Native Plants
Botanical Glossary
Glossary of commonly used botanical terms and their definitions.
| term | definition | image |
| Lobed flower | A tubular or funnel shaped flower that opens into petal like lobes. | |
| Lobed leaf | A leaf with indentations not more than halfway to the midrib, with the tips of the segments rounded. | lobed_leaf.jpg |
| Lyrate | A pinnately divided leaf with an enlarged terminal lobe. | |
| Midrib | The main or central rib or vein of a leaf. | |
| Monoecious | A plant or plant species producing male and female reproductive structures on the same plant but on separate flowers. | |
| Mucronate | Leaf apex with short spiny tip. | |
| Native | A plant that lives or grows naturally in a particular region without direct or indirect human intervention. | |
| Nectar | A sweet fluid produced in flowers. | |
| Needle | The long and narrow leaf of pines and related species. | |
| Node | The place on a stem where leaves or branches normally originate; a swollen or knoblike structure. | stem.jpg |
| Nut | A dry fruit with one seed and a thick hard wall. | |
| Obcordate | Inversely cordate, heart-shaped with petiole attached to point. | |
| OBL | Obligate - Hydrophyte. Almost always occurs in wetlands. | |
| OBL* | Obligate - Hydrophyte. Almost always occurs in wetlands. Occurs only in the South Pacific Islands subregion. | |
| Oblanceolate | Inversely lanceolate with top wider than bottom. | |
| Oblique | Leaf shows asymmetry at the base. | |
| Oblong | Much longer than broad with sides nearly parallel. | |
| Obovate | Inversely ovate, with the narrower end of the leaf blade toward the branch. | |
| Obtuse | Blunt or rounded at the tip. | |
| Opposite | Said of leaves originating in pairs at a node, with the members of each pair opposite each other on the stem. | opposite.jpg |
| Orbicular | Circular or nearly so. | |
| Oval | Having the general form, shape, or outline of an egg; egg-shaped. | |
| Ovary | The basal part of the pistil, bearing the ovules, which later develop into seeds. See also Inferior ovary; Superior ovary. | |
| Ovate | Shaped like an egg, with the narrow end at the apex. | |
| Palmate | Divided or radiating from one point, resembling a hand with the fingers spread. Leaves may be palmately compound and/or palmately lobed; they may also have palmate venation. | palmate.jpg |
| term | definition | image |