Flowering Plants: Magnolias to Pitcher Plants

Glossary

Glossary Achene. A type of one-seeded, dry, indehiscent fruit with the seed coat not attached to the mature ovary wall. Actinomorphic. Having radial symmetry; regular, in reference to a flower. Acuminate. Gradually tapering to a point. Acute. Tapering to a short point. Adnate. Fusion of dissimilar parts. Anther. The terminal part of a stamen which bears pollen. Anthesis. Flowering time. Apiculate. Abruptly shortpointed at the tip. Appressed. Lying flat against the surface. Aril. An appendage of the seed. Arillate. Having an aril. Attenuate. Gradually becoming narrowed. Bibracteate. With two bracts. Bifid. Two-cleft. Bilobed. Divided into two lobes. Bisexual. Referring to a flower which contains both stamens and pistils. Biternate. Divided into three parts two times. Bract. An accessory structure at the base of some flowers, usually appearing leaflike. Bracteole. A secondary bract. Bractlet. A small bract. Bulbous. Swollen. Caducous. Falling away very early. Calyx. The outermost group of structures of a flower, composed of sepals. Campanulate. Bell-shaped. Canescent. Grayish-hairy. Capsule. A dry, dehiscent fruit composed of more than one carpel. Carpel. A simple pistil, or one member of a compound pistil. Carpellate. Possessing carpels. Caudex. The woody base of a perennial plant. Cauline. Belonging to a stem. Claw. A narrow, basal stalk, particularly of a petal. Cleistogamous. Hidden. Compressed. Flattened. Concave. Curved on the inner surface; opposite to convex. Connective. That portion of the stamen between the two anther halves. Connivent. Coming in contact; converging. Convex. Rounded on the outer surface; opposite to concave. Cordate. Heart-shaped. Coriaceous. Leathery. Corolla. The group of structures of a flower just within the calyx , composed of petals. Corymb. A type of inflorescence where the pedicellate flowers are arranged along an elongated axis but with the flowers all attaining about the same level. 249 250 / G LOS S A R Y Corymbose. Bearing a corymb. Crenate. Round-toothed. Crested. Bearing a ridge. Crisped. Curled. Cuneate.Wedge-shaped or tapering at the base. Cyme. A type of broad and flattened inflorescence in which the central flowers bloom first. Cymose. Bearing a cyme. Deciduous. Falling away. Decompound. More than once compound or divided. Dehiscent. Splitting at maturity . Deltoid. Triangular. Dentate. With sharp teeth, the tips of which project outward. Denticulate. With small, sharp teeth, the tips of which project outward . Depressed. Flattened from above. Dimorphic. Having two forms. Dioecious. With staminate flowers on one plant, pistillate on another. Dissected. Divided into narrow segments. Drupe. A type of fruit in which the seed is surrounded by a hard, dry covering which, in turn, is surrounded by fleshy material. Eglandular. Without glands. Ellipsoid. Referring to a solid object which is broadest at the middle, gradually tapering equally to both ends. Elliptic. Broadest at the middle, gradually tapering equally to both ends. Entire. Bearing no teeth along the margins. Excentric. Off-center. Exserted. Projecting beyond. Fibrous. Referring to roots borne in tufts. Filament. That part of the stamen supporting the anther. Filiform. Threadlike. Follicle. A type of dry, dehiscent fruit which splits along one side at maturity. Furrow. A groove. Fusiform. Spindle-shaped; tapering at both ends. Glabrate. Becoming smooth. Glabrous. Without pubescence or hairs. Gland. A structure that secretes . Glandular. With glands. Glaucous. With a whitish covering that can be rubbed off. Globose. Round; globular. Granular. Grainy in texture. Hastate. Spear-shaped; said of a leaf which is triangular with spreading basal lobes. Hirsute. With stiff hairs. Hirsutulous. With minute stiff hairs. Hirtellous. Finely hirsute. Hispid. With rigid hairs. Hispidulous. With minute rigid hairs. Imbricate. Overlapping. Indehiscent. Not splitting open at maturity. Inferior. Referring to the position of the ovary when it is surrounded by the adnate portion of the floral tube or is embedded in the receptacle. Inflorescence. A cluster of flowers . Involucral. Pertaining to the involucre. Involucre. A circle of bracts which subtends a flower cluster. Irregular. In reference to a flower having no symmetry at all. Keel. A ridge. Lanceolate. Lance-shaped; broadest near base, gradually tapering to the narrower apex. Lanceoloid. Referring to a solid object which is broadest near base, gradually tapering to the narrower apex. Linear. Narrow and approximately the same width at either end and the middle. Locular. Referring to the cells or cavities of a compound ovary. Locule. A cell or cavity of a compound ovary. Loculicidal. Said of a capsule which splits down the dorsal suture of each cell. Lustrous. Shiny. Membranaceous. Thin and more or less transparent. Monoecious. Bearing both sexes in...