GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS
[[A]] [[B]] [[C]] [[D]] [[E]] [[F]] [[G]] [[H]] [[I]] [J] [K] [[L]] [[M]] [[N]] [[O]] [[P]] [Q] [[R]] [[S]] [[T]] [[U]] [[V]] [[W]] [X] [Y] [Z]
A Accrescent. Increasing in size with age. Accumbent. Lying against, as the radicle against the edges of the cotyledons. Acuminate. Gradually tapering to the apex. Acute. Pointed. Adnate. Congenitally united to. Adventitious. Said of buds produced without order from any part of a stem. Æstivation. The arrangement of the parts of a flower in the bud. Akene or achene. A small dry and hard, 1-celled, 1-seeded, indehiscent fruit. Albumen. The deposit of nutritive material within the coats of a seed and surrounding the embryo. Ament. A unisexual spike of flowers with scaly bracts, usually deciduous in one piece. Amphitropous. Descriptive of an ovule with the hilum intermediate between the micropyle and chalaza. Anatropous. Descriptive of a reversed ovule, with the micropyle close by the side of the hilum, and chalaza at the opposite end. Andro-diœcious. With perfect flowers on one individual and staminate flowers only on another. Androgynous. Applied to an inflorescence composed of male and female flowers. Angiospermæ. Plants with seeds borne in a pericarp. Annular. In the form of a ring. Anterior. The front side of a flower, that is averse from the axis of inflorescence. Anther. The part of the stamen containing the pollen. Anthesis. The act of opening of a flower. Apetalous. Having no petals. Apex. The top, as the end of the leaf opposite the petiole. Apiculate. Ending in a short pointed tip. Apophysis. An enlargement or swelling of the surface of an organ. Arcuate. Moderately curved. Areolate. Marked by areolæ or spaces marked out on a surface. Aril. An extraneous seed-coat or covering, or an appendage growing about the hilum of a seed. Ariloid. Furnished with an aril. Aristate. Furnished with awns. Articulate. Jointed or having the appearance of a joint. Auricled or auriculate. Furnished with an auricle or ear-shaped appendage. Autocarpus. A fruit consisting of pericarp alone, without adherent parts. Axil. The angle formed on the upper side of the attachment of a leaf with a stem. Axillary. In or from an axil.
B Baccate. Berry-like. Bark. The rind or cortical covering of a stem. Berry. A fruit with a homogeneous fleshy pericarp. Bipinnate. Doubly or twice pinnate. Bract. The more or less modified leaf of a flower-cluster. Bracteate. Furnished with bracts. Bracteolate. Furnished with bractlets. Bractlet. The bract of a pedicel or ultimate flower-stalk. Branch. A secondary axis or division of a trunk. Branchlet. An ultimate division of a branch. Bud. The undeveloped state of a branch or flower-cluster with or without scales. Bud-scales. Reduced leaves covering a bud.
C Calyx. The flower-cup or exterior part of a perianth. Campanulate. Bell-shaped, or elongated cup-shaped. Campylotropous. Descriptive of an ovule or seed curved in its formation so as to bring the micropyle or apex down near the hilum. Canescent. Hoary, with gray or whitish pubescence. Capsule. A dry dehiscent fruit of more than one carpel. Carpel. A simple pistil or an element of a compound pistil. Catkin. The same as an ament. Caudate. Furnished with a tail, or with a slender tip or appendage. Centripetal. Developing from without toward the centre. Chalaza. The part of an ovule where the coats and nucleus are confluent. Chartaceous. Having the texture of paper. Ciliate. Fringed with hairs. Cinereous. Ashy gray. Circinnate. Involute from the apex into a coil. Circumscissile. Circularly and transversely dehiscent. Clavate. Club-shaped. Cocci. Portions into which a lobed fruit with 1-seeded cells splits up. Cochleate. Shell-shaped, spiral like the shell of a snail. Columella. The persistent axis of a capsule. Commissure. The face by which 2 carpels unite. Complanate. Flattened. Conduplicate. Folded together lengthwise. Cone. An inflorescence or fruit formed of imbricated scales. Conferruminate. Stuck together by adjacent faces. Connate. United congenitally. Connective. The portion of a stamen which connects the two cells or lobes of an anther. Contortuplicate. Twisted and plaited, or folded. Convolute. Rolled up from the sides. Cordate. Heart-shaped. Coriaceous. Of the texture of leather. Corymb. A flat-topped or convex open flower-cluster, the flowers opening from the outside inward. Corymbose. Said of flowers arranged in a corymb. Costate. Having ribs. Cotyledons. The leaves of the embryo. Crenate. Scalloped. Crenulate. The diminutive of crenate. Crispate. Curled. Crustaceous. Of hard brittle texture. Cucullate. Hooded or hood-shaped. Cuneate. Wedge-shaped, or triangular with an acute angle downward. Cyme. A flower-cluster, the flower opening from the centre outward. Cymose. Bearing cymes or relating to a cyme.
D Deciduous. Falling, said of leaves falling in the autumn, or of parts of a flower falling after anthesis. Declinate. Bent or curved downward. Decompound. Several times compound or divided. Decurrent. Running down, as of the blades of leaves extending down their petioles. Decussate. In pairs alternately crossing at right angles. Dehiscent. The opening of an anther or capsule by slits or valves. Deltoid. Having the shape of the Greek letter Δ. Dentate. Toothed. Denticulate. Minutely toothed. Dextrorse. Turned or directed to the right. Diadelphous. Said of stamens combined by their filaments into 2 sets. Dichotomous. Forked in pairs. Digitate. Said of a compound leaf in which the leaflets are borne at the apex of the petiole. Dimorphous. Said of flowers of two forms on the same plant, or on plants of the same species. Diœcious. Unisexual, with the flowers of the 2 sexes borne by distinct individuals. Disciferous. Bearing a disk. Disciform. Depressed and circular like a disk. Discoid. Appertaining to a disk. Disk. The development of the torus or receptacle of a flower within the calyx or within the corolla and stamens. Dissepiment. A partition in an ovary or pericarp. Distichous. Said of leaves arranged alternately in two vertical ranks upon opposite sides of an axil. Dorsal. Relating to the back. Dorsal suture. The line of opening of a carpel corresponding to its midrib. Drupaceous. Resembling or relating to a drupe. Drupe. A stone fruit. Duct. An elongated cell or tubular vessel found especially in the woody parts of plants.
E Eglandular. Without glands. Ellipsoidal. Of the shape of an elliptical solid. Elliptic. Of the form of an ellipse. Emarginate. Notched at the apex. Embryo. The rudimentary plant formed in the seed. Endocarp. The inner layer of a pericarp. Endogenous. Descriptive of Endogens, monocotyledonous plants with stems increasing by internal accessions. Epicarp. The thin filmy external layer of a pericarp. Epigynous. Placed on the ovary. Epiphytal. Said of a plant growing on another plant, but not parasitic. Erose. Descriptive of an irregularly toothed or eroded margin. Excurrent. Running through the apex or beyond. Exocarp. The outer layer of a pericarp. Exogenous. Descriptive of Exogens, plants with stems increasing by the addition of a layer of wood on the outside beneath the constantly widening bark. Extrorse. Directed outward, descriptive of an anther opening away from the axis of the flower.
F Falcate. Scythe-shaped. Fascicle. A close cluster of leaves or flowers. Fascicled. Arranged in fascicles. Feather-veined. Having veins extending from the sides of the midrib. Ferrugineous. The color of iron rust. Fibro-vascular. Consisting of woody fibres and ducts. Filament. The stalk of an anther. Filamentose. Composed of threads. Fimbriate. Fringed. Fistulose. Hollow through the whole length. Flabellate. Fan-shaped; much dilated from a wedge-shaped base with the broader end rounded. Floccose. Bearing flocci or tufts of woody hairs. Foliaceous. Leaf-like in texture or appearance. Foliolate. Having leaflets. Foliole. A leaflet. Follicle. A dry 1-celled seed vessel consisting of a single carpel, and opening only by the ventral suture. Funicle. The stalk of an ovule or seed.
G Gamopetalæ. Plants with a corolla of coalescent petals. Gamopetalous. Descriptive of a corolla of coalescent petals. Geniculate. Bent abruptly like a knee. Gibbous. Swollen on one side. Glabrate. Nearly glabrous or becoming glabrous. Glabrous. Smooth, not pubescent or hairy. Gland. A protuberance on the surface, or partly imbedded in the surface of any part of a plant, either secreting or not. Glandular. Furnished with glands. Glaucescent. Nearly or becoming glaucous. Glaucous. Covered or whitened with a bloom. Glomerate. Said of flowers gathered into a compact head. Gymnospermæ. Plants with naked seeds, that is, not inclosed in a pericarp. Gynophore. The stipe of a pistil.
H Heartwood. The mature and dead wood of an exogenous stem. Hermaphrodite. With staminate and pistillate organs in the same flower, equivalent to perfect. Hilum. The scar or place of attachment of a seed. Hirsute. Hairy, with coarse or stiff hairs. Hispidulous. Minutely hispid. Hypogynous. Under or free from the pistil.
I Imbricate. Overlapping, like the shingles on a roof. Incumbent. Leaning or resting upon, as the radicle against the back of one of the cotyledons. Induplicate. With edges folded in or turned inward. Inferior. Said of an organ placed below another, like a calyx below an ovary or an ovary below a superior calyx. Inflorescence. Flower-cluster. Infrapetiolar. Below the petioles. Innate. Borne on the apex of the supporting part; in an anther the counterpart of adnate. Interpetiolar. Between the petioles. Introrse. Turned inward; descriptive of an anther opening toward the axis of the flower. Inverse. Inverted. Involucre. A circle of bracts surrounding a flower-cluster. Involute. Rolled inward.
L Laciniate. Cut into narrow incisions or lobes. Lactescent. Yielding milky juice. Lamellate. Composed of thin plates. Lanceolate. Shaped like a lance; narrower than oblong and tapering to the ends, or at least to the apex. Lanuginose. Clothed with soft reflexed hairs. Leaf. Green expansions borne by the stem in which assimilation and the processes connected with it are carried on. Leaflet. The separate division of a compound leaf. Legume. The seed vessel of plants of the Pea family, composed of a solitary carpel normally dehiscent only by the ventral suture. Lenticels. Lenticular corky growths on young bark. Lenticellate. Having lenticels. Lepidote. Beset with small scurfy scales. Ligulate. Strap-shaped. Linear. Said of a narrow leaf several times narrower than long, with parallel margins. Lobe. The division of an organ. Lobulate. Divided into small lobes. Loculicidal. Dehiscent into the cavity of a pericarp by the back, that is through a dorsal suture.
M Marcescent. Said of a part of a plant, withering without falling off. Medullary rays. The rays of cellular tissue in a transverse section of an exogenous stem and extending from the pith to the bark. Membranaceous. Thin and pliable like a membrane. Micropyle. The spot or point in the seed at the place of the orifice of the ovule. Midrib. The central or main rib of a leaf. Monœcious. Unisexual, with the flowers of the two sexes borne by the same individual. Mucro. A small and abrupt tip to a leaf. Mucronate. Furnished with a mucro. Muricate. Rough, with short rigid excrescences.
N Naked buds. Buds without scales. Nectar. The sweet secretion of various parts of a flower. Nectariferous. Nectar-bearing. Node. The portion of the stem which bears a leaf or whorl of leaves. Nucleus. The kernel of an ovule or seed. Nut. A hard and indehiscent 1-seeded pericarp produced from a compound ovary. Nutlet. A diminutive nut or stone.
O Obclavate. Inverted club-shape. Obcordate. Inverted heart-shaped. Oblanceolate. Lanceolate but tapering toward the base more than toward the apex. Oblong. Longer than broad with nearly parallel sides. Obovate. Ovate with the broader end toward the apex. Obovoid. Solid obovate with the broader end toward the apex. Obpyramidal. Inversely pyramidal. Obtuse. Blunt or rounded at the apex. Operculate. Furnished with a lid. Orbicular. A flat body circular in outline. Orthotropous. Descriptive of an ovule with a straight axis much enlarged at the insertion and the orifice at the other end. Oval. Broad-elliptic, with round ends. Ovate. Of the shape of the longitudinal section of a hen’s egg, with the broad end basal. Ovoid. Solid ovate or solid oval. Ovule. The part of the flower which becomes a seed.
P Palmate. Lobed or divided, with the sinuses pointing to or reaching the apex of the petiole or insertion. Panicle. A loose compound flower-cluster. Papilionaceous. Butterfly-like. Papilliform. The shape of papillæ. Papillate. Bearing papillæ, minute nipple-shaped papillose projections. Parietal placenta. A placenta borne on the wall of the ovary. Pedicel. The stalk of a flower in a compound inflorescence. Pedicellate. Borne on a pedicel. Peduncle. A general flower-stalk supporting either a cluster of flowers, or a solitary flower. Pedunculate. Borne on a peduncle. Peltate. Descriptive of a plane body attached by its lower surface to the stalk. Penniveined. Same as pinnately veined. Perfect. Said of a flower with both stamens and pistil. Perianth. The envelope of a flower consisting of calyx, corolla, or both. Pericarp. The fructified ovary. Persistent. Said of leaves remaining on the branches over their first winter, and of a calyx remaining under or on the fruit. Petal. A division of the corolla. Petiolate. Having a petiole. Petiole. The footstalk of a leaf. Petiolulate. Having a petiolule. Petiolule. The footstalk of a leaflet. Pilose. Hairy, with soft and distinct hairs. Pinnæ. The primary divisions of a twice pinnate leaf. Pinnate. A leaf with leaflets arranged along each side of a common petiole. Pistil. The female organ of a flower, consisting of ovary, style, and stigma. Pistillate. Said of a unisexual flower without fertile stamens. Pith. The central cellular part of a stem. Placenta. That part of the ovary which bears the ovules. Plane. Used in describing a flat surface. Plumule. The bud or growing part of the embryo. Pollen. The fecundating cells contained in the anther. Polygamodiœcious. Said of flowers sometimes perfect and sometimes unisexual, the 2 forms borne on different individuals. Polygamomonœcious. Said of flowers sometimes perfect and sometimes unisexual, the 2 forms borne on the same individual. Polygamous. Said of flowers sometimes perfect and sometimes unisexual. Pome. An inferior fruit of 2 or several carpels inclosed in thick flesh. Posterior. The side of an axillary flower next the axis of inflorescence. Prickle. Outgrowth of the bark. Proliferous. Bearing offshoots. Puberulent. Very slightly pubescent. Puberulous. Minutely pubescent. Pubescence. A covering of short soft hairs. Pubescent. Clothed with soft short hairs. Pulvinate. Cushion-shaped. Punctate. Dotted with depressions or translucent internal glands, or with colored dots. Punctulate. Minutely punctate.
R Raceme. An indeterminate or centripetal inflorescence with an elongated axis and flowers on pedicels of equal length. Rachis. The axis of a spike or of a compound leaf. Radial. Belonging to a ray. Radicle. The initial stem in an embryo. Raphe. The adnate cord or ridge connecting the hilum with the chalaza in an anatropous ovule. Receptacle. The axile portion of a blossom bearing sepals, petals, stamens, and pistils; the axis or rachis of the head, spike, or other flower-cluster. Reniform. Kidney-shaped. Resupinate. Upside down. Reticulate. Netted. Retrorse. Directed backward or downward. Retuse. With a shallow notch at a rounded apex. Revolute. Rolled backward from the margins or apex. Rhombic. Having the shape of a rhomb. Rhomboidal. Approaching a rhombic outline; quadrangular with lateral angles obtuse. Rind. The bark of some endogenous stems, like that of Palms. Rostrate. Narrowed into a slender tip. Rotate. Circular, flat and horizontally spreading. Rugose. Wrinkled. Rugulose. Slightly wrinkled. Ruminate. Looking as if chewed, like the albumen of the nutmeg.
S Sagittate. Shaped like an arrowhead. Samara. An indehiscent winged fruit. Sapwood. The young living wood of an exogenous stem. Scales. Thin scarious bodies, usually degenerate leaves. Scarious. Thin, dry and membranaceous, not green. Scobiform. Having the appearance of sawdust. Scorpioid. A form of unilateral inflorescence circinately coiled in the bud. Scurfy. Covered with small bran-like scales. Seed. The fertilized and mature ovule, the result of sexual reproduction in a flowering plant. Segment. One of the divisions into which a leaf, calyx, or corolla may be divided. Semianatropous. Same as amphitropous. Sepals. The divisions of a calyx. Septicidal. Descriptive of a capsule splitting through the lines of junction of the carpels. Septum. A partition. Serrate. Beset with teeth. Serrulate. Serrate with small fine teeth. Sessile. Without a stalk. Setose. Beset with bristles. Setulose. Beset with minute bristles. Sheath. A tubular or enrolled part or organ. Sinistrorse. Turned or directed to the left. Sinus. A recess between the lobes of a leaf. Spatulate. Oblong with the lower end attenuated. Spike. An indeterminate inflorescence with flowers sessile on an elongated common axis. Spine. A sharp-pointed woody body, commonly a modified branch or stipule. Spinescent. Ending in a spine. Spinose. Furnished with spines. Stamen. One of the male organs of a flower. Staminate. Said of unisexual flowers without pistils. Staminodium. A sterile or much reduced stamen. Stigma. The part or surface of a pistil which receives the pollen for the fecundation of the ovules. Stigmatic. Relating to the stigma. Stipe. A stalk-like support of a pistil or of a carpel. Stipel. An appendage to a leaflet analogous to the stipules of a leaf. Stipellate. Having stipels. Stipitate. Having a stipe. Stipulate. Having stipules. Stipules. Appendages of a leaf, placed on one side of the petiole at its insertion with the stem. Stomata. Breathing pores or apertures in the epidermis of leaves connecting internal cavities with the external air. Stomatiferous. Furnished with stomata. Stone. The hard endocarp of a drupe. Strobile. The same as cone. Strophiolate. Said of a seed bearing a strophiole or appendage at the hilum. Style. The attenuated portion of a pistil between the ovary and the stigma. Subcordate. Slightly cordate. Subulate. Awl-shaped. Sulcate. Grooved or furrowed. Superior. Growing or placed above; also in a lateral flower for the side next the axis. Suture. A junction, usually a line of opening of a carpel. Syncarp. A multiple fruit.
T Taproot. The primary descending root, a direct continuation from the radicle. Tegmen. The inner coat of a seed. Testa. The outer seed-coat. Thyrsoidal. Relating to a thrysus. Thyrsus. A mixed inflorescence with the main axis indeterminate and the secondary or ultimate cluster cymose. Tomentose. Densely pubescent with matted wool or tomentum. Tomentulose. Slightly pubescent with matted wool. Torose. Cylindric, with contractions or bulges at intervals. Torulose. Slightly torose. Torus. The receptacle of a flower. Transverse. Horizontal. Trichotomous. Three-forked. Trifoliate. Three-leaved. Trifoliolate. Descriptive of leaves, with 3 leaflets. Truncate. As if cut off at the end. Tubercle. A small tuber or excrescence. Tuberculate. Beset with knobby excrescences. Turbinate. Top-shaped. Turgid. Swollen.
U Umbel. An inflorescence with numerous pedicels springing from the same point like the rays of an umbrella. Umbilicus. The hilum of a seed. Umbo. A boss or protuberance. Umbonate. Bearing an umbo. Uncinate. Hooked, bent, or curved at the tip in the form of a hook. Unequally pinnate. Pinnate, with an odd terminal leaflet. Unguiculate. Contracted at the base into a claw or stalk. Unisexual. Said of flowers with either the stamens or pistil 0 or abortive. Urceolate. Hollow and contracted at or below the mouth like an urn or pitcher. Utricle. A small bladdery pericarp.
V Valvate. Said of a bud in which the parts meet without overlapping. Valve. One of the pieces into which a capsule splits. Veinlet. One of the ultimate or smaller ramifications of a vein. Veins. Ramifications or threads of fibro-vascular tissue in a leaf or other flat organ. Ventral. Belonging to the anterior or inner face of a carpel. Ventricose. Swelling unequally or inflated on one side. Vernation. The disposition of parts in a leaf-bud. Verrucose. Covered with wart-like elevations. Versatile. Said of an anther turning freely on its filament. Verticillate. Arranged in a circle or whorl round an axis. Villose. Hairy, with long and soft hairs.
W Whorl. An arrangement of branches or leaves in a circle round an axis. Wood. The hard part of a stem mainly composed of wood-cells, wood fibre, or tissue.