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.

Reniform - Kidney-shaped.

UPL* - Upland - Nonhydrophyte. Almost never occurs in wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion.

Ovary - The basal part of the pistil, bearing the ovules, which later develop into seeds. See also Inferior ovary; Superior ovary.

AW - Arid West - NWPL Region

Alternate - Placed singly at different heights on the stem; not opposite or whorled.

Monoecious - A plant or plant species producing male and female reproductive structures on the same plant but on separate flowers.

OBL - Obligate - Hydrophyte. Almost always occurs in wetlands.

Rhizome - A horizontal underground stem.

FNA - Flora of North America.

Pistil - The seed-producing or female organ, consisting of ovary, style, and stigma; usually located in the center of the flower.

Venation - The arrangement of veins within a leaf.

Corm - A short, fleshy underground stem, broader than high, producing stems from the base and leaves and flower stems from the top.

Acaulescent - Without a distinct stem.

Elliptic - Shaped like an ellipse, resembling a flattened circle.

Ray - The outer irregular flowers in the heads of many Compositae (Sunflower Family). Each has a single, tongue-shaped corolla.