CYSIP: Botany: Glossary

A
Achene (pl.Achenes)
A small dry indehiscent (not opening) fruit
Distinguished from a nutlet by its relatively thin wall.


Acute
Forming an acute (less than 90 degrees) angle a the base or tip.


Alternate
Born singly, 1 per node, not in pairs or tufts.
As opposed to Opposite Picture: leaves alternate on the stem Salix candida


Annual
A plant that lives for only one year. completes life-cycle in one year.


Attenuate
Gradually tapering to a very slender point.


Axil (pl. Axils)
The upper angle where a leaf or other part branches from the stem. Picture: comments G.species
B
Basal
Originating from the base of plant. Picture: comments G.species
Biennial
A plant that lives for 2 years. Takes 2 years to complete life cycle. Ussually growing vegitative parts first year and reproductive parts the second.


Bract (pl. Bracts)
A small leaf or leaf like structure at base of flower, or axils of leaves, or on stem. Picture: comments G.species
Bracteoles
Often denoting a small bract.
Better applied to small bract-like organs arising laterally on the flower pedicel (stalk).


Bulb (pl. Bulbs )
A short, vertical, thickened, underground bud for food storage or reproduction with thickened fleashy scales or leaves. As in an Onion.
compare to corm
Picture: comments G.species
Bulbil (pl. bulbils )
Small bulbous growth ussually arising from a larger bulb or the leaf axils. Capable when separated of producing a new plant. Can be a vegitative form or reproduction. Picture: comments G.species
C
Cadocous
Falling very early.


Caspitose
Growing in dence tufts; usually applied only to plants of small size.


Calcareous
Of or containing calcium carbonate. ex. Limestone


Capsule (pl. Capsules)
A dry fruit composed of more than one carpel (chamber) that opens at maturity to release the seed(s). Picture: comments G.species
Catkin (pl. catkins )
A dense infloresence ussually raceme or spike of many small, naked, non-petaled, unisexual flowers. Picture: Catkins illustration
Caudex
The thickened base of a perennial plant.


Chlorophyll
The green pigment of plants responsible for photosynthesis. Picture: Picture not available
Coetenaceous
Indicating that flowers and leaves appear at the same time.
As opposed to precocious


Column
In Orchid Family refers to the united filaments and style. Picture: comments G.species
Compound
Leaves separated into more than one blades or leaflets.


Corm (pl. Corms)
A short solid underground stem with or without scaley leaves. Used by plant for food storage or reproduction.
Compare to bulb
Picture: comments G.species
D
Deciduous
Falling off; Dieing back; Not evergreen; Not peresistent. Picture: not yet available
Decumbent
Prostrate at base, erect or ascending elsewhere.
Dehiscent
Opening at maturity
As opposed to indehiscent


Dioecious
Plants of the species are either male of female not both.
As opposed to monoecious


Drupe
A fleashy indehiscent (not opening) fruit with a stony endocarp (center) surounding a single seed.


Drupelet
A drupelet is a small drupe that is usuualy part of a larger fruit.
Ex. Raspberries are made up of numerous drupelets.


E
Elater (pl. elaters)
Structures attached to some spores to aid in dispersal. Picture: Spores with elaters of Equisetum.sps
Endophytic
Growing within another plants tussue.


Epiphytic
Growing on another plant but not parasiting it(not drawing food or water from it).
Compare parasite


F
Filiform
Threadlike.


Flexuous
Curved alternately in opposite directions.


Floccose
Irregularily covered by tufts or flocks of soft hair or wool.


Follicle
A dry dehiscent fruit developed from a single pistle and opening usually along one side only.


Frond
The often many parted leaf of a fern. Picture: not yet available
G
Gametophyte
The haploid (1n) plant or generation that will produce the gametes (female megapores (egg), or male microspores (sperm)). Picture: In the Bryophytes the Gametophyte is the dominant generation G.species
Glabrous
Smooth, hairless. Picture: comments G.species
Glaucous
Covered with a blueish, grayish or whiteish waxy coating.
H
Herbacious
Stems dieing back to ground at end of growing season.
As opposed to ligneous (woody).


Hirsute
Pubescent with spreading hairs.


Hispid
Pubescent with stiff spreading hairs.


Hoary
Grayish white, close pubescence (hairyness).


Hypanthium
An expantion of the recepticle (bottom of flower) forming a saucer-shaped, cup-shaped or tubular organ, often simulating a calyx (sepal) tube and bearing the sepals, petals and often the stamens (male parts) at of near its margin.
I
Imperfect
A flower that has either male or female parts but not both. Picture: comments G.species
Indehiscent
A fruit that does not open at maturity along definite lines or pores.
As opposed to dehiscent


Indument
The epidermal appendages of a plant or organ considered collectively, such as its pubescents (hairyness).


Inferior (Inferior Ovary)
Reffering to an ovary that is attached to the receptacle (flower base) below the parianth (sepals + patels).
As opposed to superior ovary


Inflorescence
A complete flower cluster including the axis and bracts.


Inducium (pl. Inducia)
A thin outgrowth of a fern leaf, covering a sorus. Often hoodlike. Picture: Thread like inducia of W.Glabella
Involute
Rolled upwards.
As opposed to revolute


Involucrum (syn. Involucre)
A set of bracts closely associated with each other and subtending (below) an inflorescence.


J
Joint
The section of a stem where the leaf or branch arrises.
Used in some families to describe the nodes.

K
Keel (Keeled)
The two lower united petals in the Apiaceae (Leguminosae).
A prominent longitudinal ridge; like the keel of a boat.
L
Laciniate
Deeply cut into narrow segments. Picture: comments G.species
Layering
A form of vegitative reproduction for some conifer trees. The lowest branches touching the grow will root and an erect stem will sprout up. Picture: comments G.species
Lenticel (pl.Lenticels)
A slightly raised, somewhat corky, often lence shaped area on a stem. Picture: comments G.species
Ligneous
Woody
As opposed to herbaceous.


Locule
The chamber or cell of an organ. Usually referring to the chambers of an ovary.


M
Marcescent
Withering and persistent (not falling).


Megaspore (pl. Megaspores)
Female spore will give rise to female gametophyte. Picture: comments G.species
Microspore (pl. Microspores)
Male spore will give rise to male gametophyte. Picture: comments G.species
Monoecious
Plants of the species are bisexual.
As opposed to dioecious


Mycorrhiza (pl. Mycorrhizae)
The symobiotic relationship between a plants roots and fungi.


N
Nectary
A gland that secretes nectar, usually on the disk or corolla or in the spur of the flower.
in Salix (Willow) a small protuberance a the base of the pistillate flower stalk.


Nerve (#-Nerved)
A prominent, longitudnal, simple, vein or rib a leaf petal of other organ.
Often used as a suffex, eg. 1-nerved, three-nerved.


Node (Nodes)
A point on the stem from which leaves or branches arise.
Charactarized internally by certain anatomical features.


Nutlet (pl.Nutlets)
A small nut. One of the sections or lobes of the mature ovary.
Distinguished from an achene by the thickness of its wall.


O
Oblong
Describes a flat organ broader than linear and maintaining its width for most of its lenght.
Also describing a solid object, such as a fruit or seed, which is essentially cylindric and so appears oblong from the side.


Obtuse
Blunt.


Opposite
Born across from one another at the same node.
As opposed to alternate
Picture: comments G.species

P
Parasitic (n. Parasite)
Gaining food and water either wholely or partially from another plant.
Compare epiphyte


Pedicel
A stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence.
Picture: comments G.species
Peduncle
The stalk of a flower, flower raceme or strobili. Picture: Peduncles of E.sylvaclatum
Perennial
A plant that lives 3 or more years. As opposed to Biennial and Annual.


Petiole
A leaf stalk. Picture: comments G.species
Phloem
The food conducting tissue of vascular plants.
In woody plants it is the inner-bark tissue.
See xylem


Pilose
Rather sparsely beset with straight spreading hairs.


Pinnate
A compound leaf with leaflets, or lobes arranged on two sides of an axis. See leaf shapes diagram.

Perfect
A Flower with both male and female parts. Picture: comments G.species
Perianth
Petals + sepals = perianth. See flower parts diagram.


Pistil
Female reproductive part of a flower. Consisting of stigma, style and ovary. Picture: comments G.species
Pome
A fleashy fruit derived from an inferior compound ovary.
Examples: apples and Rose hips.


Precocious
Indicating that in the spring, the flowers appear before the leaves.
As opposed to Coetenaceous


Pubescent
Covered in short soft hairs. Picture: comments G.species
Q
Quill (Quilled)
With tubular florets (mini-flowers), especially in cases where the flowers are typically ligulate (strap shaped), as in some members of the Asteraceae (Compositaceae).


Quinate
5-parted. As in a leaf with 5 leaflets.
Synonym: 5-pinnate.


R
Rachis
The central portion of a compound organ bearing its seperate divisions laterally in one or two rows, as the rachis of a compound leaf.
To be distinguished from axis, which bears the divisions radially.
The two terms are often used loosely and interchangeably.


Reflexed
Bend backwards or downwards.


Rhizome
An underground horizontal stem or rootstock. Pictures: 2types of rhizomes
Revolute
Rolled toward the underside of the leaf
As opposed to involute


Rugose
Describing a wrinkled surface.
In leaves usually depressed along the viens and vienlets and elevated between them.
S
Saporphytic (n. Saporphyte)
A plant living on dead organic matter. Does not have chlorophyll so cannot produce its own food.
Compare parasitic


Scarious
Thin, membranous, and dry.


Scape (adj. Scapose)
A leafless flower stalk arising from the ground.


Sericeous
Silky from the presence of numerous soft appressed or ascending hairs.


Sessile
attached directly, without a supporting stalk. Picture: comments G.species
Sporangium (pl. Sporangia)
The spore bearing case or sac. Of many forms depending on species. Picture: 4 sori of rounded Sporangia of W.Glabella
Spore (pl. spores)
A haploid (1n) cell which will grow into the Gametophyte. Picture: comments G.species
Spur
1:A hollow, slender apendage of a petal or sepal or of the calyx or corolla Picture: comments G.species
2:A short shoot bearing leaves or flowers and fruits.


Sorus (pl. Sori)
A cluster of sporangia on a fern leaf. Picture: 4 Sori of rounded sporangia of W.Glabella
Stamen (pl. stamens, stamina)
Male reproductive part of a flower. Composed of an anther and filiment. Picture: comments G.species
Stipules
A pair of leaf-like appendages found at the base of the petiole (leaf stalk).


Stipe
The stalk attaching the ovary to the recepticle (where the other flower parts arise) in some flowers.


Stolon (Adj. Stoloniform)
An elongate horizontal branch arising at or near the base of the plant and creeping along the ground rooting at the nodes or at the tip and giving rise to a new plant.
Stoloniferous = bearing stolons.


Strobili
A cone like structure containing the spore producing organs (sproangia). Picture: Strobili of L.clavatum
Style (pl. styles )
The narrow portion of the pistil connecting the stigma to the ovary. Picture: comments G.species
Subligneous
Almost woody


Sucker
A shoot originating from a root or stem below ground. Picture: comments G.species
Superior (Superior Ovary)
Reffering to an ovary that is attached to the receptacle (flower base) above the parianth (sepals + patels).
As opposed to Inferior ovary


T
Thallus (pl. Thalli)
A plant body not clearly differentiated into root, stem and leaf. Picture: Typical thalus of a fern
Tomentum (Adj. Tomentose)
Woolly, with short, crooked matted hairs.


Trichome
A hairlike outgrowth of the epidermis.


Turion
A scaly, often thick and fleshy, shoot produced from a bud usually on an underground rootstalk.


U
Umbel (pl. Umbels )
A type of inflorescence where pedicile arise from a common point. Umbrella like. see inflroescence diagram.


V
Villous (Alt. Villose)
Covered with long, soft, shaggy but unmatted hairs.


W
Whorled
To be arranged in whorles or circles around a stem or from a node. Picture: Whorled branches of E.sylvaclatum.
Winter bud
A shortened and crowded, hibernating vegitative shoot.


Woody
Stems persistant not deciduous. As opposed to Herbacious. Also called lignious. Picture: comments G.species
X
Xylem
The water conducting tissue of vascular plants.
See phloem


Z
Zygomorphic
Bilaterally symetrical; the upper half unlike the lower, the left half a mirror of the right.
The type of symetry exhbited in most irregular flowers. Picture: comments G.species

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