Reviewed

Glossary

  • Alternate
    Occurring singly at each node; (compare opposite)
    Alternate leaves
  • Annual
    A plant that germinates, flowers, sets seeds, and dies within one year
  • Axil
    The upper angle between a leaf or branch and the stem from which it arises
  • Bract
    A leaflike structure at the base of a flower
  • Bunch grass
    Any of various grasses that grow in clumps
  • Catkin
    A scaly, nodding spike consisting of flowers of a single sex
  • Collar
    The area on the outside of a grass leaf where the blade joins the sheath
  • Compound leaf
    A leaf blade that is separated into two or more distinct leaflets
    Compound leaves
  • Dioecious
    Bearing male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on separate plants
  • Drupe
    A fleshy fruit containing a single, stony seed (pit)
  • Ecotype
    Individuals that are adapted to a specific environment
  • Forb
    Herbaceous plant other than a grass or sedge
  • Glade
    Rocky, open barrens within a woodland landscape characterized by the absence of trees, shallow soils and exposed bedrock; often dominated by drought-adapted forbs and warm-season grasses
  • Inflorescence
    The flowering part of a plant
    Inflorescence
  • Lanceolate
    Lance-shaped; much longer than wide and narrower at the tip than at the base
    Lance-shaped leaves
  • Legume
    A plant belonging to the bean family (Fabaceae). Typically produces seeds in pods. Legumes capture and store nitrogen in their roots through a mutually beneficial relationship with certain bacteria.
  • Lenticel
    A slightly raised, somewhat corky, lens-shaped area on the surface of a stem
  • Lignin
    A chemical polymer that functions as a natural binder and support for cellulose fibers. Lignin stiffens leaves, stalks and stems.
  • Ligule
    A membranous appendage arising from the inner surface of the leaf junction with the leaf sheath
  • Lodge
    To flatten under the pressure of snow cover or heavy rain
  • Mesic
    In reference to habitats, moderately moist; in reference to plants, requiring moderate moisture
  • Naturalized
    Introduced plants that have become established and are naturally reproducing
  • Node
    The position on the stem where leaves or branches originate
  • Opposite
    Occurring across from each other at the same node; (compare alternate)
    Opposite leaves
  • Palmate
    Lobes radiating out from the center like fingers from the palm of a hand
  • Panicle
    Branched flowers that mature from the bottom up
  • Perennial
    A plant that lives for three or more years
  • Petiole
    A leaf stalk (see simple leaf)
  • Pinnately compound
    A compound leaf with leaflets arranged on opposite sides of an elongated axis; (see compound leaf)
  • Procumbent
    Trailing along the ground without becoming rooted
  • Savanna
    Grasslands interspersed with open-grown, widely spaced trees
  • Scalloped edges
    Curved projections forming an ornamental border
  • Serrated
    Sawlike, toothed along the margin with the teeth pointing forward
  • Simple leaf
    A leaf blade that is not separated into leaflets
    Simple leaf
  • Stamen
    The male flower part that produces pollen
  • Stipule
    One of a pair of leaflike appendages found at the base of the petiole in some leaves
  • Style
    The narrow portion of the female reproductive portion of a flower
  • Tendrils
    A slender, twining stem used to grasp support for climbing
  • Venation
    The arrangement of veins in a leaf
    Venation
  • Whorled
    A leaf arrangement with three or more leaves arising from a single node