| Word |
Definition |
| A |
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| Achene |
 A small, dry, indehiscent, one-seeded, usually hard fruit in which the ovary wall is free from the seed. |
| Acuminate |
 Gradually tapering to a diminishing point and with the margin bowing inward; long pointed. |
| Acute |
 Sharp-pointed, but less tapering than acuminate. |
| Alternate |
 Any arrangement of parts along the axis other than opposite or whorled; situated regularly between other organs, as stamens alternate with petals. |
| Angular, Angulate |
Angled. Used when an organ shows a derminate number of angles. |
| Apex |
The tip of an organ. |
| Apiculate |
To terminate abruptly in a little point. |
| Areole |
A spot in the form of a pit or a raised area marking an opening through the epidermis from which leaves, spines, or other structures grow. |
| Auricle |
An ear-shaped appendage, Auricular, auriculate, or auriform (ear-shaped). |
| Axil |
Upper angle formed by a leaf or branch with the stem. See Alternate |
| B |
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| Berry |
 A pulpy indehiscent fruit with no true stone, as the tomato. |
| Bipinnate |
 Doubly or twice pinnate; when both primary and secondary divisions of a leaf are pinnate. |
| Biternate |
Doubled ternate which means "in threes", i.e. leaf consisting of three leaflets. |
| C |
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| Calyx |
 The external, usually green, whorl of a flower, contrasted with the inner showy corolla; the sepals of a flower considered collectively. |
| Campanulate |
 Bell-shaped |
| Capsule |
 A dry dehiscent fruit composed of more than one carpel. |
| Catkin |
A scally deciduous spike; ament. |
| Compound |
 Composed of two or more similar parts united into a whole. |
| Cordate |
 Heart-shaped with the notch at the base and ovate in general outline. Cordiform - shaped like a heart. |
| Corolla |
 The inner perianth of a flower, composed of colored petals, which may be almost wholly united. |
| Corymb |
 A flat-topped or convex racemous flower cluster, the lower or outer pedicels longer, their flowers opening first. |
| Cyme |
 A determinate flower cluster in which the first flower is terminal on the main axis, the next flower(s) terminal on axes arising from the axils or bracts subtending the first flower, and so on.. |
| Cuneate, Cuneiform |
 Wedge-shaped; triangular, with the narrow part at the point of attachment. |
| D |
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| Dehiscent |
Opening spontaneously when ripe to discharge the contents, as an anther or seed vessel. |
| Dentate |
 Having the margin cut with sharp salient teeth not directed forward. |
| Dicot |
 A class of angiosperms differentiated by possession of two cotyledons. |
| Disk, Disc |
 A fleshy development of the receptacle about the base of the ovary; in Asteraceae, the tubular flowers of the head as distinct from the ray. |
| Drupe |
 A fleshy one-seeded indehiscent fruit containing a stone with a kernel; a stone-fruit such as a plum. |
| E |
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| Entire |
 Undivided; the margin continuous, not incised or toothed. |
| F |
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| Falcate |
 Sickle-shaped. |
| Farinose |
Covered with a mealyness. |
| Fascicles |
A close cluster or bundle of flowers, leaves, stems or roots. |
| Floccose |
With flocs or tufts of soft wooly hair. |
| Floret |
The individual flower of the Asteraceae (Compositae) and Poaceae (Gramineae); a small flower of a dense cluster. |
| Fusiform |
 Spindle-shaped. |
| G |
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| Glabrous |
Without hairs; incorrectly used in the sense of smooth, the antonym of rough. |
| Glaucous |
Covered or whitened with a bloom, as a cabbage leaf; bluish-white or bluish-gray. |
| Globose |
Spherical or rounded. |
| Glomerules |
A compact capitate cyme. |
| H |
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| I |
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| Incised |
 Cut rather deeply and sharply. |
| Indehiscent |
Not spliting open as in achene. |
| Inflorescence |
The flower cluster of a plant, or more correctly, the disposition of the flowers on an axis. |
| J |
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| K |
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| L |
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| Lanceolate |
 Lance-shaped. Much longer than broad, tapering from below the middle to the apex and to the base. |
| Leaflet |
A segment of a compound leaf. |
| Lenticular |
Lens-shaped. |
| Linear |
 Resembling a line; long and narrow, of uniform width, as the leaf blade of grasses. |
| M |
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| Monocot |
 A plant having but one cotyledon or seed leaf. |
| N |
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| O |
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| Oblanceolate |
 Inversely lanceolate. |
| Oblong |
 Much longer than broad with nearly parallel sides. |
| Obovate |
 Inversely ovate. |
| Obtuse |
 Blunt or rounded at the end. |
| Opposite |
 Set against, as leaves when two at a node; one part before another, as a stamen in front of a petal. |
| Oval |
Broadly elliptic. |
| Ovate |
 With the outline of a hen's egg in longitudinal section. The broader end downward. |
| P |
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| Palmate |
 Hand-shaped with the fingers spread; in a leaf, having the lobes or divisions radiating from a common point. |
| Palmately Compound |
 Leaves radiating from one point. |
| Panicle |
 A compound racemose inflorescence. |
| Paniculate |
Growing or arranged in a panicle. |
| Panduriform |
Fiddle-shaped; obovate and with a contraction on eachside. |
| Pappus |
The modified calyx limb in Asteraceae, consisting of a crown of bristles or scales on the summit of the achene. |
| Pedicle |
The stalk of a single flower in a flower cluster or of a spikelet in grasses. |
| Peduncle |
The general term for the stalk of a flower or a cluster of flowers. |
| Penniform |
Having the form of a feather or plume. |
| Petiole |
A leaf stalk. |
| Petiolulate |
Having a petiole. |
| Phyllary |
The individual bract of the involucre of a member of the Asteraceae. |
| Pinnae |
A leaflet or primarty division of a pinnate leaf. |
| Pinnate |
 A compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on each side of a common petiole; feather-like. |
| Pinnately Compound |
 Leaves with leaflets opposite each other on each side of the midrib, like a bird's feather. They may be oddly pinnate, ending with a leaflet at the tip, or evenly pinnate, with no leaflet at the end. |
| Pistillate flowers |
Provided with pistils and without stamens; female. |
| Puberulous |
Slightly hairy. |
| Pubescent |
Covered with short hairs - downy. |
| Pyriform |
 Pear-shaped. |
| Q |
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| R |
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| Racemes |
 A simple, elongated, indeterminate inflorescence with each flower subequally pediceled. |
| Rachis |
The axis of a spike or raceme, or of a compound leaf |
| Ray |
 A primary branch of an umbel; the ligule of a ray floret in Asteraceae, the ray florets being marginal and differentiated from the disk florets. |
| Repand |
 With an undulating margin, less strongly wavy than sinuate. |
| Rhombic |
Somewhat diamond-shaped. |
| Rugulose |
The diminutive of rugose: wrinkled. |
| S |
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| Sepals |
 A leaf or segment of the calyx. |
| Serrate |
 Saw-toothed, the sharp teeth pointing forward. |
| Sinuate |
 With a strong wavy margin. |
| Spike |
 An elongated rachis of sessile flowers or spikelets. |
| Spikelets |
A secondary spike; the ultimate flower cluster in grasses, consisting of two glumes and one or more florets, and in sedges. |
| Staminate flowers |
Having stamens but not pistils; said of a flower or plant that is male, hence not seed-bearing. |
| Stellate |
 Star-shaped. |
| Sulcate |
Longitudinally grooved, furrowed or channeled. |
| T |
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| Tepals |
Used in the plural for sepals and petals of similar form and not readily differentiated, as in Amaryllidaceae. |
| Thyrse |
A compact, ovate panicle; strictly, with main axis indeterminate, but with other axes cymose. |
| Tomentose |
With tomentum; covered wiht a rather short, densely matted, soft white wool; felty. |
| Tuberculate |
Covered with tubercles. |
| U |
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| Umbel |
 A flat or convex flower cluster in which the pedicels arise from a common point, like rays of an umbrella. |
| Undulate |
Wavy; repand; with less pronounced "waves" than sinuate. See Repand |
| V |
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| W |
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| X |
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| Y |
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| Z |
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