Native Plants

Botanical Glossary

Glossary of commonly used botanical terms and their definitions.

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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
Endangered	An animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Endemic	Occurring naturally only in a single geographic area.
Entire	Said of margins without teeth or lobes.
Escape	A cultivated plant that has gone wild.
Evergreen	Remaining green and leafy through the winter.
FAC	Facultative - Hydrophyte. Occurs in wetlands and non-wetlands.
FAC*	Facultative - Hydrophyte. Occurs in wetlands and non-wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion.
FACU	Facultative Upland - Nonhydrophyte. Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands.
FACU*	Facultative Upland - Nonhydrophyte. Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion.
FACW	Facultative Wetland - Hydrophyte. Usually occurs in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands.
FACW*	Facultative Wetland - Hydrophyte. Usually occurs in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion.
Falcate	Sickle-shaped.
Fascicled	In a tight bundle, several leaves appearing to arise from a common point.
Fern	Any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants (pteridophytes) having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores.
Fibrous	Network of fine roots with no central dominant root.
Filament	Stalk of stamen; bears the anther.
Floret	A small flower, especially one in a dense cluster.
Florets	Small or reduced flowers.
Flower head	A dense arrangement of flowers arising from a common point, as in Apiaceae, or as in Asteraceae where many ray flowers and/or disc flowers make up one "flower head." See also, Capitulum.
FNA	Flora of North America.
Follicle	Dry, dehiscent fruit.
Frond	The leaf of a fern.
Fruit	The seed-bearing part of a plant.
Genus	A group of related species classified within a family.
Glabrous	Smooth; hairless.
term	definition	image

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259 Results: 10 25 50 100 per page