GLOSSARY OF TERMS
acute—ending in a point less than a right angle. Adiós, señor—(Spanish) Good day, sir. anther—the pollen-bearing body at the tip of the stamen. areola—area or center of growth. ascending—growing upward at an angle of forty or fifty degrees. ascending spreading—growing at an angle of less than forty degrees. awl-shaped—sharp-pointed from a broader base.
bajadas—mesalike mountain slopes. Bisnaga—Barrel Cacti. bract—a scale or small leaf. Buenas noches—(Spanish) Good night. bulbous—somewhat thickened or bulblike.
Cactaceæ—the botanical name for cacti or the cactus family of plants. calyx tube—the tube formed by the union of the sepals. candelabralike—with the branches growing somewhat regularly outward and upward. central spines, or centrals—the inner spines of a spine cluster. ciliate—with a fringe of hairs. compressed—flattened on opposite sides. constricted—contracted at regular intervals. corona—a crownlike circle or whorl of flower parts. creosote—a desert shrub. cross-ridged—marked transversely.
deflexed—bent downwards. dished—concave or sunken in the center. divergent—spreading. dwarf trees—plants smaller than trees but with a main trunk.
elliptical—oval or oblong with the ends rounded.
filaments—the threadlike stalks of stamens. fissure—a furrow caused by the bark splitting. fluted—grooved or channeled vertically. Fuera—(Spanish) Begone, get you gone.
genera—plural of “genus.” genus—a group or division of a family of plants. glochidium (plural, glochidia)—a small fine needlelike body, a spicule.
mesa—a broad high table-land or plateau. Mojave—a desert in Southern California.
obtuse—blunt or rounded at the tip.