Native Plants
Glossary of commonly used botanical terms and their definitions.
term | definition | image |
Prickle | A sharp process on the surface of a twig or leaf, an outgrowth. | |
Prostrate | Lying flat on the ground. | |
Provides Nesting Materials/Structure for Native Bees | A plant that native bees nest beneath, within, or harvest parts from to construct their nests. | |
Proximal | Toward the base of a plant or the point of attachment of a plant part. Cf, Distal. | |
Pubescent | Said of stems or leaves with soft hairs. | |
Quadrifidus | Divided into four parts. | |
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. | |
Rachis | The axis of a pinnately compound leaf. | |
Radial asymmetry | The flower can be cut into two equal halves in many ways, provided that the plane of cutting passes through the center. | |
Ray | The outer irregular flowers in the heads of many Compositae (Sunflower Family). Each has a single, tongue-shaped corolla. | |
Receptacle | End of stem to which flowers are attached. lFig. 1) | |
Regular flower | A flower equal in size, form, and union of its similar parts; radially symmetrical. Example: Solanaceae (Potato Family). | |
Reniform | Kidney-shaped. | |
Retuse | Having a rounded apex with a central depression. | |
Rhizobia | Soil-borne bacteria which form nitrogen-rich root nodules. | |
Rhizobium | Soil-borne bacteria which form nitrogen-rich root nodules. | |
Rhizome | A horizontal underground stem. | |
Rib (of cactus) | A ridge; a raised surface running vertically or sometimes spiraling, and bearing areoles in a row along its summit. Often thought of as being composed of more or less united tubercles which may be evident as bulging masses along it. | |
Rosette | An arrangement of leaves radiating from the stem at a nearly common level, frequently at or just above the ground line. | |
Runcinate | Leaf having incised margins with the lobes or teeth curved toward the base. | |
Sagittate | Shaped like an arrowhead. | |
Samara | A dry, winged, one-seeded fruit. | |
Sap | Watery fluid that circulates through a plant carrying sugars, minerals and nutrients. | |
Scabrous | Rough to the touch. | |
Scape | A naked flower stem rising from the ground. | |
term | definition | image |