organ. |
| awn column | the base of an awn, of different form from the arista or bristle above. |
| awn sinus | notch in lemma whence the awn originates. |
| axes | Plural of axis |
| axil | the upper angle between two dissimilar organs. |
| axile | of the axis; especially of placentae attached to the axis of a several-loculed ovary. |
| axillary | occurring in an axil between two parts, as of leaves or bracts. |
| axis | the main stem or central longitudinal support, as of an inflorescence. |
| baccate | of fruit, berry-like, with pulpy mesocarp. |
| bambusiform | having or resembling the habit of a bamboo. |
| barb | retrorse projection, particularly on hairs; hence barbate. |
| barbed | provided with a sharp backwardly directed hook or bristle. |
| barren | infertile. |
| basal | at the base; of leaves or sheaths, all arising from ground-level; of ovule(s), at base of ovary. |
| basifixed | attached by the base; usually of anthers. |
| basiscopic | of a pinna or lobe pointing toward the base. |
| bast fibre | the fibre of the phloem or inner bark. |
| beak | a prominent extension of an organ; as of fruits. |
| beard | short stiff hairs usually surrounding the callus. |
| berry | a fleshy fruit containing several to many seeds but not a "stone". |
| bi- | a prefix meaning two. |
| biaristulate | with two short awns. |
| bicornute | 2-horned. |
| bicuspid | having two sharp rigid points. |
| bidentate | having two teeth. |
| biennial | a plant which requires two years to complete its life-cycle. |
| bifacial | of leaves, with distinct upper and lower surfaces. |
| bifarious | arranged in two opposite rows. |
| bifid | divided into two parts; two-cleft. |
| bifurcate | forked into two segments. |
| bilabiate | with two lips. |
| bilateral | occurring on both sides of an axis, as of bilateral racemes. |
| bilobed | with two lobes. |
| binate | occurring in pairs, growing from the same point. |
| bipartite | divided nearly to the base into two parts. |
| bipinnate | twice pinnate, with the primary pinnae divided to the midrib into secondary pinnae or segments. |
| bipinnatifid, 2-pinnatifid | with primary segments divided in a pinnate fashion into secondary segments, but neither divided to the midrib; cf. pinnate-pinnatifid. |
| biseriate | arranged in two rows. |
| bisexual | of flowers, with both sexes functional. |
| bivalved | having two valves. |
| blade | the lamina, or expanded part of a leaf. |
| bloom | a white or glaucous powdery covering. |
| bog | a wetland in which the water is derived only from rainfall, and is underlain by peat. |
| bole | the main trunk of a tree. |
| boss | a ± rounded protuberance. |
| brackish | partly fresh, partly salt (of water). |
| bract | a modified, often much-reduced leaf, especially the small or scale-like leaves of an inflorescence; diminutive bracteole; hence bracteate. |
| bracteate | having a bract. |
| bractiform | having the appearance of a bract. |
| bristle | a stiff stout hair. |
| broadly | qualifying term used with elliptic, oblong, obovate, obtriangular, obtrullate, ovate, rhombic, triangular and trullate to indicate length:breadth 3:2 to 6:5. |
| bud | a much condensed, undeveloped shoot or flower. |
| budding | grafting by inserting a bud under the bark of the stock; hence budded. |
| bulb | a thickened part made up of ± fleshy scales on a short axis; diminutive bulbil; hence bulbous. |
| bulbil | diminutive of bulb; in cryptogams, a bud produced vegetatively on the stem or frond, capable of breaking off and forming a new plant. |
| bulbous | having a bulb. |
| bullate | with the surface blistered or puckered. |
| bush | a shrub with dense branches, resulting usually in dense habit. |
| caducous | falling off at an early stage; used of sepals and petals. |
| caespitose | growing in ± dense tufts. |
| calli | callus deposits, usually appearing as small coloured dots. |
| callus | a thickened, usually hardened part. |
| calyculus | a calyx-like part, composed of bracts or bracteoles; hence calyculate. |
| calyptrate | bearing a calyptra or cap-like covering. |
| calyptrum(-a) | a hood or lid usually formed by the calyx and usually falling as a unit; hence calyptrate. |
| calyx | the outer, usually greenish, whorl of floral parts, consisting of free or united sepals. |
| cambium | a generative layer of thin cells whose divisions produce rows of vascular tissue cells or cork cells. |
| campanulate | bell-shaped. |
| campylotropous | of ovules, curved with the micropyle nearly meeting the funiculus. |
| canaliculate | longitudinally channelled or grooved. |
| canescent | with grey-white pubescence. |
| cap | a convex removable covering of a part; as of a capsule. |
| capillary | hair-like. |
| capitate | head-like; often used of inflorescence or stigma. |
| capitulum(-a) | a dense head-like inflorescence of numerous sessile flowers. |
| capsule | a dry dehiscent fruit formed by the union of two or more carpels. |
| carina | a keel; used in special sense for the joined anterior petals in Fabaceae; hence carinate, having a prominent sharp median projecting rib. |
| carinate | keeled, having a prominent, sharp, median projecting mid-rib. |
| carnivorous | of plants that capture and absorb animals. |
| carpel | one unit of the female part of the flower, consisting of ovule-bearing ovary, receptive stigma, and often a stalk-like style between them. |
| carpidium(-ia) | "cone-scale" in Gymnospermae. |
| carpodium(-ia) | abortive carpel. |
| carpophore | a prolongation of the floral axis above the level of attachment of the perianth, either supporting the gynoecium or carrying the pendulous ripe mericarps. |
| cartilaginous | tough and hard. |
| caruncle | excrescence of appendage near base of seed. |
| caryopsis | a grain, as of grasses; a seed-like fruit with a thin pericarp adnate to the contained seed. |
| casual | occurring sporadically and not establishing. |
| catadromic | with the first vein or pinnule of a pinna on the side towards the base. |
| cataphyll | a modified leaf reduced to a short sheath or bract surrounding the base of extravaginal innovations or rhizomes. |
| catkin | a spike or spike-like inflorescence, usually unisexual, on a pendulous to erect axis. |
| caudate | bearing a tail-like appendage. |
| caudex | a stem with subsidiary organs, usually of herbaceous plants. |
| caulescent | with a stem; with thick trunk-like stem beneath a rosette. |
| cauliflorus | producing flowers from old wood, especially the trunk. |
| cauline | belonging to the stem, especially its upper aerial part. |
| caulorrhiza | woody rootstock. |
| cell | the basic unit of plant structure consisting, when young of a protoplast surrounded by a wall, but often losing the living contents with age. |
| cernuous | drooping. |
| chaffy | thin, dry, membranous |
| chalaza | the part of the ovule where the nucellus joins the integuments. |
| channelled | hollowed out longitudinally like a gutter; canaliculate. |
| chartaceous | of thin papery texture. |
| chasmogamous | of flowers opening for pollination. |
| chlorophyll | the green colouring matter within the cells of plants. |
| choripetalous | with separate petals. |
| chromosome | small deeply staining body found in all cell nuclei, the number usually constant for any given species. |
| cilia | short hairs forming a fringe usually on margin; hence ciliate, ciliolate. |
| ciliate | fringed with short hairs. |
| cinereous | light ashy grey. |
| circinate | coiled, the apex innermost, as in young fern fronds. |
| circular | round in outline. |
| circumscissile | dehiscing as if cut circularly around, the top valve coming off like a lid. |
| cirrhose | tendril-like, with a slender, ± coiled tip. |
| cladode | a green flattened stem resembling a foliage leaf, but arising in the axil of a minute, bract-like, often caducous, true leaf. |
| clathrate | latticed or pierced by apertures, like a trellis. |
| clavate | club-shaped; thickened towards the apex. |
| claw | the narrowed stalk-like base of a petal or sepal; hence clawed. |
| clawed | having a narrowed stalk-like base to a petal or sepal. |
| cleft | deeply cut. |
| cleistogamy | fertilisation without the opening of florets, always therefore self-fertilising; hence cleistogamous. |
| cleistogene | axillary, hidden, seed-forming spikelets or reduced inflorescences usually at the base of culms and differing from aerial spikelets. |
| clone | a vegetative propagule, genetically identical with the parent. |
| coalescent | of the incomplete fusion of like parts. |
| coccus(-i) | one of the parts of a dry lobed fruit, each part 1-seeded. |
| coenosorus(-i) | a common or compound sorus formed by fusion of several sori. |
| coherent | like parts in close contact but not fused. |
| collar | junction of leaf-blade and leaf-sheath, anterior to ligule, often thickened. |
| collateral | standing side by side. |
| column | body formed by the union of stamens, style and stigmas. |
| coma | ring or tuft of hairs, especially on a seed; hence comate. |
| comate | having a tuft or ring of hairs, especially on a seed. |
| combination | the name of a taxon below the rank of genus, consisting of the name of a genus combined with a specific, and sometimes infraspecific, epithet. |
| commissure | the face by which one carpel joins another. |
| compatibility | genetic reaction between pollen and stigma; hence self-compatible, self-incompatible. |
| compound | composed of several ± similar parts, as opposed to simple; used of leaves and inflorescences. |
| compressed | flattened. |
| concave | having the surface curved inwards. |
| concolorous | of ± the same colour throughout. |
| conduplicate | folded together lengthwise along midrib, with the upper surface within, as of leaf-blades. |
| cone | a general term for the hardened fructifications. |
| conelet | a cone up to the time of fertilization. |
| confluent | blending or running together as of nerves, sori, etc. |
| congeneric | belonging to one and the same genus. |
| congested | crowded. |
| conical | a solid, with the shape of a geometrical cone. |
| connate | joined together, especially of two similar parts united; as perianth-segments. |
| connective | the tissue connecting the two lobes of an anther. |
| connivent | converging together; usually of two or more organs with their bases separated and their apices approaching one another. |
| conspecific | belonging to one and the same species. |
| contiguous | touching but not fused. |
| continuous | without breaks, uninterrupted. |
| contorted | twisted; of perianth parts in bud, each part with one edge overlapping, the other overlapped. |
| contracted | of panicles with erect branches close to rachis or almost so. |
| contractile | capable of expanding and contracting, usually of roots. |
| contra-ligule | line of hairs on the abaxial surface at junction of leaf-blade and leaf-sheath. |
| convex | bulging outward. |
| convolute | rolled together longitudinally, as of leaf-blades. |
| coralloid | coral-like, with many short, thick branchlets. |
| cordate | heart-shaped, with the notch at the base. |
| coriaceous | of somewhat leathery texture, tough. |
| corm | a short, swollen underground stem, usually erect and invested by a few scales and functioning for only one season; diminutive cormil; hence cormous. |
| cormous | having a corm. |
| corolla | the inner, usually showy, whorl of floral parts, consisting of free or united petals. |
| corolline | seated on or belonging to the corolla. |
| corona | a crown-like appendage projecting upwards from the corolla, e.g. the cup in Narcissus. |
| corrugate | evenly furrowed or wrinkled. |
| cortex | the outer layers of the stem. |
| corymb | a ± flat-topped raceme, the long-pedicelled outer flowers opening first; hence corymbose. |
| corymbose | in the form of a flat-topped raceme |
| cosexual | all plants in a population produce both pollen and seeds (even though in some cases individual flowers may be unisexual). |
| costa(-ae) | a rib or mid-rib, especially of the leaf-blade; hence costal, costate. |
| costate | ribbed |
| cotyledon | seed-leaf, present in the seed. |
| crenate | with shallow, rounded teeth, the sinus acute. |
| crepuscular | occurring in late afternoon and early evening, especially of flower opening. |
| crest | an elevation or ridge at the summit of an organ. |
| crested | having an elevation or ridge at the summit of an organ. |
| crispate | with margins curled, irregularly waved and twisted. |
| cross-veined | divided into lattices by short septa, especially of leaves. |
| crown | the upper rosette of leaves of an arborescent species. |
| crownshaft | a trunk-like extension of the bole formed by the long, broad, overlapping leaf-bases. |
| crozier | young uncurling fern frond. |
| cruciate, cruciform | in the form of a cross. |
| crura | shanks; used for the two small projections at the mouth of a utricle in Carex. |
| crustaceous | of brittle texture. |
| cryptogams | general term to include all plant groups except the seed-plants. |
| cucullate | hooded or hood-shaped |
| culm | flowering stem, usually comprising nodes, leaves and internodes. |
| culm-sheath | sheath of a cauline leaf. |
| cultigen | a plant known only in cultivation. |
| cultivar | a variety, strain, selection or race that has originated and persisted under cultivation; subject to rules laid down in International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants. |
| cultrate | shaped like a knife blade. |
| cuneate | wedge-shaped; gradually and evenly narrowed to base; hence cuneiform. |
| cup | a cup-like structure; diminutive cupule; hence cupuliform, cupular. |
| cupular | cup-shaped |
| cusp | with the apex narrowed to a sharp rigid point; hence cuspidate. |
| cuspidate | having the apex tapering gradually to a sharp rigid point. |
| cuticle | the outermost, ± impermeable layer on the epidermal cells. |
| cyathium | a cup-like structure, especially the perianth-like involucre surrounding flowers in Euphorbia. |
| cymbiform | boat-shaped. |
| cyme | an inflorescence in which continued growth depends on the production of new lateral growing points; when these develop symmetrically the inflorescence tends to be broad and flattish with the oldest flowers innermost; hence cymose. |
| cymose | with an inflorescence in the form of a cyme. |
| cypsela | an achene bearing an adnate calyx. |
| cytology | the study of the cell and especially of its chromosomes. |
| cytotaxonomy | classification of organisms based on cytology. |
| deciduous | falling after completion of the normal function, i.e. petals after flowering, or leaves of summer-green perennial. |
| declinate | bent or curved downwards. |
| decompound | divided into many compound parts. |
| decumbent | lying along the ground with the tip ascending. |
| decurrent | running or extending downwards. |
| decurved | gradually curved downwards. |
| decussate | of leaves or other organs that are opposite with successive pairs at right angles and so forming four rows. |
| definite | of a constant number, or of limited growth as a definite inflorescence where the axis ends in a flower. |
| deflexed | bent sharply downwards. |
| dehiscent | opening, usually regularly, to shed contents when ripe; hence dehiscing |
| dehiscing | opening regularly to shed contents when ripe; used of anthers and capsules. |
| deltate | broadly triangular. |
| deltoid | a solid, triangular in transverse section. |
| dendroid | resembling a tree in shape or mode of branching. |
| dentate | with sharp teeth perpendicular to the margins, the sinus ± open; diminutive denticulate. |
| denticle | a very small tooth; hence denticulate, with very small sharp teeth perpendicular to the margin, the sinus ± open. |
| denticulate | with small sharp teeth perpendicular to the margin |
| depauperate | reduced in size, as if starved. |
| depressed | flattened from above. |
| determinate | of an inflorescence in which the terminal flower opens first and growth of the axis is arrested. |
| diadelphous | in two sets, as of stamens in most papilionoid legumes, where nine are united and one is free. |
| dichasium | a cyme in which the branches are opposite and ± equal in length. |
| dichlamydeous | of flowers with a perianth composed of distinct calyx and corolla. |
| dichogamous | early maturity and exsertion of one sexual element; hence duodichogamy, two dichogamous events. |
| dichotomous | forking into two equal branches. |
| dictyostelic | used of a stem structure characterized by a network of vascular or conducting strands. |
| didymous | twinned, the two parts similar and attached by a short length of their inner surface. |
| didynamous | with four stamens, one pair long, one pair short. |
| diffuse | of open or straggling growth. |
| digitate | spreading from a centre like the fingers of a hand. |
| dilated | enlarged, or expanded, or widened. |
| dimidiate | appearing as if one half were wanting. |
| dimorphic | occurring in two forms; as leaves of some aquatics, or fronds of ferns. |
| dioecious | having ? and ? on different plants. |
| diploid | having two sets of chromosomes (denoted as 2n). |
| disarticulation | separating at a joint, as of florets in a spikelet, leaf-blades at ligules. |
| disc, disk | a flattened, ± fleshy development of the receptacle or coalescent nectaries, or the non-ligulate part of the capitulum made up of tubular flowers in Asteraceae; hence discoid. |
| discoid | disc-shaped; used of corona in Narcissus. |
| discolorous | of two different colours especially of upper and lower surfaces of leaves; see also heterochromous. |
| discrete | separate, not adherent or coherent. |
| disjunct | used of plant distribution with large gaps between occurrences. |
| disk-florets | in Asteraceae, the inner florets of the capitulum as distinct from the surrounding ray-florets. |
| dispersal | the various ways by which fruits, seeds, whole plants, or portions of plants are scattered, by wind, water, birds, adhesion to animals, etc. |
| dissected | of leaf-laminae, cut into many segments. |
| distal | at the free end of an organ as opposed to the attached or proximal end. |
| distant | standing apart, separated. |
| distichous | arranged in two opposite rows so as to lie in one plane, used of leaves and glumes. |
| distylous | having a floral dimorphism in which the anthers and stigmas vary in height between morphs so that the sequence of heights is different in each morph. |
| diurnal | occurring during the day, especially of flower opening. |
| divaricate | spreading at a very wide angle. |
| divergent | spreading away from one another, usually at a rather wide angle. |
| domatia | small pits on the adaxial surface of leaves, between the veins and midrib or near the margin. |
| dormant | not in active growth. |
| dorsal | relating to the back or outer surface of a part or organ; hence dorsally. |
| dorsiconvex | convex on the back. |
| dorsifixed | attached by the back, especially of anthers. |
| dorsiventral | of an organ with both dorsal and ventral surfaces, as of a leaf-blade. |
| double-folded | used of a leaf of which the transverse section resembles an inverted W because of a prominent nerve on each side of the midrib. |
| drupe | a "stone fruit", the seed enclosed in a bony covering (endocarp) which is surrounded by a ± fleshy layer (mesocarp). |
| drupelet | one small drupe of an aggregate fruit. |
| e-, or ex- | prefix meaning lacking. |
| ebracteate | without bracts. |
| ecallose | lacking calli. |
| eccentric | offset from the centre; hence eccentrically. |
| echinate | beset with prickles. |
| ecostate | lacking ribs. |
| ecotype | the genetical response of a plant to its environment; often simplistically treated as a morphological variant. |
| edentate | lacking teeth. |
| effuse | spreading loosely. |
| eglandular | lacking glands. |
| elater | slender thread-like or coiled body found in sporangia and connected with spore dispersal. |
| eligulate | lacking ligules. |
| ellipsoid | a solid, elliptic in longitudinal section . |
| elliptic | longer than broad, broadest at the middle, rounded at both ends; length:breadth ratio 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| elongate | lengthened, stretched out. |
| emarginate | with a shallow notch at the apex. |
| embryo | the rudimentary plant within the caryopsis. |
| emergent | stems and/or leaves of aquatic plants emerging above the water surface. |
| emersed | rising above surface of water. |
| endemic | having a natural distribution confined to a specific geographical region; here meaning occurring naturally only in the N.Z. Botanical Region or some part of it. |
| endocarp | inner layer of the fruit-wall, sometimes stony, lying next to the seed. |
| endosperm | starchy tissue of a caryopsis, mostly dry, sometimes doughy or liquid. |
| endosporic | with the gametophyte wholly or partly growing within the spore wall. |
| endothecial | of the inner lining of the loculus of an anther. |
| ensheathed | retained within leaf-sheath. |
| ensiform | sword-shaped; straight-sided with an acute apex. |
| entire | having a continuous margin not toothed or dissected; whole or unbranched. |
| entomophilous | pollinated via insects. |
| epaleate | lacking a palea. |
| epharmone | a form that is assumed in response to certain environmental conditions and stable only as long as those conditions obtain; hence epharmonic. |
| ephemeral | persisting for a very short time; of a plant, for a very short season; of an organ, usually a day or less. |
| epicalyx | a calyx-like structure immediately below the true calyx. |
| epicarp | of fruits, the outer layer of the pericarp. |
| epicormic | of buds and shoots developing from the trunk. |
| epicorolline | inserted upon the corolla. |
| epicuticular | seated, resting or deposited on the cuticle of any organ, especially of wax on culms and leaves. |
| epidermis | the outermost cell layer of most organs. |
| epigeal | above ground, especially of cotyledons. |
| epigynous | borne on the ovary; of a flower in which stamens and perianth arise level with or above the top of the ovary which is adnate to the surrounding receptacle. |
| epimatium | in Podocarpaceae, a scale ± fused with the integument and partly or completely surrounding the ovule. |
| epipetalous | borne on the petals or corolla. |
| epiphyte | a plant growing upon another but not organically connected with it; hence epiphytic. |
| episepalous | borne on the sepals or calyx. |
| equilateral | having all sides equal. |
| equitant | folded over as if astride; or opposite leaves folded longitudinally and overlapping in their lower parts. |
| ericoid | of habit or leaves, with small, crowded, ± narrow-linear leaves. |
| erose | with an irregular margin as if gnawed. |
| erubescent | inclined to be reddish. |
| escape | a plant which has spread from cultivation. |
| espatheate | lacking a spathe. |
| eusporangiate | with each sporangium originating from a group of cells, its wall more than one cell thick. |
| evanescent | soon vanishing; lasting a short time or running a short distance. |
| evergreen | having leaves all through the year. |
| exarch | used of vascular bundles in which the first-formed elements of the wood lie at the outside of the primary strand. |
| excurrent | running out beyond the margin or apex. |
| exfoliating | peeling off in strips or plates, as with bark from a trunk. |
| exindusiate | without an indusium. |
| exine | the outer coat of a pollen grain. |
| exocarp | the outermost layer of the fruit-wall. |
| exosporic | with the gametophyte free-living, not enclosed by the spore wall. |
| exotic | not native; foreign. |
| explanate | spread out, flattened. |
| exserted | projecting, as the stamens beyond the corolla; not included. |
| exstipulate | without stipules. |
| beyond or outside the sheath; applied to tillers in Carex which burst out through the basal sheaths. |
| extrorse | directed outwards; used of anther dehiscence. |
| eye | a conspicuous spot, such as a differently coloured centre of the corolla. |
| facultative | optional. |
| falcate | strongly curved; sickle-shaped. |
| family | a group of one or more genera believed to be related phylogenetically, and morphologically separable from other such groups. |
| fan | used of a leafy shoot with distichous, equitant leaves. |
| farina | a mealy covering; hence farinose. |
| farinose | having a mealy covering. |
| fasciation | an abnormal widening and flattening of the stem. |
| fascicle | a close cluster or bundle. |
| fastigiate | with branches ± erect and close to the axis. |
| fellfield | open, usually alpine vegetation, made up mostly of very low-growing plants; rather rocky places in mountains where such vegetation grows. |
| felted | matted with intertwined hairs. |
| female | plants or flowers bearing megagametophytes or ovules. |
| fenestrate | with window-like openings or translucent areas; hence fenestrated. |
| ferruginous | rust-coloured. |
| fertile | producing seed, spores or pollen capable of germination. |
| fibrillose | finely fibrous; covered with firm, thin fibres. |
| filamentous | thread-like; very slender, but less so than capillary. |
| filiform | thread-like. |
| fimbria | hairs or processes forming a fringe; hence fimbriate, fringed. |
| fimbriate | fringed. |
| fistula | hollow centre of a cylindric culm; hence fistulate. |
| fistulate | hollow |
| flabellate | fan-shaped; hence flabelliform. |
| flaccid | limp, not rigid. |
| flagelliform | long and very slender, like a whip-lash. |
| flexible | capable of being bent and restoring to original form. |
| flexuous | having a wavy or zigzag form; as rhachis or branch of an inflorescence; hence flexuose. |
| floccose | clad in tufts of soft woolly hairs, usually easily removed. |
| floral | of or pertaining to the flower. |
| floret | lemma and palea with the enclosed flower. |
| floriferous | flower-bearing. |
| flower | a complex of organs performing the reproductive functions of a flowering plant, usually comprising one or more stamens and pistils, surrounded by a corolla and a calyx. |
| flushed | of wet ground where water flows but not in a definite channel. |
| fluted | of a perianth-tube with semi-cylindrical vertical grooves. |
| foetid | having an offensive or strong odour. |
| foliaceous | leaf-like. |
| foliose | bearing numerous or crowded leaves. |
| follicle | a dry, dehiscent fruit formed from one carpel, dehiscing along one side. |
| forma | a minor variant of a species. |
| fornicate | provided with small scales in the corolla-tube, as in some species of Myosotis where the "scale" is an inpushing of the corolla. |
| fovea | a depression or pit; hence foveate; diminutive foveolate. |
| foveate | pitted; diminutive foveolate |
| free | not fused or united with similar organs, as of floral parts; not anastomosing, as of veins |
| free-central | of a placenta arising from the base of a 1-locular ovary but not touching the apex or the sides. |
| frond | a leaf, used especially of ferns. |
| fruit | the ripened ovary containing the seeds; often used to include associated parts such as a fleshy receptacle. |
| fruticose | shrubby. |
| fugaceous | falling very early, as of some petals and sepals. |
| fugacious, fugitive | falling or withering away very early; used of sepals and petals. |
| fulvous | tawny; dull yellow. |
| funicle, funiculus | the stalk of an ovule attaching it to the ovary wall or placenta. |
| funnelform | with the tube gradually widened upwards. |
| furcate | forked. |
| furfuraceous | scurfy; provided with soft scales. |
| furrowed | with ± parallel, usually longitudinal, grooves or channels. |
| fuscous | of a brownish or greyish-brown colour. |
| fusiform | spindle-shaped; a solid, swollen in the middle and narrowed to both ends. |
| galea | a hooded portion of a perianth, helmet-shaped; hence galeate. |
| galeate | helmeted. |
| gall | a swelling produced usually by an insect parasite. |
| gametophyte | the haploid body produced by the germinating spore and bearing sexual organs; in lycopods and ferns a small separate plant. |
| gamopetalous | with the petals united, at least at the base. |
| gamophyllous | with leaves or floral units united by their edges. |
| gamosepalous | with the sepals united, at least at the base. |
| gelatinous | jelly-like. |
| geminate | twinned; arranged in pairs. |
| gemma(-ae) | asexual propagules, appearing like buds. |
| geniculate | with a knee-like bend; hence 1-geniculate, bigeniculate, trigeniculate, as of culms, awns, etc. |
| genotype | genetic constitution of an organism, or a particular form so determined. |
| genus(-era) | one or a group of species believed to be phylogenetically and morphologically separable from other such groups. |
| geophyte | herb with buds below the soil surface. |
| geotropic | turning under the influence of gravity. |
| gibbous | somewhat swollen on one side, resembling the ¾ phase of the moon, as of Nassella trichotoma caryopsis. |
| glabrate | almost glabrous. |
| glabrescent | becoming glabrous. |
| glabrous | without hairs. |
| gladiate | sword-shaped . |
| gland | a secreting organ or part, as of hairs; hence glandular. |
| glandular | as of hairs, with a swollen head that secretes a sticky substance. |
| glaucous | of a distinctly bluish-green colour, not necessarily due to a bloom. |
| globular, globose | nearly spherical. |
| glochid(-ia) | a small, barbed spine; hence glochidiate. |
| glochidiate | having small, barbed spines. |
| glomerate | collected closely together into a head. |
| glomerule | a very dense cluster; hence glomerate. |
| glumaceous | glume-like, tending to be chaffy or membranous in texture. |
| glume | a small chaffy or membranous bract, especially at the base of a grass spikelet or sedge flower; hence glumaceous. |
| glutinous | sticky, or covered with sticky exudate. |
| gradate | in steps; used of fern sori where the sporangia mature in regular succession from top to base of sorus. |
| granular, granulate, granulose | covered with small grain-like bodies. |
| gregarious | growing in large colonies. |
| gynandrous | having the stamens adnate to the gynoecium as in orchids. |
| gynobasic | of a style appearing to be inserted at the base of an ovary. |
| gynodioecious | having ? and perfect flowers on separate plants. |
| gynoecium | the female part of the flower made up of one or more carpels. |
| gynomonoecious | having ? and ? flowers on the same plant. |
| gynophore | a stalk raising the base of the ovary above the level of attachment of the androecium. |
| gynostegium | a column formed by the fusion of the stamens and the style and stigma; hence gynostegial. |
| habit | the general appearance of a plant. |
| habitat | the kind of place in which a plant grows. |
| haft | the narrow constricted portion of the perianth segment of Iris. |
| hair | an outgrowth from the epidermis consisting of a single row of cells; may be branched or unbranched |
| halophyte | a plant growing within the influence of salt water. |
| haploid | having a single set of chromosomes, the number typical of the mature germ cells of the organism (denoted as n). |
| hardy | able to withstand cold temperatures, especially of frost-tolerance. |
| hastate | shaped like an arrowhead, with the basal lobes pointed or narrow and spreading at a wide angle. |
| haustoria | the absorbing organs of a parasite or hemiparasite. |
| head | a short, dense inflorescence of sessile or almost sessile flowers. |
| helicoid | coiled; of a cyme branching repeatedly on the same side. |
| hemiparasite | a plant attached to and deriving part of its nourishment from another living plant. |
| hemispheric | of solid objects, like half a globe. |
| herb | any vascular plant which is not woody; hence herbaceous. |
| herbaceous | non-woody; slightly fleshy |
| herbarium(-ia) | a collection of dried or preserved plants, systematically arranged. |
| herbfield | vegetation, usually closed, in which herbaceous plants dominate. |
| hermaphrodite | having both stamens and carpels in the same flower. |
| hetero- | prefix meaning dissimilar. |
| heteroblastic | with two (or more) distinct kinds of shoot; used especially when the shoots of the older plant differ from those of younger stages. |
| heterochromous | of different colours, as of leaf-blades. |
| heterogamous | with two or more kinds of flowers. |
| heteromorphic | with two or more forms. |
| heterophyllous | bearing leaves of two or more forms, especially of plants with aquatic and aerial leaves. |
| heterosporous | producing two or more kinds or sizes of spores. |
| heterostylous | having a floral polymorphism in which the anthers and stigmas vary in height among morphs so that the sequence of heights is different in each morph; hence heterostyly. |
| heterotrophic | of plants which are entirely saprophytic. |
| hexagonal | having the form of a hexagon, with six angles and six sides. |
| hilum | the scar on a caryopsis, often punctiform or linear; hence hilar. |
| hippocrepiform | horseshoe-shaped. |
| hirsute | with rather rough or coarse hairs. |
| hispid | bearing stiff, ± bristle-like hairs. |
| hoary | clad in close whitish hairs. |
| holophytic | of plants maintained by own organs, not dependent on other plants for nutrition; free-living. |
| holotype | the one specimen, or illustration, used by the author, or designated by the author, as the nomenclatural type. |
| homochlamydeous | with the perianth parts similar. |
| homochromous | of the same colour, as of surfaces of leaf-blades. |
| homogamous | with one kind of flower only. |
| homologous | of the same origin, but often differing in form or function. |
| homomorphic | of one form; cf. dimorphic. |
| homonym | a name spelt exactly the same as another but applying to a different type specimen. |
| homosporous | producing spores of one kind or size only. |
| hooded | with margins united for a very short distance below tip, as of leaf-blade, lemma. |
| horizontal | positioned at right angles to the main axis. |
| horned | bearing a horn-shaped structure. |
| horny | of horn-like texture. |
| host | a plant having a parasite living upon it. |
| husk | an outer, usually loose, covering of some fruits. |
| hyaline | thin and translucent. |
| hydathode | a water-pore or structure which exudes water. |
| hydrophytic | living in water. |
| hygrochastic | of a capsule opening when wet and closing when dry. |
| hypanthium | a cup-like structure produced by the fusion of the bases of the floral envelopes and androecium, often referred to as a calyx tube. |
| hypocotyl | the axis of the seedling between the cotyledons and the root. |
| hypodermis | the layer of cells immediately under the epidermis. |
| hypogeal | especially of cotyledons that do not appear above ground. |
| hypogynous | borne below the ovary. |
| hypostase | a support, e.g. the suspensor of an embryo. |
| imbricate | overlapping like roof-tiles. |
| immersed | ± imbedded. |
| imparipinnate | pinnate with a single terminal pinna or leaflet. |
| imperfect | sterile, as of florets. |
| impressed | furrowed as if by pressure. |
| inaequidistant | unequally separated, as of nerves. |
| inaperturate | without apertures, usually of pollen grains. |
| incertae sedis | of uncertain position. |
| incised | deeply cut |
| incision | a deep sharp cut; hence incised. |
| included | not protruded; as stamens not projecting from the corolla. |
| incompatible | genetically determined failure of pollen grains to germinate on stigma; see also self-compatibility and self-incompatibility. |
| incrassate | thickened, especially when also hard. |
| incumbent | resting or leaning upon; of an anther, lying against the inner face of its filament. |
| incurved | bending from without inwards. |
| indehiscent | not opening to release it contents, except finally by decay. |
| indigenous | native to a particular area; not introduced. |
| indumentum | used as a general term for a covering of hairs of any form. |
| induplicate | with the edges folded or turned in. |
| indurate | hardened and toughened. |
| indusium(ia) | an outgrowth of tissue ± covering the sorus in ferns. |
| inferior | situated below another organ or part; as in ovaries, surrounded by and fused with the receptacle and so below the insertion of the perianth. |
| inflated | swollen. |
| inflexed | bent inwards, incurved. |
| inflorescence | a general term for a collection of flowering parts, or for the arrangement of the flowers. |
| infructescence | a general term for the fruiting structure formed from an inflorescence. |
| infundibuliform | funnel-shaped. |
| innovations | new vegetative shoots at the base. |
| insectiform | resembling the shape of an insect. |
| insertion | attached to or growing upon; often the place or position of origin of an organ, as of awn on lemma. |
| insolated | exposed to the direct rays of the sun. |
| integument | a covering; used especially of the covering of the nucellus of an ovule. |
| interkeel | area between two keels, as of palea. |
| internerve | area between nerves. |
| internode | the part of an axis between two nodes. |
| interpetiolar | between the petioles; as in coalescent stipules of opposite leaves. |
| interrupted | with broken continuity. |
| interstitial | placed in the space between two other organs. |
| interveinal | between the veins. |
| intramarginal | position just within the margin. |
| intrapetiolar | position on the inside of the petiole. |
| intrastaminal | positioned within the stamens, often of a floral disc. |
| intravaginal | within the sheath; applied to tillers in Carex which grow up within the basal sheaths. |
| introduced | of a species that is not native to the country but has been brought in by accident or design. |
| introgression | infiltration of the genes of one taxon into the genotype of another through crossing and backcrossing. |
| introrse | facing inwards or towards the axis; as in anthers that open towards the centre of a flower. |
| invagination | the pushing inwards of a layer of cells so as to form a pocket. |
| invested | clothed. |
| investment | an enclosing covering or envelope; hence invested. |
| involucre | one or more whorls of bracts, often ± calyx-like, surrounding an aggregation of flowers; hence involucral, involucrate. |
| involute | rolled inwards, or to the upper (adaxial) side. |
| irregular | of flowers that are not radially symmetrical; used here of flowers that are divisible into equal halves along one plane only. |
| irritable | highly responsive to touch. |
| iso- | prefix meaning equal. |
| isobilaterally | with the two sides similar. |
| isodiametric | with vertical and horizontal diameters equal. |
| isomerous | with the numbers of parts equal, as when a flower has an equal number of sepals, petals, and stamens. |
| isotype | a duplicate of the type specimen. |
| isozyme | the product of a particular allele at a heterozygous locus. |
| jugate | yoked together as a pair; used mainly of the pairs in a pinnate leaf. |
| junceous | rush-like. |
| keel | a sharp central ridge, like the keel of a boat; hence keeled. |
| keeled | sharply ridged. |
| kernel | softer, often edible, part within the shell or harder outer layer of a fruit. |
| labellum | a lip. |
| labiate | lipped; often applied to a calyx or corolla that is divided into two unequal parts. |
| lacerate | irregularly torn or cleft. |
| laciniate | deeply, usually irregularly, divided into very narrow, pointed segments. |
| lactiferous | producing or bearing latex (milky sap). |
| lacuna | a gap; hence lacunose. |
| lacunose | pitted with shallow holes. |
| lamellate | of placentation where a compound ovary comprises many carpels and the partitions have the ovules scattered over their surfaces. |
| lamina(-ae) | the expanded portion or blade of a leaf; in ferns, from the apex to the junction of the lowermost pair of primary pinnae (pinnate frond), or to the lowermost green tissue (entire or pinnatifid frond). |
| lanate | woolly. |
| lanceolate | lance-shaped; narrowly ovate, length:breadth 9:1 to 2.5:1. |
| lateral | on or near the side; hence a side structure, e.g. nerve, branch. |
| latex | milky juice. |
| latiseptate | of a flattened 2-locular capsule (or silique) with septum across the broad diameter. |
| lax | loosely arranged or distantly placed. |
| layer | stems covered with earth and then rooting; hence layering. |
| leader | a vigorous dominant shoot. |
| leaf | an expanded organ produced laterally from the stem and usually comprising the blade (lamina), petiole and stipules. |
| leaf scar | the mark left by the articulation and fall of a leaf. |
| leaf-blade | part of leaf above the leaf-sheath; of varying shape and form, also known as the lamina. |
| leaflet | a single division of a compound leaf. |
| leaf-sheath | the lower part of the leaf surrounding a culm or innovation. |
| lectotype | a specimen or other element selected from the original material to serve as a nomenclatural type when the type was not designated at the time of publication, or for so long as it is missing. |
| legume | a simple, 1-celled and usually 2-valved fruit; also used as a name for members of the Fabaceae. |
| lemma | lower of two bracts enclosing the flower, sometimes called flowering glume, of diverse shapes, division, and ornamentation. |
| lenticel | a corky spot on young bark functioning as a pore; hence lenticellate. |
| lenticular | lens-shaped; shaped like a biconvex lens. |
| lepidote | clad in scurfy scales. |
| leptosporangiate | with each sporangium originating from a single superficial cell, its walls consisting of a single layer of cells. |
| liane | a woody climbing plant. |
| ligneous | woody. |
| ligulate | bearing a ligule; strap-shaped, narrowly oblong. |
| ligule | the thin scarious appendage at the junction of lamina and sheath of a leaf, sometimes reduced to hairs. |
| limb | the expanded part of a petal or sepal or spathe. |
| linear | very narrowly oblong, with parallel margins; length:breadth > 9:1. |
| lingulate | tongue-shaped. |
| lip | one of the two parts of a bilabiate calyx or corolla; also the labellum of an orchid flower. |
| litter | vegetable matter, ± decayed and associated with living plants. |
| littoral | growing on shores. |
| lobe | a recognisable but not separated division, of petal, leaf etc., especially when rounded; hence lobed; diminutive lobule. |
| lobed | with recognisable, but not separate, often rounded divisions. |
| locule(s) | a compartment or cavity of an organ, especially an ovary, fruit or anther; hence locular. |
| loculicidal | opening into a locule; of dehiscence, by the splitting of the outer wall of each locule. |
| lodicule | minute scale subtending the stamens and gynoecium; hence lodiculate. |
| loess | a fine grain deposit of yellowish grey loam, usually wind blown. |
| lomentaceous | of a legume or pod strongly constricted between the seeds. |
| lomentum | a legume or pod constricted between the seeds. |
| longitudinal | lengthwise. |
| lophate | of pollen grains with polygonal lacunae enclosed by definite ridges. |
| lorate | strap-shaped, narrowly oblong. |
| lowland | an altitudinal zone ± equating to sea level to ca. 500 m, with an upper limit define as the limit of epiphytic flowering plants. |
| lucid | with a shining surface. |
| lunate | with the shape of a crescent moon. |
| lurid | dingy brown or dull yellow. |
| lustrous | glossy. |
| lyrate | obovate with several deep recesses or sinuses on each side which gradually diminish in size to the base. |
| macrosporangium | a sporangium containing macrospores, the larger kind of spores in heterosporous plants. |
| maculate | spotted or blotched with another colour. |
| male | plants, flowers, or flower parts bearing the microgametophytes or pollen. |
| male | plants, flowers, or flowering parts bearing the microgametophytes or pollen. |
| mammillate | with nipple- or teat-shaped projections. |
| mangrove | subtropical or tropical intertidal forest or scrub. |
| marcescent | withering without falling off; as petals. |
| massula(-ae) | a rounded mass of hardened cytoplasmic foam containing one or more spores in Salviniaceae. |
| matt | dull, without lustre. |
| mealy | covered with or as if with a fine dust or powder. |
| median | belonging to the middle; as median vein or nerve. |
| medifixed | attached at the centre, especially of anthers and hairs. |
| megagametophyte | the special tissue associated with the egg-cell. |
| megaphyll | leaf with a branching vein system. |
| megasporangium | a sporangium containing macrospores, the larger kind of spores in heterosporous plants. |
| megaspore | the larger kind of spore in heterosporous plants. |
| megasporophyll | a ± modified leaflike structure bearing megasporangia; in angiosperms the carpel. |
| membranous | thin and ± pliable. |
| mentum | a chin-like structure. |
| mericarp | a dry 1-seeded part of a fruit, usually half of a schizocarp. |
| mesarch | used of vascular bundles in which the first-formed elements of the wood lie in the middle of the primary strand. |
| mesocarp | the middle layer of a pericarp or fruit-wall. |
| mesophyll | the internal ground tissue of a leaf-blade. |
| microphyll | leaf with an unbranched vascular strand, as in lycophytes. |
| micropyle | the minute opening in the integuments of the ovule through which the pollen-grain or -tube enters. |
| microspecies | a species in a genus where numerous species are recognised by minor characters, the entities usually maintained only via apomixis or selfing. |
| microsporangium | a sporangium containing microspores, the smaller kind of spores in heterosporous plants. |
| microspore | the smaller kind of spore in heterosporous plants. |
| microsporophyll | a ± modified leaflike structure bearing microsporangia; in angiosperms the stamen. |
| mid-dorsal | at the middle of a dorsal surface, as of awns; hence mid-dorsally. |
| midrib | the main central nerve of a leaf or similar organ. |
| mitre-shaped | a structure shaped like a tall bishop's cap. |
| mixed | used of fern sori where the sporangia do not mature in any regular succession from top to base of the sorus. |
| monadelphous | in one group, as of stamens all united by their filaments into a tube or column. |
| moniliform | constricted at short intervals and so appearing like a string of beads. |
| monoblastic | with only one kind of shoot; cf. heteroblastic. |
| monocarpic | flowering and fruiting once, usually after several years, and then dying. |
| monochasial | with the form of a monochasium or 1-branched cyme. |
| monochasium | a 1-branched cyme, usually resulting from reduction of laterals, sometimes appearing raceme-like; hence monochasial. |
| monochlamydeous | having only one series of perianth segments. |
| monoecious | having unisexual flowers, male and female on the same plant. |
| monolete | having a single scar or fissure on the spore wall, characteristic of bilateral pteridophyte spores. |
| monomorphic | occurring in one form only. |
| monopodial | a stem with a single and continuous axis. |
| monostelic | having one stele or central cylinder of vascular tissue. |
| monostichous | in a single vertical row. |
| monotypic | having only one representative; as a genus with only one species. |
| monstrosity | horticultural novelties resulting from abnormality of growth, e.g. double flowers. |
| montane | of mountains; altitudinal zone lacking flowering plant epiphytes, extending to upper treeline. |
| morph | a discrete form, often with a genetical basis. |
| morphology | the study of form; hence morphologically, in respect of form. |
| mottled | with spots or blotches on a surface. |
| mouth | the opening at the apex of a tube, particularly of corolla or calyx. |
| mucilage | a viscous fluid; hence mucilaginous. |
| mucilaginous | slimy or sticky |
| mucro | a short sharp tip or excurrent midrib; hence mucronate. |
| mucronate | abruptly terminated by a short sharp tip, or excurrent midrib. |
| multicipital | with many heads, referring especially to the stock of a single root bearing many short branches. |
| multifarious | many-ranked. |
| multifid | cleft into many lobes or segments. |
| multinoded | having many nodes, especially of stems and culms. |
| multitubular | many-tubed. |
| muricate | rough owing to many minute, hard outgrowths; diminutive muriculate. |
| muticous | without a point, awnless, blunt. |
| mycorrhiza | association of fungal mycelium with the roots of a higher plant. |
| naked | of a part lacking bracts or appendages; of a flower lacking a perianth. |
| napiform | turnip-shaped. |
| narrowly- | qualifying term used with elliptic, oblong, obovate, obtriangular, obtrullate, ovate, rhombic, triangular and trullate to indicate length:breadth 9:1 to 2.5:1. |
| native | not known to have been introduced by human agency. |
| naturalised | thoroughly established, but originally coming from another area. |
| navicular | boat-shaped; hence naviculate. |
| nectar guide | contrasting colour patterning on a corolla usually as radiating coloured lines, thought to guide pollinators to the nectary. |
| nectary | a gland exuding the sweet fluid called nectar; usually associated with flowers. |
| neotype | a specimen or illustration selected to serve as a nomenclatural type as long as all the material on which the name of the taxon was based is missing. |
| nerve | a strand of conducting and usually strengthening tissue in a leaf or other structure; this term is used for longitudinal strands, the transverse ones in contrast being called veins; hence nerved. |
| neuter | of a flower lacking functional sexual organs. |
| neuter | of a flower lacking functional sexual organs. |
| nigrescent | turning black. |
| nocturnal | occurring during the night, especially of flower opening. |
| node | a place on a stem marked by the attachment of one or more leaves. |
| nodose | knotty or knobby; diminutive nodulose. |
| nodule | a small ± spherical swelling; hence nodular. |
| nomen nudum | a bare name, i.e. one published without an accompanying description. |
| nomenclatural type | see holotype, lectotype, neotype. |
| nucellus | the inner tissue of an ovule, enclosing the embryo-sac and surrounded by the integuments. |
| nude | bare, without secondary parts or organs. |
| nut | an indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit with hard woody wall. |
| nyctinastic | nocturnal folding of leaves or movement of other parts. |
| obconic | a solid, in the shape of an inverted geometric cone. |
| obdiplostemonous | with the stamens in two whorls, the outer opposite the petals, the inner opposite the sepals. |
| oblanceolate | narrowly obovate . |
| obligate | of a plant not able to adopt a different habit, e.g. obligate apomict, obligate parasite. |
| oblique | with slightly unequal sides. |
| obloid | a solid, oblong in transverse section. |
| oblong | longer than broad, with parallel margins and rounded ends; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| obovate | longer than broad, broadest above the middle, rounded at both ends; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| obovoid | a solid, obovate in transverse section. |
| obpyramidal | a solid, like an inverted pyramid. |
| obsolete | rudimentary, vestigial. |
| obtriangular | longer than broad, three-angled, broadest at the apex; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| obtrullate | angular-obovate; longer than broad, broadest above the middle, but angular in outline; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| obtuse | with a blunt apex, the converging edges separated by an angle > 90°. |
| ocellate, oculate | having patches of colour ± resembling eyes. |
| ochraceous | ochre-coloured; dull yellow with tinge of red. |
| ochrea(-ae) | a tubular sheath at the node formed by the fusion of two (usually membranous) stipules. |
| offset | a short runner bending up and with a cluster of leaves at the tip, rooting and becoming a new plant. |
| offset bulbs | small bulbs which develop in the axils of the outer bulb scales. |
| olivaceous | olive-green. |
| opaque | not translucent. |
| operculum(-a) | a lid or cover separated by a ± circular line of division. |
| opposed | placed opposite another organ. |
| opposite | of a pair of organs arising at the same level on opposite sides of an axis. |
| oral | at the mouth. |
| orbicular | round in outline, with length equal to width. |
| orifice | the mouth of a cavity. |
| ornamentation | the presence of hairs, teeth, prickles, cilia etc., on any organ. |
| orthotropous | of ovules, with axis in a straight line with the funiculus, and so erect, the micropyle remote from the placenta. |
| osseous | bony. |
| ostiole | a small opening or mouth. |
| outcast | a plant discarded from cultivation. |
| oval | elliptic. |
| ovary | the part of the gynoecium that encloses the ovules. |
| ovate | longer than broad, broadest below the middle, rounded at both ends; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| ovoid | a solid, ovate in transverse section. |
| ovule | the structure which contains the egg or female sex-cell and which, after fertilisation, develops into the seed. |
| pachymorph | sympodial growth with short thick rhizomes. |
| pakihi | open or barren land; used especially of low-angled, poorly drained areas of the western South Island, usually on fluvio-glacial terraces, with a characteristic vegetation of shrub (especially Leptospermum) and rush-like plants (especially Empodisma and Baumea). |
| palate | a prominent part enclosing the throat of a corolla. |
| palea | the upper of the two bracts enclosing the flower. |
| palmate | of a leaf, divided into leaflets which arise at the same point. |
| palmatifid, palmatisect | of a leaf, deeply, but not completely, divided into lobes which arise at the same point. |
| palynology | the study of pollen. |
| pandurate | fiddle-shaped, ± obovate but with a waist; = panduriform . |
| panicle | an indeterminate branched inflorescence with the flowers pedicellate; hence paniculate. |
| paniculate | of indeterminate growth and much branched. |
| pantropical | throughout the tropics. |
| papilionaceous | butterfly-like; of a corolla with the parts in the form and arrangement of those of a sweet pea. |
| papillae | minute pimple-like processes; hence papillate, papillose. |
| papillate, papillose | having papillae. |
| pappus | a persistent calyx of special form crowning the achene of most Asteraceae; parts are usually numerous, simple or feathery hairs or bristles, or sometimes scales. |
| parallelogrammoid | with four sides, the opposite sides parallel. |
| paraphyses | sterile filaments, scales or hair-like structures of various shapes occurring amongst sporangia in a sorus. |
| parasite | a plant attached to and deriving nourishment from another living plant; hence parasitic. |
| paratype | a specimen cited with the original description other than the holotype, isotype(s) or syntypes. |
| parenchyma | tissue of thin-walled, little differentiated cells; hence parenchymatous. |
| parietal | pertaining to the wall; placentation is parietal when the ovules are borne on the walls of the ovary or on minute projections therefrom. |
| paripinnate | evenly pinnate, without a terminal leaflet. |
| partite | deeply divided almost to the base into segments. |
| patent | spreading, usually ± horizontally. |
| pauci- | prefix meaning few. |
| pectinate | divided in a comb-like manner with narrow, close-set teeth. |
| pedate | of a palmate leaf with the leaflets divided again to the base. |
| pedatisect | of a palmate leaf with the lateral leaflets incompletely divided. |
| pedicel | the stalk of an individual flower in a compound inflorescence; hence pedicellate, pedicelled. |
| peduncle | the stalk of a solitary flower or the main stalk of a compound inflorescence; hence pedunculate. |
| pellicle | a thin skin-like covering. |
| pellucid | clear, transparent or nearly so. |
| peltate | shield-like, with a stalk attached well inside the margin. |
| pelviform | basin-shaped. |
| pendent, pendulous | hanging down from its support. |
| pendulous | drooping. |
| penicillate | provided with a brush-like tuft of hairs (often of anthers). |
| penninerved | pinnately veined. |
| pentamerous, 5-merous | with organs or parts in fives. |
| percurrent | extending throughout the entire length. |
| perennial | with a life-span of more than two years. |
| perfect | of flowers with both male and female organs functional. |
| perfoliate | of a sessile leaf or bract completely encircling the axis, so having the stem apparently passing through it. |
| perianth | the floral envelopes considered as a whole; used especially when the calyx and corolla are not well differentiated in form, or when either one is absent. |
| pericarp | the wall of the ripened ovary, i.e. of the fruit. |
| perigynous | surrounding the ovary; of a flower in which perianth and stamens arise from the edge of a ± cup-shaped receptacle, surrounding but free from the ovary. |
| perisperm | food reserve in a seed, formed from the nucellus. |
| perispore | a membrane surrounding a spore. |
| persistent | remaining attached, not falling off; as sepals, petals. |
| personate | of a 2-lipped corolla, when the throat is almost closed by a palate. |
| perula(-ae) | scales, usually those covering a seed or bud. |
| perulate | bearing leaf bud scales, perulae. |
| petal | a unit of the corolla, when completely free; hence petaloid. |
| petaloid | resembling a petal. |
| petiolate | stalked (of leaves). |
| petiole | the stalk of a leaf; hence petiolate. |
| petiolulate | stalked (of leaflets). |
| petiolule | the stalk of a leaflet; hence petiolulate. |
| phalange | bundle; used of fruit developed from several fused carpels in Pandanaceae. |
| phanerogams | general term to include all seed-plants. |
| phenotype | the sum of the characteristics manifested by an organism - varying as a result of the genotype or environment. |
| phyllary | an individual bract of an involucre. |
| phylloclade | a ± flattened stem functioning as a leaf. |
| phyllode | a widened petiole or rachis functioning as a leaf blade; hence phyllodinous. |
| phyllotaxy | the arrangement of leaves or floral envelopes on an axis. |
| phylogeny | the evolutionary development of a group, i.e. its derivation from its ancestors and relationships among its members; hence phylogenetic. |
| phytophagous | plant-eating. |
| piliferous | bearing hairs. |
| pilose | bearing soft shaggy hairs. |
| pinna(-ae) | the primary division of a pinnate leaf which may be further divided into secondary or tertiary pinnae, etc. |
| pinnate, 1-pinnate | divided to the midrib into separate primary pinnae or segments which are arranged either side of the axis; cf. bipinnate, tripinnate. |
| pinnate-pinnatifid | with primary pinnae themselves deeply divided, but not to the midrib, into secondary segments. |
| pinnatifid | deeply divided, but not to the midrib, in a pinnate fashion; cf. bipinnatifid, tripinnatifid, pinnate-pinnatifid. |
| pistil | the female part of a flower composed of one or more carpels and ordinarily differentiated into ovary, style and stigma. |
| pistillode | a vestigial pistil present in some staminate flowers. |
| pith | a soft spongy central tissue. |
| placenta | the place or part in an ovary where the ovules are attached. |
| placentation | the arrangement of the placentae within the ovary, i.e. axile, free-central, parietal. |
| plano- | having one surface flat, as in plano-compressed, plano-convex. |
| plastic | influenced in form by the environment. |
| platelet | a small undifferentiated plant body. |
| plicate | folded, as in a fan, or folded into pleats, usually lengthwise. |
| ploidy | of the level of chromosome duplication. |
| plumose | feather-like. |
| plumule | the primary shoot-bud of an embryo. |
| pneumatophore | specialised root branch produced by some plants growing in water, especially mangroves, the branch erect and projecting into the air. |
| podogyne | a stalk carrying the gynoecium upwards from the centre of the flower. |
| pollen | the microspores of a flowering plant. |
| pollen-sterile | pollen grains lacking cytoplasm and deemed incapable of germination, often of hybrids. |
| pollination | the process by which pollen is transferred from anthers to stigmas. |
| pollinator | an agent used by a plant to achieve pollination and fertilization. |
| pollinium(-ia) | a coherent mass of pollen. |
| polyadelphous | in many sets, as of stamens grouped in several bundles. |
| polyandrous | having an indefinite number of stamens. |
| polygamo-dioecious | of a species that is mainly dioecious, but includes plants bearing a few flowers of the opposite sex, or sometimes a few perfect flowers. |
| polygamous | bearing unisexual and bisexual flowers on the same plant. |
| polymorphic | having more than two distinct morphological forms. |
| polypetalous | with a corolla of free petals. |
| polyphyletic | of a group of taxa classified together even though some have quite distinct evolutionary histories. |
| polyploid | having a chromosome complement of two or more times the normal diploid number. |
| polyporate | having many pores; especially of pollen grains. |
| polysepalous | with a calyx of free sepals. |
| polystelic | having more than one stele or central cylinder of vascular tissue. |
| pome | a simple, fleshy fruit with a soft exterior and papery or cartilaginous carpels. |
| poricidal | opening or dehiscing by pores. |
| posterior | on the side nearest the axis and thus appearing at the back. |
| pouch | a bag-like cavity. |
| prickle | robust, pointed structure with swollen base arising directly from the epidermis; hence prickle-teeth. |
| primocane | the vigorous, first year non-flowering stems of Rubus. |
| procumbent | trailing or lying over or along the ground. |
| produced | extended beyond. |
| proliferous | producing offshoots or buds capable of growing into new plants. |
| prolonged, prolongation | extending beyond the ultimate spikelet of an inflorescence (rachis prolongation), or floret of a spikelet (rachilla prolongation). |
| prophyll | the first leaf of an innovation usually reduced to a short bi-keeled sheath. |
| prostrate | lying flat on the ground. |
| protandrous | with the anthers shedding pollen before the stigma is receptive. |
| prothallus | a small body produced by the germinating spore and bearing sexual organs, the gametophytic generation of pteridophytes. |
| protogynous | with stigma emerged and receptive before the emergence of anthers. |
| protostele | a stem structure characterised by a solid central core of vascular tissue. |
| provenance | The wild geographical origin of a plant in cultivation. |
| proximal | at the attached end of an organ as opposed to its free or distal end. |
| proximate | towards the attached end of an organ. |
| pruinose | bearing a waxy bloom on the surface. |
| pseudanthium | a reduced or partial inflorescence simulating a single flower; as in Centrolepidaceae. |
| pseudo- | prefix meaning false. |
| pseudobulb | a thickened, bulb-like portion of an aerial stem. |
| pseudopetiolate | falsely petiolate. |
| pteridophytes | collective term for ferns and lycophytes. |
| puberulent, puberulous | covered with exceedingly fine, short, dense hairs. |
| pulvinate | cushion-shaped; growing in dense cushions. |
| pulvinus | a swelling or cushion at an axis often causing reflexed or deflexed branches, pedicels, or spikelets; hence pulvinate. |
| punctate | with dot-like markings often because of glands or wax; hence punctiform; diminutive punctulate. |
| pungent | ending in a stiff sharp point; or with sharp-tasting sap. |
| pustular | bearing minute blister-like processes. |
| pyramidal | resembling a pyramid. |
| pyrene | a seed with a bony endocarp, usually several in a fleshy fruit. |
| pyriform | pear-shaped. |
| quadrangular | four-angled. |
| quadrate | square. |
| quadrifarious | arranged in four close-set rows along an axis, as leaves in Hebe species. |
| quasi-raceme | resembling a raceme. |
| quinate | growing together in fives, from the same point. |
| raceme | an unbranched, ± elongate, indeterminate inflorescence with stalked flowers, those at the base the oldest; hence racemose. |
| racemose | forming a raceme. |
| rachilla | main axis of a spikelet bearing the florets; associated with disarticulation between florets, sometimes prolonged beyond the ultimate floret. |
| rachis (pl. rachises) | main axis of inflorescence or pinnate leaf; in ferns, the extension of the stipe as the axis of the lamina. |
| radiate | diverging from or arranged around a common centre, as the spokes of a wheel; also, bearing ray florets, as in many Asteraceae. |
| radical | of leaves, arising from the stock or crown of a root, or from a rhizome. |
| radicant | rooting, usually applied to stems or leaves. |
| radicle | the primary root of an embryo. |
| ramiflorous | producing flowers from branches. |
| raphides, rhaphides | bundles of crystals of calcium oxalate. |
| ray | a branch of an umbel or umbel-like inflorescence. |
| ray-florets | in Asteraceae, the outer florets of the capitulum when these are ligulate and distinct from the inner or disk-florets. |
| receptacle | the ± expanded end of the stem or flower-stalk on which the flower or flower-head is borne. |
| rectangular | longer than broad, with parallel margins and square ends; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| recurrent | of flowering, continuing to bloom through the season after the initial flowering period, as in many roses. |
| recurved | curved backward or downward. |
| reduplicate | doubled back, used of palm leaves where the pinnae are A-shaped in T.S. |
| reflexed | bent sharply backwards. |
| regma | a dry dehiscent fruit of usually three (rarely more) cells, as in Euphorbiaceae. |
| regular | symmetric; of flowers radially symmetric or actinomorphic. |
| remote | distant. |
| reniform | kidney-shaped. |
| repand | shallowly sinuate. |
| replum | a frame-like placenta from which the valves fall away in dehiscence, as in many Brassicaceae. |
| resinous | containing or producing resin, and so sticky. |
| resupinate | twisted through 180°. |
| reticulate | in the form of a network. |
| retinaculum | a fibrous band holding parts together. |
| retroflexed | bent back. |
| retrorse | bent or facing backwards or downwards. |
| retuse | slightly notched usually at an obtuse apex. |
| reversion shoot | a branch on an adult plant, bearing leaves of juvenile form. |
| revolute | rolled outwards or to the lower (abaxial) side. |
| rhachis | the axis of an inflorescence or compound leaf; diminutive rhachilla, used especially of the axis of a spikelet. |
| rhizomatous | growing from a rhizome. |
| rhizome | a ± horizontal underground stem; hence rhizomatous. |
| rhombic | diamond-shaped; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2; hence rhomboidal. |
| rib | main or prominent nerves on leaf-blade; hence ribbed. |
| root | the descending axis of the plant, initially developing from the radicle. |
| rootcrown | the part of the stem at the ground surface. |
| rootstock | a short erect underground stem; the tissue at the junction of the root and the stem, sometimes referred to as a crown. |
| rosette | a group of organs radiating from a centre; used especially where the lowest internodes of a stem are very short with numerous, ± overlapping leaves which may be ± appressed to the soil. |
| rostellum | a small beak; used especially for a sterile process of the stigmatic area in orchids. |
| rostrate | beaked. |
| rotate | wheel-shaped, radiately spreading in one plane; of a sympetalous corolla with spreading lobes and absent or very short tube. |
| rotund | rounded, nearly circular. |
| ruderal | growing in waste places. |
| rudimentary | arrested at an early stage of development. |
| rufous | of reddish colour. |
| rugose | wrinkled; hence diminutive rugulose. |
| ruminate | of irregular mottled appearance. |
| runcinate | deeply and rather sharply lobed, with the lobes directed backwards. |
| runner | a slender, ± prostrate or arching lateral stem rooting at the nodes. |
| rupestral | growing on rocks. |
| sac | a pouch-like structure; e.g. pollen-sac. |
| sagittate | in the form of an arrowhead with the basal lobes pointing downward or concavely toward the stalk. |
| saline | salty, pertaining to salt marshes. |
| salverform | of a gamopetalous corolla with a ± long slender tube abruptly expanded into a flat limb. |
| samara | a dry indehiscent 1-seeded winged fruit. |
| saprophyte | a plant that obtains its food from dead organic matter; hence saprophytic. |
| sarmentose | producing long flexuous runners or stolons. |
| satiny | of an indumentum of fine silky hairs closely appressed to form a complete, very smooth and ± shining cover. |
| scabrid, scabrous | rough to the touch because of minute harsh projections; diminutive scaberulous, scabridulous. |
| scale | in seed plants, any small, ± leaf-like organ, often dry and membranous; in ferns, a flattened outgrowth from the epidermis > one cell wide. |
| scandent | climbing, usually without special climbing organs. |
| scape | a ± elongate bracteate or ebracteate peduncle arising from the crown of a plant with basal leaves only; hence scapose, like a scape. |
| scarious | very thin, dry and ± translucent. |
| schizocarp | a dry fruit splitting into 1-seeded halves when ripe. |
| sclerenchyma | subepidermal abaxial thickened fibrous tissue of leaf-blade, often in separate strands or continuous or nearly so, sometimes in ribs (costal sclerenchyma). |
| sclerotic | hardened, stony in texture. |
| scorpioid | of a cymose inflorescence, with the young axis coiled like the tail of a scorpion. |
| scrambler | an unspecialised climber, not usually reaching a great height. |
| scree | loose, ± moving, stony debris or colluvium. |
| scrobiculate | marked by minute depressions. |
| scrub | vegetation in which shrubs form a dense canopy, |
| scurfy | with scale-like or bran-like particles. |
| scutate | shield-shaped. |
| section | in taxonomy, a subdivision of a subgenus. |
| secund | one-sided, with all the flowers, leaves or other parts appearing to be arranged along one side of the axis; as flowers in Freesia. |
| seed | the reproductive body formed from a fertilised ovule. |
| segment | an individual free part of an organ. |
| self-compatible | setting seeds after self-pollination; hence self-compatibility. |
| self-incompatible | unable to set seeds after self-pollination; hence self-incompatibility. |
| selfing | of pollination and fertilization within one plant. |
| semi- | half, in part. |
| sensitive | responding to stimulation. |
| sepal | one separate part of a calyx of free members, especially when green and ± leaf-like; hence sepaloid. |
| septate | divided by partitions. |
| septate-nodulose | of leaves and sheaths in which the cellular cross-walls cutting across the longitudinal air tubes are very thick and clearly visible externally. |
| septicidal | dividing along a septum; of dehiscence of fruits, by the breaking apart of the fused carpel walls that form the septa between loculi. |
| septifragal | of dehiscence of fruits, when the valves break away from the septa. |
| septum(-a) | a partition or cross-wall. |
| seriate | arranged in a series. |
| sericeous | silky; clad in soft, simple, ± appressed hairs. |
| serotinous | produced late in the season. |
| serrate | with sharp teeth pointing to the apex; diminutive serrulate. |
| serrulate | with fine sharp teeth pointing toward the apex |
| sessile | without a stalk. |
| seta(-ae) | a fine bristle-like structure; hence setaceous. |
| setaceous | bearing fine bristle-like structures. |
| sheath | a ± tubular structure enclosing an organ or part. |
| sheath-blade | leaf-blade of a culm leaf; see also culm-sheath. |
| shrub | a woody plant of not very large size and lacking a distinct trunk. |
| sigmoid | curved like a S. |
| siliceous | containing minute particles of silica. |
| silicified | impregnated with silica. |
| silique | a capsule, usually 2-locular, with two valves falling away from a frame (replum) bearing the seeds, as in Brassicaceae; hence siliquiform; diminutive silicle, used when length is not or little > 3× width. |
| silky | with a covering of very fine, ± appressed, lustrous hairs. |
| simple | undivided, unbranched, not consisting of several similar separate parts; cf. compound. |
| sinuate | with a strongly wavy margin. |
| sinuous | with shallow broad waves. |
| sinus | the space or recess between two lobes or segments. In Veronica leaf buds, the gap between the bases of the two leaves of an opposite pair. |
| siphonostele | a stem structure characterized by a tubular vascular region surrounding a central pith. |
| smooth | used to indicate the absence of asperities, teeth, roughness. |
| solitary | borne singly. |
| sordid | of an impure or dirty white appearance. |
| sorus(-i) | a cluster of sporangia, as in most ferns. |
| spadix | a spicate inflorescence with relatively bulky, often succulent axis, usually subtended by a spathe; as in Araceae. |
| spathe | a large bract ± enclosing an inflorescence, often coloured when surrounding a spadix; hence spathaceous. |
| spathe-valves | bracts enclosing inflorescence or portion of inflorescence. |
| spathulate | spoon-shaped. |
| species | a taxon comprising one or more populations of individuals capable of interbreeding to form fertile offspring, usually morphologically distinct. |
| spherical | of a solid body, circular in transverse section. |
| spicate | bearing a spike. |
| spiciform | with the form, but not necessarily the structure, of a spike. |
| spike | an unbranched, ± elongate, indeterminate inflorescence with sessile flowers or spikelets, those at the base the oldest; hence spicate. |
| spikelet | a small spike, sometimes including only one flower. |
| spine | a stout process with a sharp point; hence diminutive spinule, spinulose. |
| sporangiophore | a stalk bearing a sporangium. |
| sporangium(-ia) | a sac or other structure containing spores. |
| spore | a simple, asexual, usually 1-celled reproductive body, as in ferns. |
| sporocarp | a thick-walled body containing sporangia. |
| sporophyll | a ± modified leaf-like structure bearing sporangia. |
| sporophyte | the plant which bears not sexual organs but asexual spores; in lycophytes and ferns the ordinary plant; in seed plants the whole plant except the embryo sac and pollen grain. |
| sport | a plant or part of a plant exhibiting abnormal variation, often as a result of somatic mutation, often used to produce new cultivars. |
| sport | a plant or part of a plant exhibiting abnormal variation, often as a result of somatic mutation, often used to produce new cultivars. |
| spreading | extended laterally, of trees with broad crown. |
| spur | an outgrowth from a scale-like leaf. |
| squama(-ae) | a rather coarse scale; hence squamose, squamulose. |
| squamose | covered with scales; squamulose, covered with small scales. |
| squarrose | with spreading or projecting points. |
| stamen | a pollen-bearing organ, composed of an anther with pollen-sacs and its supporting stalk or filament. |
| staminode(s) | a barren stamen, usually lacking an anther, and sometimes petaloid. |
| standard | the usually broad upper or adaxial petal of a legume flower. |
| standards | the narrow, erect or ascending inner perianth-segments of an Iris flower as opposed to the broader, often drooping falls. |
| stellate | star-shaped or with several branches radiating from a single point. |
| sterile | not producing seed, spores or pollen capable of germination. |
| stigma | the part of the carpel that is receptive to pollen, usually found at or near the tip of the style; hence stigmatose. |
| stigma-styles | united organs of gynoecium which receive pollen and transmit pollen tubes towards the egg apparatus; hence stigmatic. |
| stipe | a stalk, often short, minute; hence stipitate; in ferns, the portion of the midrib between the rhizome and the junction of the lowermost pair of primary pinnae (pinnate frond), or the junction with the lowermost green laminal tissue (entire or pinnatifid frond). |
| stipel | the stipule subtending a leaflet; hence stipellate. |
| stipitate | with a short stalk. |
| stipule | one of a pair of scale-like or leaf-like appendages at the base of a petiole, sometimes ± adnate to the petiole, sometimes connate with the stipule of the opposite leaf. |
| stock | the tissue at the junction of the root and the stem, sometimes referred to as a crown or rootstock. |
| stolon | a stem, ± horizontal or arched or running along the ground, rooting and usually capable of forming a new plant at its tip; hence stoloniferous. |
| stoloniferous | producing stolons. |
| stoma(-ata) | a pore in the epidermis, usually of distinctive shape, through which gases diffuse. |
| stomium | the part of the sporangium wall in ferns that ruptures during dehiscence. |
| stramineous | straw-like or straw-coloured. |
| striate | with fine longitudinal lines or ridges; hence diminutive striolate, with finer lines or ridges. |
| strict | upright, straight, ± rigid. |
| strigose | covered with appressed, rigid, bristle-like, straight hairs. |
| strobilus(-i) | a cone-like structure containing reproductive organs, as in lycopophytes and pines; hence strobilate. |
| strophiole | an aril-like but hard appendage of a seed, at or near the micropyle; hence strophiolate. |
| struma | a cushion-like swelling on an organ. |
| style | the ± elongated part of the carpel between the ovary and the stigma. |
| style-base | enlarged base of style which becomes hard and persistent in some genera of Cyperaceae. |
| style-branch | a division of a divided style. |
| stylopodium | an enlarged basal part of a style, as in many Apiaceae. |
| sub- | prefix meaning somewhat, slightly, or not quite. |
| subalpine | the altitudinal zone immediately below the climatic timberline . |
| suberose | corky in texture. |
| subgenus | a subdivision of a genus. |
| submersed | growing under water. |
| subshrub | a small plant with stems ± woody towards the base. |
| subspecies | a subdivision of a species. |
| substratum | the underlying layer; the base to which a plant is fixed. |
| subtend | stand below, but usually close to, another organ, as a bract to its flower; hence subtended. |
| subulate | tapering from a wider base to a sharp apex. |
| succulent | fleshy; composed of soft watery tissue. |
| sucker | leafy shoot of subterranean origin; hence suckering. |
| suffrutescent | slightly woody at base with herbaceous shoots. |
| sulcate | with longitudinal grooves, less pronounced than furrowed. |
| sulcus | a small furrow; hence sulcate. |
| summer-green | green in summer, the aerial parts dying away before winter. |
| superficial | occuring on the surface of an organ, as in sori on a fern frond. |
| superior | situated above another part; as in a calyx when it appears to spring from the top of an ovary; as in an ovary when free from the receptacle, with the perianth and stamens inserted below or around it. |
| superposed | vertically over some other part. |
| suture | a line or seam formed at the junction of two margins; used especially of dehiscent fruits. |
| sward | short ground cover, with lawn-like appearance. |
| symmetrical | of stamens regularly arranged round the style. |
| sympatric | of taxa having overlapping distributions. |
| sympetalous | the petals united, at least at the base. |
| sympodial | growth continued by the activity of an axillary bud. |
| synandrium | an androecium with the anthers coherent. |
| synangium | a concrescence of sporangia. |
| syncarp | an ovary of two or more united carpels; hence syncarpous. |
| syncarpous | having the carpels united to one another. |
| synchronous | occurring at the same time. |
| syngenesious | with the anthers connate into a tube surrounding the style. |
| synonym | a name which applies to the same taxon as another name. |
| syntype | any specimen cited in the protologue when no holotype was designated, or one of two or more specimens simultaneously designated as type. |
| tabular | flattened horizontally. |
| tailed | caudate appendages of anthers. |
| talus | sloping mass of rock fragments, e.g. at the foot of a cliff. |
| taproot | the chief descending root. |
| tarn | a small mountain lake or pool. |
| tawny | brownish yellow, brownish orange, or tan-coloured. |
| taxon(-a) | a taxonomic group of any rank, e.g. family, genus, species, variety. |
| taxonomy | the study of classification. |
| tendril | a slender twining part of a climbing plant formed from the whole or part of a stem or leaf; hence tendrilous. |
| tepal | an individual glumaceous member of the perianth. |
| teratology | the study of malformations. |
| terete | circular in transverse section; either narrowly cylindrical or ± tapering. |
| terminal | borne at the end of a stem and limiting its growth. |
| ternate | with the parts in threes, growing from the same point. |
| ternatifid, ternatisect | deeply divided or dissected into three lobes. |
| terrestrial | plants living on land. |
| tessellate | forming a lattice of cross-veins, especially in leaves of bamboos. |
| testa | the outer coat of a seed. |
| tetra- | prefix meaning four. |
| tetrad | a group of four, in angiosperms, of pollen cells or pollen grains. |
| tetradynamous | with six stamens, the two outer shorter than the four inner. |
| tetragonous | 4-angled; a solid, four-sided in section, with the angles rounded. |
| tetramerous | with organs or parts in fours. |
| tetrapterous | 4-winged. |
| thallus | a plant body without differentiation into leaf and stem; hence thalloid, thallose. |
| thorn | a branchlet modified into a short hard sharp process. |
| throat | the opening of the corolla tube, the place where the limb joins the tube. |
| thyrse | a compact, ± cone-shaped panicle; hence thyrsoid. |
| tiller | a side shoot. |
| tomentose | covered in a dense mat of soft hairs |
| tomentum | a dense, ± matted covering of soft hairs; hence tomentose. |
| topotype | a specimen from the type locality. |
| tortuous | twisting. |
| torulose | cylindric or nearly so with constrictions or swellings at ± regular intervals. |
| trailing | growing for some length over the ground, walls or banks. |
| translucent | allowing passage of light but diffusing it. |
| transparent | transmitting light so that bodies beyond are completely visible. |
| transverse | at right angles to an axis. |
| transversely- | qualifying term used with elliptic, oblong, obovate, obtriangular, obtrullate, ovate, rhombic, triangular and trullate to indicate a shape broader than long (length:breadth 5:6 to 1:9). |
| tree | a woody plant with a distinct trunk or bole and ± elevated crown. |
| triangular | longer than broad, three-angled, broadest at the base; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2 |
| trichome | any usually hair-like outgrowth of the epidermis. |
| trichotomous | branching almost equally into three parts. |
| tricolpate | with three grooves, of pollen grains. |
| tricuspid | 3-toothed. |
| tridentate | 3-toothed. |
| trifid, 3-fid | split into three. |
| trifoliate | having three leaves; diminutive trifoliolate, with three leaflets. |
| trifurcate | having three forks or branches. |
| trigonous | a solid, triangular in section, with the angles rounded. |
| trilete | having three scars or fissures on the spore wall, characteristic of tetrahedral pteridophyte spores. |
| trilocular | having three locules. |
| trimerous | with organs or parts in threes. |
| trimorphic | occurring in three forms. |
| tripinnate, 3-pinnate | three times pinnate, with the secondary pinnae divided to the midrib into tertiary pinnae or segments. |
| tripinnatifid, 3-pinnatifid | with primary segments divided in a pinnate fashion into secondary and tertiary segments, but none divided to the midrib. |
| triplets | in threes. |
| triquetrous | a solid, triangular in section, with angles sharp, faces ± concave. |
| triseptate | having three septa. |
| tristichous | in three vertical ranks; used of leaf arrangement. |
| tristylous | having a floral trimorphism in which the anthers and stigmas vary in height among morphs so that the sequence of heights is different in each morph. |
| trullate | angular-ovate; longer than broad, broadest below the middle, but angular in outline; length:breadth 2.5:1 to 3:2. |
| trulliform | shaped like a brick-layer's trowel. |
| truncate | appearing as though cut squarely across. |
| trunk | the main woody supporting stem of a tree. |
| tube | a hollow cylinder; diminutive tubule. |
| tuber | a thickened, usually subterranean part of a stem or root, often asymmetrically swollen; hence tuberous. |
| tubercle | a small wart-like swelling; hence tubercled, tubercular, tuberculate. |
| tuberculate | having tubercles |
| tunic | a loose membrane investing a corm or bulb; hence tunicate. |
| turbinate | top-shaped. |
| turgid | swollen or fully inflated. |
| turion | a young sucker or shoot capable of generating a new plant. |
| tussock | grass-like plant with dense tufted habit. |
| twig | a young woody stem, usually the current season's growth of a branch. |
| type | a nomenclatural type is that element or representative to which the name of the taxon is permanently attached. |
| type species | the species on which the genus is based. |
| type specimen | the single specimen, gathering or illustration to which the name of a species, or taxon below the rank of species, is permanently attached. |
| type variety | the variety including the type of the species. |
| ultramafic | parent material of rocks or soils with high iron and magnesium content. |
| ultramafic scree | scree formed by the erosion of ultramafic rocks. |
| umbel | an indeterminate inflorescence sometimes flat-topped, with pedicels arising from a common centre, often umbrella-shaped; hence umbellate. |
| umbellate | in the form of an umbel. |
| umbo | a small conical projection from the surface, particularly of gymnosperm cones; hence umbonate. |
| umbonate | bearing a protuberance in the centre. |
| unarmed | devoid of spines, hooks or prickles. |
| unawned | lacking an awn or bristle. |
| uncinate | hooked obtusely at the tip. |
| undulate | having a wavy margin. |
| unguiculate | contracted at the base into a claw. |
| unilabiate | 1-lipped. |
| unilateral | one-sided. |
| unilocular | having a single cavity; used of ovaries. |
| uniseriate | arranged in a single row or series. |
| unisexual | of one sex only. |
| unispicate | of an inflorescence consisting of a solitary spike. |
| unitubular | having a single tube. |
| urceolate | urn-or pitcher-shaped. |
| utricle | a thin, loose but rather hard cover enveloping some fruits. |
| valvate, valvar | of dehiscing fruits, opening by valves; of perianth segments in bud meeting at the edges but not overlapping. |
| variegated | striped or blotched with various colours; usually of leaves. |
| variety | an infraspecific unit of classification. |
| vascular | furnished with specialised conducting tissues. |
| vascular bundle | conducting tissue in leaf-blades. |
| vegetative | of non-sexual reproduction; or in the non-flowering state. |
| vein | a strand of conducting and usually strengthening tissue in a leaf or similar structure; in monocotyledons this term is commonly preferred for transverse strands, the longitudinal ones being called nerves. |
| velutinous | velvety. |
| venation | the arrangement of the veins. |
| ventral | of the inner or lower surface of an organ; hence ventrally. |
| ventricose | swelling unequally on one surface. |
| vermiform | worm-shaped. |
| vernation | the arrangement of leaves in the bud stage. |
| vernicose | shining, as though varnished. |
| verrucate, verrucose | marked with small wart-like excrescences; diminutive verruculose. |
| versatile | of anthers attached to the filament at or near the middle and able to move freely. |
| verticel | a whorl of flowers, branches; hence verticillate. |
| verticillate | arranged in a circle or whorl about an axis. |
| vesicle | a small bladdery sac filled with gas or fluid; hence vesicular. |
| vestigial | of a part now degenerate and non-functional. |
| vestiture, vesture | a covering of any sort, usually hairs or modified hairs. |
| vexillary | of the broad upper petal in many legumes, especially with reference to the uppermost, often free, stamen. |
| vexillum | the usually broad upper or adaxial petal of a legume flower. |
| viable | of spores, seeds, and pollen able to germinate. |
| villous | clad in long soft hairs not matted together. |
| vine | climbing or trailing woody stemmed plant. |
| virgate | elongated, straight, slender and pliant, or composed of twigs of this form. |
| viscid, viscous | sticky. |
| viscidium | viscid or sticky area associated with the rostellum of an orchid flower. |
| vittae | the oil tubes embedded in the pericarp of the fruits of most Apiaceae. |
| vivipar | a young plant produced by the sprouting of a bud or seed while still attached to the parent plant. |
| wart | a swelling, or tubercle; hence warty. |
| weft | an area of closely interwoven or matted together hairs. |
| whipcord | of a flexible branch with appressed, imbricate scale-like leaves. |
| whorl | an arrangement of three or more parts or organs at the same level round an axis; hence whorled. |
| wing | a thin membranous expansion of an organ or part; hence winged. |
| xeromorphic | of plants adapted to dry conditions. |
| xerophilous | growing in dry places. |
| zygomorphic | having only one plane of symmetry, irregular, as of flowers. |
