Plant Dictionary
Identifying plants is not difficult. Knowing and understanding the terms related to different types of plants will help the process. One does not have to be a Botanist to learn botany. With a little bit of knowledge, backyard gardeners and lawn specialists will be identifying plants like pros in no time at all.
Plant Terms
Achene: Non fleshy fruit with one seed.
Acicular: Needle-like, with a sharp point.
Acaulescent: Without a stem.
Annual: Plant that lives for about a year.
Anther: Part of the stamen that produces pollen.
Aaron’s Beard: Another name for St John’s Wort.
Aggregate: clustered densely.
Aianthous: Flowering constantly.
Anemophilous: Pollinated by the wind.
Apetalous: Without petals.
Areole: Area on a cactus from which the spines arise.
Asporogenous: Non-spore forming.
Awn: The angle formed between a leaf and a stem.
Bark: The outer covering of trees and some plants.
Berry : Any fleshy fruit with one or more seeds and a skin.
Biennial: Plant that lives for about two years.
Biflorum: Two-flowered
Bisexual: A plant having both male and female reproductive organs present and functional.
Bloom: The flower on a plant.
Bole: Trunk of a tree.
Bract: The small leaf-like structure below a flower.
Branch: The natural division of a plant’s stem.
Bud: Swelling projection on a plant that develops into a leaf or flower.
Bulb: An underground vertical shoot that stores food for a dormant plant within it.
Bur: Prickly covering for a seed, which may have spines or hooks used during dispersal.
Burl: The spot where the stem joins the roots.
Calyx: The outer part of a flower that is composed of sepals.
Caespitose: Grows in tufts.
Clavate: Shaped like a club.
Compound leaves: Two or more leaflets attached to a single stem.
Conical: Shaped like a cone.
Cordate: Shaped like a heart.
Corolla: Petals surrounding the stamens and pistil on a flower.
Culm: Hollow stem found in grasses or sedges.
Deciduous: Plant leaves fall off seasonally.
Dioecious: Plants have male and female flowers on separate plants.
Diphylla: Having two leaves.
Dormant: In a state of rest.
Elater: Part of cell that helps disperse spores.
Endemic: Restricted to a certain location or soil type.
Entomophilous: Pollinated by insects.
Ephemeral: A plant or flower that lives only a short time or blooms only occasionally under the right conditions.
Filament: Part of the stamen that holds up the anther.
Frond: The leaf on a fern.
Frutescent: Woody.
Halophyte: A plant that is able to tolerate large amounts of salt in the soil in which it grows.
Heliotropic: Plant parts moving in response to light.
Herb: An aromatic, non-woody plant that is used in cooking and medicine.
Hibernal: A plant that grows or flowers in winter.
Host: A plant that nourishes a parasite.
Husk: Outer covering of fruits or seeds.
Hybridus: Mixed.
Hydrophytic: Plants that are adapted to grow in water.
Joint: Another term for node.
Lanceolate: Shaped like a lance.
Leaflet: One small blade that is part of a compound leaf.
Midrib: The vein in the center of a leaf.
Node: The point on a stem where leaves or branches originate.
Obicualar: Shaped like a circle.
Obovoid: Shaped like an egg, with the broader part on top.
Orbicular: Also shaped like a circle.
Ovate: Shaped like an egg, with the broader part at the base.
Palea: The upper bract of a floret in grasses.
Paludose: Plants that grow in wetlands or marshes.
Pedicel: Single flower’s stalk.
Peduncle: Cluster flower’s stalk.
Perennial: Plant that lives for more than two years.
Petals: Part of the flower that attracts pollinators.
Pistil: Female reproductive organ of the flower.
Pistillate: Has pistils but no stamen.
Propagule: A cutting, seed or spore that propagates asexually into a plant.
Root: Part of the plant that is usually below ground, which holds it in place and draws in nutrients and moisture from the soil.
Runner: A stolon in which a prostate stem roots at the node and forms a new plant that detaches from the parent plant.
Samara: Dry fruit with wings like on a maple tree.
Scape: A leafless flowering stem that grows directly from the ground.
Sepals: Part of the flower that covers and protects the bud.
Shoot: Young branch that grows from main stock.
Shrub: Short woody plant with a base from which several stems grow, that does not have a single trunk.
Spike: A long flower cluster that is attached directly to the stalk.
Spore: Small reproductive body produced by mosses and ferns.
Stalk: Main stem of a plant that supports the leaves, flowers and fruit.
Stamen: Male reproductive organ of the flower.
Stellate: Shaped like a star.
Sterile: Plants that are incapable of reproducing.
Stigma: Part of the Pistil that accepts pollen.
Stolon: A stem that grows from another stem, has roots at the tip, and develops into a new plant.
Style: Part of the Pistil that holds up the Stigma.
Succulent: a plant such as a cactus that stores water in its thick fleshy leaves or stems.
Tendril: Modified stem or leaf allowing a plant to climb.
Thorn: Sharp, rigid point on a plant stem.
Tree: A woody plant with a main trunk.
Tube: The lower part of a corolla or calyx.
Umbel: A group of flowers growing from a common center to form a cluster.
Vernal: Occurring in or related to spring.
Venation: Way in which veins are arranged on a leaf.
Weed: Aggressive plant that grows where it’s not wanted.
Whorl: Three or more leaves that surround a stem at the same point.
Wildflower: A flowering plant that grows in its natural state and is not cultivated.
Xlem: Woody tissue that transports water in plants.
Zoophilous: Pollinated by animals.
