| |
Term |
Sample usage |
Part
of sp. |
Definition |
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
aerial root |
|
n. |
grows above ground instead of below; usually supports
the trunk, then also called a "stilt root" |
| |
apex |
(leaf ~, leaflet ~) |
n. |
tip |
| |
arching |
(~ leaves, ~ leaflets) |
adj. |
having a curved or arch shape, not erect |
| |
armament |
|
n. |
protection; see also "armed" |
| |
armed |
|
adj. |
having spines or thorns |
| |
ascending |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
upward growing |
| |
bifid |
(~ leaves, ~ leaflet apexes, ~ fibers) |
adj. |
divided or forked into two parts, or deeply notched |
| |
bipinnate |
(~ leaf) |
adj. |
twice divided, featherlike leaf |
| |
blade |
(leaf ~) |
n. |
flat or expanded part of the leaf; the part that
is palmate or pinnate |
| |
bloom |
|
n. |
thin, waxy film covering the surface of a leaf or
other part of a plant |
| |
bract |
|
n. |
leaflike structure on the inflorescence, typically
protecting parts of the young inflorescence (see also "inflorescence
bract," "peduncular bract," and "bracteole") |
| |
bracteole |
|
n. |
small bract subtending a flower (see also "bract") |
| |
branched |
(~ stem, ~ inflorescence, ~ leaflet) |
adj. |
split into two or more parts |
| |
bulbous |
(~ trunk) |
adj. |
bulging, swollen, bulb-shaped |
| |
cabbage |
(palm ~) |
n. |
edible growth center of a palm, usually called heart-of-palm |
| |
cane |
|
n. |
thin or reedlike stem or trunk |
| |
cirrus |
|
n. |
[pl. cirri] long extention of the leaf midrib with
hooks used by the plant to climb, whiplike climbing organ (see also "flagellum") |
| |
climbing palm |
|
n. |
has a long, thin trunk that uses other trees for
support |
| |
clump |
|
n. |
group or cluster |
| |
clumping |
(~ palm) |
adj. |
forming clumps or groups (see also "clustering"
and "suckering") |
| |
clustering |
(~ palm, ~ habit) |
adj. |
growing side shoots and developing into groups of
stems (see also "clumping" and "suckering") |
| |
coco-fiber |
|
n. |
planting compost made from coconut husks |
| |
cone of
stilt roots |
|
n. |
mass of stilt or aerial roots forming a cone shape |
| |
conical |
(~ trunk) |
adj. |
shaped like a cone |
| |
conservatory |
|
n. |
greenhouse for tender plants |
| |
container
plant |
|
n. |
grown in a container or pot instead of the ground,
typical for nursery production |
| |
costa |
|
n. |
the part of the leaf stalk extending into the leaf
blade in a costapalmate leaf |
| |
costapalmate |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
shaped like the palm of a hand with part of the
leaf stalk extending into the leaf blade |
| |
crown |
|
n. |
head of leaves |
| |
crownshaft |
|
n. |
tubular leaf sheaths or leaf bases tightly wrapped
around each other forming a cylinder on top of the trunk |
| |
cultivar |
|
n. |
distinct form of a plant in cultivation, for instance
dwarf or variegated |
| |
cultivate |
|
v. |
to grow or raise, aided by humans vs. wild grown |
| |
dichotomous |
(~ stem) |
adj. |
equally forking |
| |
diminutive |
(~ palm) |
adj. |
undersized |
| |
distichous |
(~ leaf arrangement) |
adj. |
arranged in two opposing rows on either side of
a trunk |
| |
distribution |
|
n. |
area of natural occurance |
| |
divided |
(~ leaves, ~ leaflets) |
adj. |
not entire |
| |
dwarf |
(~ palm) |
adj. |
small or undersized |
| |
elliptic |
(~ leaflets, ~ leaves) |
adj. |
like a flattened circle or oval in shape |
| |
endemic |
|
adj. |
growing only in a specific area |
| |
entire |
(~ leaves, ~ leaflets) |
adj. |
undivided, whole |
| |
erect |
(~ trunk, ~ leaves, ~ leaflets) |
adj. |
stiffly upward or upright |
| |
fan |
(~ leaf) |
adj. |
palmate; shaped like the palm of a hand, semicircular
or circular, with leaf segments radiating from a single point |
| |
feather |
(~ leaf) |
adj. |
pinnate, divided in segments like a feather |
| |
feather-duster |
(~ crown) |
adj. |
shaped like a feather-duster or shuttlecock |
| |
fibrous |
|
adj. |
having or made up of fibers |
| |
fissured |
(~ trunk) |
adj. |
having clefts or splits |
| |
flagellum |
|
n. |
[pl. flagella] whiplike climbing organ with hooked
spines, derived from a flower stalk. (see also "cirrus") |
| |
flange |
|
n. |
flat ridge or protrusion; also called a wing |
| |
flexuous |
|
adj. |
lax or flexible |
| |
flower |
|
n. |
reproductive organ |
| |
flush |
|
n. |
fresh, new growth |
| |
forked |
|
adj. |
divided into two equal parts |
| |
fronds |
|
n. |
leaves of palms, ferns, or the like |
| |
fruit |
|
n. |
seed-bearing organ |
| |
genus |
|
n. |
group of closely related species (for example, Trachycarpus,
Sabal, Phoenix, etc.) in the Linnean system of biological taxonomy &
classification |
| |
germinate |
|
v. |
to sprout a seed |
| |
glaucous |
|
adj. |
dull grayish green or blue usually created by a
waxy bloom covering a surface |
| |
habit |
(clustering ~) |
n. |
mode of growth |
| |
habitat |
|
n. |
natural environment in which a plant grows |
| |
hardy |
(cold ~) |
adj. |
able to withstand adverse conditions for prolonged
periods of time (see also "tolerant") |
| |
hastula |
|
n. |
protrusion at the joint between leafstalk and leafblade
in a palmate leaf |
| |
humus |
(~ rich soil) |
n. |
decomposing organic matter |
| |
hybrid |
|
n. or adj. |
offspring of two plants of different species or
genera, not pure |
| |
inflorescence |
|
n. |
flower stalk |
| |
inflorescence
bract |
|
n. |
a leaflike structure on the rachis of the flowerstalk
subtending a partial flowerstalk (see also "bract") |
| |
infructescence |
|
n. |
fruit stalk; like an inflorescence but in fruit
vs. in flower |
| |
interandean |
(~ valleys) |
adj. |
dry, high altitude valleys between the main ridges
of the Andes mountains in South America |
| |
internode |
|
n. |
space between "nodes" or points of leaf
attachment on a trunk or stem |
| |
irregular |
(~ly arranged) |
adv. or adj. |
unevenly arranged, leaflets are inserted at different
distances from each other |
| |
lanceolate |
(~ leaflets) |
adj. |
shaped like a spearhead, tapering to each end |
| |
leaf base |
|
n. |
lower, expanded part of the leaf that attaches to
the trunk |
| |
leaf blade |
|
n. |
lamina; upper, expanded part of the leaf; part most
commonly thought of as the leaf itself |
| |
leaf segment |
|
n. |
section of a palmate or costapalmate leaf |
| |
leaf sheath |
|
n. |
leaf base or lowest part of the leaf that is enveloping
or "sheathing" the trunk. Tubular while developing, then splitting
or remaining entire (if entire, then it is called a "crownshaft") |
| |
leaf stalk |
|
n. |
petiole; part of leaf found between the base and
the blade |
| |
leaflet |
|
n. |
segment of a pinnate leaf |
| |
leathery |
|
adj. |
having a texture like leather, thick and strong
vs. papery |
| |
marbled |
|
adj. |
showing various colors in blotches; mottled |
| |
midrib |
|
n. |
main vein of a leaflet |
| |
montane |
|
adj. |
specific zone of altitude in mountains, at least
500 m (1600 ft.) |
| |
mottled |
|
adj. |
having blotches of various colors; marbled |
| |
mulch |
|
n. |
top dressing (wood chips, peat, straw, leaves, etc.)
around a plant's roots |
| |
mulch |
|
v. |
to apply a top dressing |
| |
nodal scar |
|
n. |
scar left on the stem where a leaf was attached |
| |
nodding |
(~ leaves, ~ leaflets) |
adj. |
drooping |
| |
node |
|
n. |
point where a leaf is or was attached to the stem;
see also "internode" |
| |
notch |
|
n. |
small V-shaped cut in leaf or leaflet |
| |
orbicular |
(~ leaf blade) |
adj. |
spherical or circular, like an orb |
| |
palmate |
(~ leaf) |
adj. |
shaped like a fan, or the palm of a hand, semicircular
or circular, with leaf segments radiating from a single point |
| |
peat |
|
n. |
decomposed peat moss, partly carbonized |
| |
peduncle |
|
n. |
inflorescence stalk |
| |
peduncular
bract |
|
n. |
a leaflike structure subtending the inflorescence
stalk |
| |
pendent |
|
adj. |
drooping |
| |
pendulous |
(~ leaflets) |
adj. |
drooping, suspended (strongly ~, hanging vertically) |
| |
petiole |
|
n. |
leaf stalk, located between the base and the blade |
| |
pinna |
|
n. |
[pl. pinnae] primary leaflet of a pinnate leaf |
| |
pinnate |
(~ leaves, ~ palm) |
adj. |
featherlike in appearance with leaflets on either
side of the leaf midrib [rachis] (regularly ~, leaflets are the same distance
from each other; finely ~, having thin pinnae; sparsely ~, having few pinnae) |
| |
pinnule |
|
n. |
secondary leaflet of a bipinnate leaf |
| |
plumose |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
bushy, feathery; having leaflets orientated in different
directions |
| |
pollen |
|
n. |
plant "sperm" |
| |
pollination |
|
n. |
transference of genetic material through the pollen
from a male flowering organ to a female flowering organ |
| |
pot plant |
|
n. |
usually grown in a pot inside a house vs. in the
greenhouse or outside |
| |
prickly |
(~ crownshaft) |
adj. |
indicates it has spines |
| |
pseudostem |
|
n. |
literally "false stem," looks like a stem
but is actually tightly packed leafbases |
| |
pseudotrunk |
|
n. |
literally "false trunk," looks like a
trunk but is actually tightly packed leafbases |
| |
pubescence |
|
n. |
felt of hairs |
| |
rachis |
|
n. |
midrib of a leaf or inflorescence |
| |
recurved |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
strongly arching |
| |
regular |
(~ outline) |
adj. |
even |
| |
rein |
|
n. |
threadlike tissue connecting the leaftips of developing
leaves in pinnate palms |
| |
rhizome |
|
n. |
underground stem or rootstock |
| |
ring |
|
n. |
nodal scar |
| |
ring scars |
|
n. |
internodes |
| |
ringed |
(~ trunk) |
adj. |
having nodal scars |
| |
roof-shaped |
|
adj. |
reduplicate; A-shaped in cross section (as opposed
to induplicate or "valley-shaped") |
| |
root hardy |
|
adj. |
surviving the winter underground by the means of
rhizomes, bulbs, etc |
| |
rotund |
|
adj. |
rounded |
| |
runners |
|
n. |
long, extended rhizomes |
| |
savanna |
|
n. |
dry tropical or subtropical grassland or very open
forest |
| |
scale |
|
n. |
dry, flattened plates |
| |
seed |
|
n. |
mature ovule |
| |
seedling |
|
n. |
very young plant, recently germinated |
| |
segment |
|
n. |
section of a palmate or costapalmate leaf |
| |
self-cleaning |
(~ trunk) |
adj. |
the leaves falling off completely, leaving a smooth
trunk |
| |
serpentine |
(~ soil) |
adj. |
mineral or rock that is rich in magnesium. Soil
derived from serpentine is ultrabasic and poor in nutrients |
| |
sheath |
|
n. |
leaf base or lowest part of the leaf that is enveloping
or "sheathing" the trunk. Tubular while developing, then splitting
or remaining entire (if entire, then it is called a "crownshaft");
(see "leaf sheath") |
| |
sheathing |
|
v. |
enveloping the trunk or another organ of the plant |
| |
shuttlecock |
(~ crown) |
adj. |
looking like a feather-duster or the tail feathers
of a rooster |
| |
sickle-shaped |
|
adj. |
curved, wide at one end, tapering towards the other |
| |
side shoot |
|
n. |
sucker or sprout off the main trunk |
| |
simple |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
undivided |
| |
sinker |
|
n. |
the elongated leaf stalk of the first leaf (shoot)
produced in some palms after germination, whose purpose is to push the plant
down into the soil |
| |
site |
|
v. |
to place in the landscape |
| |
solitary |
(~ palm, ~ stem, ~ trunk) |
adj. |
not suckering, only producing a single stem |
| |
spathe |
|
n. |
sheathing bract that encloses and protects the young
flower stalk |
| |
species |
|
n. |
taxonomic group of closely related plants with common
characteristics that set it apart from another group. Subdivision of a genus
in the Linnean system of biological taxonomy & classification (for example,
fortunei, martianus, humilis etc.; see also "genus") |
| |
sphagnum |
|
n. |
fresh peat moss |
| |
spicate |
(~ inflorescence) |
adj. |
unbranched, spikelike |
| |
spike |
|
n. |
inflorescence, usually unbranched |
| |
spine |
|
n. |
protruding, thornlike protective organ |
| |
spreading |
(~ crown) |
adj. |
expansive, not upright |
| |
sprout |
|
n. |
germinated seed |
| |
stalk |
|
n. |
see "leaf stalk," "flower stalk,"
etc |
| |
stem |
|
n. |
main axis of a plant; trunk |
| |
stilt root |
|
n. |
prop root, grows above ground instead of below and
supports the trunk (also see: "aerial root") |
| |
stratification |
|
v. |
process of planting seed in moist sand and exposing
it to low temperatures to trigger germination |
| |
subcanopy |
|
n. |
plants in a forest that grow taller than the understorey
but do not quite reach the canopy |
| |
subterranean |
|
adj. |
underground |
| |
subtropical |
|
adj. |
climatic region between temperate and tropical |
| |
sucker |
|
n. |
sideshoot or sprout off the main trunk |
| |
suckering |
(~ trunk, ~ stem) |
adj. |
clumping, clustering vs. solitary |
| |
tap root |
|
n. |
thick root that grows vertically into the soil to
tap a source of water |
| |
taxonomy |
|
n. |
classification of plants or animals |
| |
temperate |
|
adj. |
roughly, a climate where the yearly amplitudes of
temperature are greater than the daily amplitudes |
| |
tolerant |
|
adj. |
suggests a plant will tolerate conditions for a
limited period of time but is not necessarily "hardy" towards
those conditions (see also "hardy") |
| |
tomentose |
|
adj. |
covered with fine scales, fur, hair, or wool |
| |
tomentum |
|
n. |
layer of thin scales, fur, hair, or wool |
| |
toothed |
(~ leaf, ~ leaflet, ~ leafstalk) |
adj. |
with toothlike edges |
| |
tristichous |
(~ leaf arrangement) |
adj. |
arranged in three vertical rows on a trunk |
| |
tropical |
|
adj. |
roughly, a climatic area where the daily amplitudes
of temperature are greater than the yearly amplitudes. Geogaphically located
roughly between the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn
in the South |
| |
trunk |
|
n. |
stem |
| |
trunkless |
|
adj. |
without a trunk or with a subterranean trunk |
| |
undergrowth |
|
n. |
lowest layer of plants in a forest |
| |
understorey |
|
n. |
lower layers of plants in a forest that do not reach
the canopy and are shade loving |
| |
undivided |
(~ leaves) |
adj. |
entire, whole, not broken down into segments or
leaflets |
| |
undulate |
|
adj. |
wavy |
| |
upright |
(~ crown, ~ leaves, ~ trunk) |
adj. |
erect, vertical |
| |
valley-shaped |
|
adj. |
induplicate; V-shaped in cross section, trough-shaped
(as opposed to reduplicate or "roof-shaped") |
| |
vein |
|
n. |
the conducting tissue of leaves |
| |
viable |
|
adj. |
alive and able to germinate |
| |
wild |
|
n. or adj. |
n. natual habitat; adj. unaided by humans (~ collected,
collected in its natual habitat vs. from cultivated plants) |
