Native Plants
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BOTANICAL GLOSSARY
Glossary of commonly used botanical terms and their definitions. Use the search bar below to look up a botanical term.
15 Random Botanical Terms
Dentate - Sharply toothed, with the teeth pointing straight out from the margin.
Bark - Tough outer covering of trunks or stems of trees, shrubs, and vines.
Raceme - An inflorescence in which each flower is attached to the main stalk by a short stem (pedicel). The youngest flowers, at the tip, may continue to develop while those below are forming fruit.
Perianth - Collective term for petals and sepals (corolla and calyx).
FAC - Facultative - Hydrophyte. Occurs in wetlands and non-wetlands.
Orbicular - Circular or nearly so.
Pinnate - Arranged along an axis. Leaves may be pinnately compound (see below) and/or pinnately lobed; they may also have pinnate venation, with veins extending from the midrib.
Compound - A leaf divided into two or more leaflets.
FAC* - Facultative - Hydrophyte. Occurs in wetlands and non-wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion.
Escape - A cultivated plant that has gone wild.
Staminate flower - A flower with stamens but no pistil.
Acaulescent - Without a distinct stem.
Mucronate - Leaf apex with short spiny tip.
Petiole - A leaf stem.
Spike - Flowers are attached directly to the main stem; no pedicels are present. The youngest flowers or buds are at the top. Spp. Abbreviation for plural of "species."