Botanical Glossary

Fir-like; resembling or related to the fir tree (Abies).

Southernwood; the ancient name for Artemisia abrotanum.

A stress hormone that triggers dormancy, closes stomata during drought, and inhibits shoot growth.

The natural process by which plants shed leaves, flowers, or fruit.

Wormwood; the ancient name for the bitter aromatic herb.

Thorny; resembling a spiny thistle.

Lacking an obvious above-ground stem, with leaves rising straight from ground level.

Stemless; having no visible above-ground stem.

A plant's gradual, reversible adjustment to a change in its growing conditions.

Maple-leaved; with lobed leaves resembling a maple.

Maple-leaved; having palmate, lobed leaves like a maple.

Sour-tasting; with acidic leaves.

Slightly sour; little vinegar plant. Feminine diminutive.

A small, dry, one-seeded fruit that does not split open, with the single seed attached to the fruit wall at one point.

Acid-loving; describing a plant that thrives where the soil is acidic.

The nut of an oak, seated in a scaly woody cup.

Sharp or pungent; having a biting, acrid taste or smell.

Describing a plant whose root nodules fix nitrogen in partnership with Frankia bacteria.

Prickly; armed with sharp prickles arising from the bark.

Long-pointed; tapering to a fine point.

Long-pointed; drawn out to a slender tip, neuter gender.

Tapering to a sharp, elongated point; acuminate-tipped.

Sharp-pointed; with an acute apex.

Sharp-flowered; with pointed flowers.

Most sharply pointed; superlative of acutus.

Acute; ending in a sharp point.

Fused to a different kind of organ, such as stamens joined to petals.

Pressed close; lying flat against the surface.

Ascending; growing upward from a reclining base.

Hooked; bent or curved over so the tip finishes as a hook.

Arising in an unusual place, as roots from a stem.

A root that arises from a non-root tissue such as a stem or leaf.

Equal; uniform or alike in parts.

The process of introducing air into soil to reduce compaction.

A root that grows above ground and is exposed to the air.

Horse-chestnut-leaved; with leaves resembling Aesculus.

Of summer; flowering or most vigorous in summer.

Of summer; summer-flowering.

Related; closely resembling or allied to another species.

Of Africa; native to the African continent.

Agave-leaved; with leaves resembling Agave.

Chaste tree; meaning chaste lamb in Latin and Greek.

Of farmland; growing in or belonging to cultivated fields.

Of the fields; rural, growing wild in open country.

A propagation method where roots are induced to form on a stem while still attached to the parent plant.

The natural desiccation of root tips when exposed to air, which stimulates dense lateral root branching.

Winged; with wing-like ridges or appendages.

Of the Altamaha River, Georgia; named for its place of discovery.

Winged; having wing-like extensions on stems, seeds, or fruits.

White; having white-colored parts.

White-stemmed; having pale or white stems. Same form for masculine and feminine.

Whitish; somewhat white or pale.

Whitish; somewhat white or pale.

White Chinese; the white-barked birch from China. Same form for masculine and feminine.

White; of a notably white colour.

White; applied to plants with notably white flowers, fruit, or bark.

Of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska.

A bitter nitrogen-containing plant compound, often toxic.

Of the Allegheny Mountains. Same form for masculine and feminine.

The production of biochemicals by a plant that inhibit the growth of neighboring plants.

Alder-leaved; with leaves resembling Alnus.

Alder-like; resembling an alder in foliage or general bearing.

The classical Latin name for the alder tree.

Foxtail-like; resembling the grass Alopecurus. Same form for all genders.

Alpine; growing in high mountain habitats.

Of alpine or high-mountain habitats.

A leaf arrangement where single leaves emerge one at a time at each node.

Alternate; with leaves arranged singly at each node, alternating sides.

Alternate-flowered; flowers arranged alternately.

Alternate-leaved; leaves arranged alternately on the stem.

Very tall; tallest; superlative of altus.

Tallest; of the greatest height in its genus or family.

Lovely; worthy of love; endearing.

Bitter; having a sharp, bitter taste.

Any material added to soil to improve its physical or chemical properties.

Of America; native to North or South America.

Of America; native to the Americas.

Amethyst-colored; violet-blue.

Charming; pleasant; beautiful.

Vine-leek; the wild leek, from Greek.

Stalkless and wrapping around the stem.

Stem-clasping; with leaf bases that wrap around the stem.

Of the Amur River region, eastern Asia.

Of the Amur River region. Same form for masculine and feminine.

Resembling Anagyris; like the bean trefoil. Same form for all genders.

Of Anatolia; from Asia Minor, largely modern Turkey.

All the stamens of a flower, considered together as one unit.

Having both bisexual (perfect) flowers and male-only flowers on the same plant.

A flowering plant that produces seeds enclosed within a fruit.

English; of England.

Angled; having distinct angles on stems or other organs.

Narrow-leaved; with slender leaves.

Narrow-leaved; neuter form of the Latin narrow-leaf epithet.

Narrow-leaved; having slender, narrow leaves.

Very narrow; narrowest; superlative of angustus.

Yearly; completing its life cycle in a single season (feminine).

A plant that completes its entire life cycle in one growing season.

Annual; completing its life cycle in one year (neuter).

Annual; completing its life cycle in a single year.

Anomalous; departing from the usual form.

Anomalous; irregular or departing from the norm of its genus.

The American National Standard for tree care operations, providing industry-accepted practices.

Southern; of the far south.

The pollen-bearing tip of a stamen.

A water-soluble plant pigment giving red, purple and blue colouring.

A group of fungal diseases causing dark, sunken lesions on leaves, stems, and fruits.

A class of yellow plant pigments, several of which act as strong laxatives.

Ancient; of great age or long-established cultivation.

Cleavers; the ancient Greek name for the sticky Galium.

Apical; positioned at the apex or tip of a structure.

Having carpels that remain separate from one another rather than fused.

Setting viable seed without fertilisation, producing clones of the parent.

Bearing small appendages; furnished with little attached outgrowths.

Lying flat against the surface it grows on.

Sun-loving; growing in or preferring open, sunny situations.

A plant that grows partially or fully submerged in water.

Of water; growing in or beside water.

Of water; growing in or submerged in water.

Holly-leaved; with sharp needle-pointed leaves.

Eagle-like; with fronds resembling an eagle spread in flight.

Eagle-like; resembling an eagle in some feature.

Named for Pere Paul Perny; a commemorative hybrid epithet.

Of Arabia; from the Arabian Peninsula or surrounding desert regions.

Spider-web-like; covered with fine cobweb hairs.

Spider-like or cobwebbed; covered in fine, web-like hairs.

Of Araucania, Chile; named for the Araucanian people.

Becoming tree-like; growing to a tree-like size or form.

Tree-like; growing to tree proportions.

Tree-like; growing to the size or form of a tree.

Having stems that curve gracefully outward and downward.

Arctic; of the far north and its cold, high-latitude regions.

Of sand; growing in sandy soils or sand dunes.

Of sandy places.

Silvery; having a bright silver coloration or sheen.

Sharp-toothed-leaved; with sharply serrated leaves.

Whitebeam; the ancient name for the white-backed leaved Sorbus.

A fleshy or hairy outgrowth covering part of a seed, often brightly coloured to attract animals.

Awned; with bristle-like projections.

Of Arizona; native to Arizona.

Named for Pere Armand David, French naturalist in China.

Armed; bearing spines, thorns or prickles.

Of Armenia; from the Armenian region.

Aromatic; having a spicy or herbal fragrance, especially in the foliage.

Jointed; having distinct segments separated by joints.

Reed-like; resembling a reed.

Reed-like; resembling a reed.

Of the fields; associated with open, cultivated or grassy ground.

Of arable fields; a weed of cultivated ground.

Of cultivated fields or arable land.

Milkweed-like; resembling Asclepias.

Of Asia; native to the Asian continent.

Rough; having a rough, harsh surface texture.

Rough; rough-textured or harsh to the touch.

A genus of shade-loving evergreen perennials whose name means "little shield."

Spleenwort; a genus of ferns historically associated with treating the spleen.

Of the Atlas Mountains or Atlantic region.

Orache-leaved; with leaves resembling Atriplex.

Dark purple; of a very deep purple colour.

Dark purple; very deep, blackish-purple in color.

Dark red; very deep, blackish-red.

Dark blood-red; of a very deep crimson.

Very dark blood-red; blackish blood-red.

Dark green; having a deep, rich, dark green color.

Tapered; gradually narrowed to a slender point.

Bird-catching; berries that attract birds.

Named for Augustine Henry, Irish botanist in China.

Orange; of an orange colour.

Orange; the color of an orange fruit.

Golden; having golden-yellow coloration.

Golden; of a golden-yellow colour.

A small ear-shaped lobe, usually at the base of a leaf blade.

Little ear; with small ear-shaped parts.

Eared; with ear-like lobes at the base.

Bearing small ear-like lobes at the base.

Of Australasia; from Australia, New Zealand, or nearby Pacific islands.

Of the south; from southern regions.

Of autumn; neuter form of the autumn-flowering epithet.

Of autumn; flowering or fruiting in autumn.

A class of plant hormones that regulate cell elongation, root initiation, and phototropism.

Hazelnut; of Avella, Italy, or bearing hazel-like nuts.

Of little birds; with seeds eaten by small birds.

A slender bristle-like projection on a plant part.

The angle between the upper side of a leaf and the stem.

Axillary; borne in the leaf axils rather than at stem tips.

Arising from an axil, the angle where a leaf meets the stem.

A dormant embryonic shoot that forms in the angle between leaf and stem.

Sky-blue; of a clear bright blue.