Native Plants
Botanical Glossary
Glossary of commonly used botanical terms and their definitions.
| term | definition | image |
| Compound leaf | A leaf that is completely separated into two or more leaflets. | |
| Compound Pistil | A pistil made up of two or more partially or completely united carpels. | |
| Cordate | Heart-shaped, with the point at the apex. | |
| Cork | Bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use. | cork.jpg |
| Corm | A short, fleshy underground stem, broader than high, producing stems from the base and leaves and flower stems from the top. | |
| Corolla | The petals collectively; usually colored or showy. These may be distinct or united to form a cup, trumpet, tube, or two-lipped body. | |
| Corymb | A flat-topped or convex flower cluster, with the lower or outer stems longer; the flowers on these stems open first. | |
| Crenate | Having rounded teeth along the margin. | |
| Culm | The hollow stem of grasses and bamboos. | |
| Cuneate | Leaf shape narrowly triangular, wider at the apex and tapering toward the base. | |
| Cuspidate | Tipped with a sharp firm point. | |
| Cyme | A usually flattish inflorescence in which the central or terminal flower matures first. | |
| Deciduous | Having leaves that all fall off at the end of the growing season, or at least wither up and become lifeless. | |
| Decumbent | Lying on the ground but having an ascending tip. | |
| Deltoid | Triangular. | |
| Dentate | Sharply toothed, with the teeth pointing straight out from the margin. | |
| Denticulate | Finely toothed. | |
| Dioecious | With male and female reproductive structures on separate plants. | |
| Disc flowers | The inner tubular flowers on the heads of Asteraceae (Sunflower Family). | |
| Distal | Toward the top of a plant or the tip of a plant part. Cf, Proximal. | |
| Diurnal | Open during the day and closed at night. | |
| Drupe | Fruit with exocarp or skin, fleshy mesocarp and hardened endocarp with seed inside. | |
| Elliptic | Shaped like an ellipse, resembling a flattened circle. | |
| Emarginate | Having a shallow notch at the tip. | |
| EMP | Eastern Mountains and Piedmont - NWPL Region | |
| term | definition | image |