West Virginia Trees

by A. B. Brooks

GLOSSARY

Abortive	That which is brought forth prematurely; coming tonaught before it is completed.
Achene	A small hard, dry, 1-celled, 1-seeded fruit which does notopen by valves.
Acrid	Sharp or biting to the taste.
Acuminate	Decidedly tapering at the end.
Acute	Tapering at the end.
Aesthetic	Pertaining to the beautiful.
Alternate	Not opposite to each other, but scattered singly along theaxis.
Ament	A peculiar, scaly, unisexual spike.
Anther	The enlarged terminal part of a stamen which bears thepollen.
Apex	The tip or end of a bud or leaf, i. e., the part oppositethe base.
Apical	Pertaining to the tip, end, or apex.
Appressed	Lying tight or close against.
Arborescent	Tree-like in appearance, size and growth.
Aromatic	Fragrant; with a pleasing odor.
Astringent	Contracting; drawing together; binding.
Awl-Shaped	Tapering from the base to a slender or rigid point.
Axil	The upper angle formed by a leaf or branch with the stem.
Axillary	Situate in an axil.
Axis	The central line of an organ; a stem.
Basal	Pertaining to or situated at base.
Berry	A fruit which is fleshy or pulpy throughout.
Bloom	A powdery or somewhat waxy substance easily rubbed off.
Bract	A modified leaf subtending a flower or belonging to an inflorescence.
Calyx	The outer portion of a flower, usually green in color.
Cambium	A thin-walled formative tissue between the bark and wood.
Capsule	A dry fruit composed of more than one carpel and splittingopen at maturity.
Catkin	An ament or spike of unisexual flowers.
Ciliate	Fringed with hairs on the margin.
Complete	Said of flowers when all parts are present.
Compound	Composed of two or more similar parts united in a whole.
Compressed	Flattened, especially laterally.
Conical	Cone-shaped.
Conifers	A group of trees which usually produce their fruit in theform of a cone.
Coniferous	Cone-bearing.
Contorted	Twisted together or back upon itself.
Cordate	Heart-shaped.
Corolla	The inner portion of perianth, composed of petals. Thebright colored part of most flowers.
Corymb	A flat-topped or convex flower cluster, blooming first atthe edges.
Corrugated	Shaped into grooves, folds, or wrinkles.
Crenate	Having rounded teeth.
Crown	The upper mass of branches, also known as head.
Cyme	A flower cluster blooming from apex or middle first, usuallysomewhat flat.
Cymose	In a cyme; cyme-like.
Deciduous	Falling off, usually at the close of the season.
Decurrent	Extending down the stem below the insertion.
Defoliation	Removal of foliage.
Dehiscent	Splitting open.
Deltoid	Delta-like, triangular.
Dentate	Toothed, usually with the teeth directed outward.
Depressed	Flattened from above.
Digitately-compound	With the members arising at the same point at the end ortop of the support.
Dioecious	Unisexual, with the two kinds of flowers on differentplants.
Disseminated	Scattered; thrown broadcast.
Divergent	Pointing away; extending out. Said of buds which pointaway from the twigs.
Downy	Covered with fine hairs.
Drupaceous	Resembling or constructed like a drupe.
Drupe	A fleshy fruit with a pit or stone.
Elongated	Long drawn out.
Emarginate	Having a shallow notch at the apex.
Entire	Margin smooth, not cut or roughened.
Epidermis	The outer layer or covering of plants.
Exotic	Of foreign origin.
Exudation	Oozing out of sap, resin, or milk.
Falcate	Scythe-shaped.
Fascicle	A cluster, usually dense.
Fetid	Ill-smelling.
Fibrous	Consisting of fibers; woven in texture.
Filament	The stalk bearing the anther.
Fissures	Grooves, furrows, or channels as in the bark.
Flora	The complete system of plants found in a given area.
Fluted	Grooved, corrugated, channeled.
Follicles	A dry fruit of one carpel, splitting on one side only.
Forestry	The rational treatment of woodlands for their products.
Fruit	The seed-bearing product of a plant of whatever form.
Fungus	A plant devoid of green color such as mushrooms and rots.
Genus	A group of related species, as the pines or the oaks.
Glabrous	Smooth, without hairs.
Glandular	Bearing glands, or gland-like.
Glaucous	Covered with a bluish or whitish waxy coating; a bloom.
Globose	Ball-like, or nearly so.
Globular	Ball-like.
Habitat	The home of a plant.
Head	A dense cluster of sessile flowers or the crown of a tree.
Heartwood	The dead, central, usually highly colored portion of thetrunk.
Herbaceous	Herb-like, soft.
Imbricated	Overlapping like the slate on a roof.
Impressed	Hollowed or furrowed as if by pressure.
Incomplete	Said of flowers in which one of the outer parts is wanting.
Indigenous	Applied to plants that are native to a certain locality.
Inflorescence	The flowering part of a plant, and especially its arrangement.
Intolerant	Not shade enduring. Requiring sunlight.
Involucre	A circle of bracts surrounding a flower or cluster of flowers.
Irregular	Said of flowers showing inequality in the size, form, orunion of similar parts.
Keeled	With a central ridge, like the keel of a boat.
Lanceolate	Shaped like a lance; several times longer than wide.
Lateral	Situated on the side, as the buds along the side of the twig.
Leaflet	One of the small blades or divisions of a compound leaf.
Lenticel	A corky growth on young or sometimes older bark whichadmits air to the interior of the twig or branch.
Linear	Line-like, long and narrow, with parallel edges.
Lobed	Said of leaves that have the margins more or less cut ordivided.
Midrib	The central or main rib or vein of a leaf.
Monoecious	Bearing stamens and pistils in separate flowers on thesame plant.
Mucronate	Tipped with a short, sharp point.
Naval Stores	Refers to tar, turpentine, resin, etc.
Nerve	One of the lines or veins running through a leaf.
Node	A place on a twig where one or more leaves originate.
Nut	A dry, 1-seeded, indehiscent fruit with a hard covering.
Nutlet	A small nut.
Ob-	A prefix meaning inverted or reversed.
Oblique	Slanting, uneven.
Oblong	About twice as long as wide, the sides nearly parallel.
Obovate	Reversed egg shaped.
Obtuse	Blunt.
Odd-pinnate	With an odd or unpaired leaflet at the tip of the compoundleaf.
Opposite	Said of leaves and buds directly across from each other.
Orbicular	Circular.
Ovary	The part of the pistil producing the seed.
Ovate	Egg-shaped in outline.
Ovoid	Egg-shaped or nearly so.
Palmate	Hand-shaped; radiately divided.
Panicle	A compound flower cluster, the lower branches of whichare longest and bloom first.
Parasite	Growing upon and obtaining its nourishment from someother plant.
Pedicel	The stalk of a single flower.
Peduncle	The stalk of a flower cluster or of a solitary flower.
Pendulous	Hanging.
Perennial	Lasting for more than one year.
Perfect	A flower with both stamens and pistils.
Persistent	Remaining after blooming, fruiting, or maturing.
Petal	The part of a corolla, usually colored.
Petiole	The stalk of a leaf.
Pinna	A division, part, or leaflet of a pinnate leaf.
Pinnate	With leaflets on both sides of a stalk.
Pistil	The central part of the flower containing the prospectiveseed.
Pistillate	Bearing pistils but no stamens.
Pith	The soft, central part of a twig.
Pod	Any dry and dehiscent fruit.
Pollen	The dust-like substance found in the anthers of a flower.
Polygamous	With both perfect and imperfect, staminate or pistillate,flowers.
Pome	A fleshy fruit with a core, such as the apple.
Prickle	A sharp-pointed, needle-like outgrowth.
Psuedo-	A prefix meaning false, not true.
Pubescent	Hairy.
Pungent	Ending in a sharp point; acrid.
Pyramidal	Shaped like a pyramid with the broadest part near thebase.
Raceme	A simple inflorescence of flowers borne on pedicels ofequal length and arranged on a common, elongated axis.
Reflexed	Abruptly turned backward or downward.
Regular	Said of flowers which are uniform in shape or structure.
Rugose	Wrinkled.
Saccharine	Pertaining to or having the qualities of sugar.
Samara	An indehiscent winged fruit.
Sapwood	The recently formed, usually light wood, lying outside ofthe heartwood.
Scales	The small, modified leaves which protect the growing-pointof a bud or the part of a cone which bears the seeds. The small flakes into which the outer bark of a tree divides.
Scurfy	Covered with small bran-like scales.
Sepal	One of the parts of the calyx.
Serrate	Having sharp teeth pointing forward.
Sessile	Seated; without a stalk.
Sheath	A tubular envelope or covering.
Shrub	A low woody growth which usually branches near the base.
Silky	Covered with soft, straight, fine hairs.
Simple	Consisting of one part, not compound.
Sinuate	Having a strongly wavy margin.
Sinus	The cleft or opening between two lobes.
Species	A group of like individuals as Red Oak, White Oak, etc.
Spike	An elongated axis bearing sessile flowers.
Spine	A sharp woody outgrowth.
Stamen	The part of a flower which bears the pollen.
Staminate	Said of flowers which bear only stamens. Sometimesspoken of as male.
Sterile	Barren; unproductive.
Stigma	The end of a pistil through which pollination takes place.
Stipule	A leaf appendage at the base of the leaf-stalk.
Striate	Marked with fine elongated ridges or lines.
Strobile	A fruit marked by overlapping scales as in the Pine,Birches, etc.
Style	The pin-like portion of a pistil bearing the stigma.
Sub-	A prefix meaning under or nearly.
Sucker	A shoot arising from an underground bud.
Suture	A line of dehiscence.
Symmetrical	Regular as to the number of parts. Having the same numberof parts in each circle.
Terete	Having a circular transverse section.
Terminal	Pertaining to buds located at the end of twigs.
Thorn	A stiff, woody, sharp-pointed projection.
Tolerant	Applied to trees which endure certain factors, particularlyshade.
Tomentum	A dense layer of hairs.
Tomentose	Densely pubescent; hairy.
Truncate	Ending abruptly as if cut off at the end.
Tubercle	A small tuber or tuber-like body.
Tufted	Growing in clusters.
Umbel	A flower-cluster with all the pedicels arising from the samepoint.
Valvate	Said of buds in which the scales merely meet withoutoverlapping.
Vegetative	Said of buds which do not contain reproductive organs.
Veins	Threads of fibro-vascular tissue in leaves or other organs.
Viscid	Glutinous; sticky.
Whorl	A group of three or more similar organs, as leaves or buds,arranged about the same place of attachment.
Whorled	Borne in a whorl.