Plant Glossary

Choose the first letter of the the term you're interested in:
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

- A -

Achene: A non-fleshy, 1-seeded fruit.
Acute: Sharp-pointed.
Acutiloba: Having sharp lobes
Ague: Old word for fever, usually malaria.
Alba: White.
Albidum: Whitish.
Allergenic: Produces allergy.
Alterative: Changes a condition gradually.
Alternate: Type of leaf arrangement in which only a single leaf is attached at each node. Term may also apply to other plant structures attached one per node.
Ambrosioides: Fragrant, like ambrosia.
Ament: Catkin.
Americanus: American.
Androsaemifolium: Having leaves like those of Androsaemum.
Annual: A plant with a 1-year life cycle, growing from seed, producing flowers and fruits, and dying in 1 year.
Anodyne: Relieves or quiets pain.
Antacid: Neutralizes excess acidity in the alimentary canal.
Anthelmintic: Capable of expelling or destroying intestinal worms.
Anther: The pollen-bearing part of the stamen.
Antiasthmatic: Relaxes bronchial muscles and relieves labored breathing.
Antidiarrheal: Counteracts diarrhea.
Antidote: Counteracts the action of a poison.
Antiemetic: Lessens the tendency to vomit.
Anti-infective: Prevents or inhibits infection.
Anti-inflammatory: Reduces inflammation and swelling.
Antinauseant: Stops or lessens the tendency to become nauseated.
Antipruritic: Prevents or relieves itching (antipsoriatic).
Antipyretic: Reduces fever.
Antirheumatic: Reduces pain in the joints.
Antiseptic: Checks or inhibits the growth of microorganisms.
Antispasmodic: Reduces spasm or prevents convulsion.
Antitussive: Relieves or prevents coughing.
Aparine: Bedstraw.
Appressed: Lying close and flat against another part.
Aquatic: Growing in water.
Arborescens: Tree-like.
Arched: Having the form of an arch; curved.
Aromatic: Agreeable, usually spicy, odor.
Astringent: Causes the contraction of tissue.
Atropurpurea: Very dark purple.
Aureus: Gold.
Awn: A slender bristle-tip.
Awnless: Lacking an awn.
Axil: The upper angle between the point of attachment of a leaf and stem.
Axillary: Referring to the axil of a leaf.
Axis: Main line of growth.

- B -

Balsam: An aromatic substance produced in certain plants.
Balsamifera: Producing balsam.
Banner: The enlarged upper petal of a flower of the pea family (Fabaceae).
Basal: Occurring at the bottom.
Beak: A prolonged, usually narrowed tip of a thicker structure, as in some fruits and petals.
Beaked: Ending in a beak.
Benedictus: Blessed.
Benzoin: A plant of the laurel family.
Biennial: A plant that requires 2 growing seasons to complete its development from germination of the seed through flowering and death.
Biflorum: Having two flowers.
Biforked: Divided into two branches, as in hairs that are split near the tip into two separate branches.
Bilateral (symmetry): Divisible into identical halves in only one plane; found in "irregular" flowers such as orchids.
Blade: The expanded, flattened part of a leaf or petal.
Bract: A reduced leaf subtending a flower, usually associated with the inflorescence.
Branchlet: A small branch growing from a large branch or tree trunk.
Bristle: A hair-like structure; in members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae), it refers to one type of pappus, while in certain members of the sedge family (Cyperaceae) it refers to reduced perianth parts.
Bristly: Having short, stiff hairs.
Bulbous: Enlarged, bulb-shaped structure.
Bur: Prickly seed envelope armed with spines or hooks, usually adapted for dispersal by animals.
Buttressed: With projecting parts, usually referes to trunk of trees such as Cypress.

- C -

Calamus: Reed.
Calcareous: Referring to limestone or lime-rich soils.
Calyx: Outer whorl of flowering parts, collective term for all the sepals of a flower, (plural = calyces).
Canadense: Of Canada.
Capillus veneris: Hair-like.
Capsule: A dry fruit that opens by slits, lids, pores, or teeth to release seeds.
Carcinogenic: Causing cancer.
Cardiaca: Heart-like.
Cardio: Referring to heart action.
Carminative: Used to relieve gas and colic.
Carolinense: Of Carolina.
Cataria: Catnip.
Catarrhal: Related to inflammation of the respiratory tract.
Cathartic: Causes an evacuation of the bowel.
Catkin: An inflorescence composed of an often drooping, or pendulous, cluster of an often drooping, or pendulous, cluster of unisexual, petal-less flowers, typical of wind pollinated trees and shrubs, such as willows, cottonwoods, oaks, and birches; also called an ament.
Caustic: Destroys tissue.
Central nervous depressant: Depresses central nervous system activity.
Central nervous stimulant: Increases central nervous system activity.
Cerifera: Wax-producing.
Cholagogue: Increases the flow of bile.
Cinerea: Grayish.
Clasping: Leaf base partly or wholly surrounding the stem.
Clava-Herculis: Hercules club.
Cleft: With a space or division in the middle.
Clover-like: With leaves in three parts.
Cluster: A number of similar flowers or fruits growing closely together.
Cobwebby: With the appearance of spider webbing, usually refering to very fine hairs.
Communis: In groups.
Composite: Refers to a structure apparently simple but made up of several distinct parts.
Compound: Two or more similar parts of a plant, especially fruits or leaves, united together into one whole.
Compound leaf: A leaf divided into leaflets.
Congested: Crowded, as in an inflorescence with many densely clustered flowers.
Constituent: A component.
Contracted: Narrowed in a particular place.
Cordifolia: Heart-shaped.
Corm: An enlarged solid bulb-like stem, usually underground.
Corolla: Collective term for all the petals of a flower, these petals may be separate or fused together.
Corona: An appendage borne between corolla and stamens in some flowers.
Corrective: Used to correct or make more pleasant the action of other remedies, especially purgatives. (Now called flavoring.)
Counterirritant: Causes irritation of the surface of an area with the object of relieving a deep-seated congestion.
Creeping: Spreading over the gound or other surface.
Crispus: Waved and twisted.
Culm: The hollow or pithy (non-woody) stem found in grasses and sedges.
Cumarin: A toxic white crystalline lactone found in many plants; used to make perfume and soap.
Cylindrical: Having the form of a cylinder.
Cyme: Broad, flat flower cluster.
Cytotoxic: Poisonous to cells.

- D -

Deciduous: Falling off; not permanent or evergreen.
Decumbent: Resting on the ground, but with the tip rising up (in contrast to prostrate, in which a structure lies completely flat on the ground.)
Dehiscent: Splitting open along regular lines, as in a fruit or anther.
Demulcent: Substance used to protect or soothe the mucous membrane.
Dental obtundant: Used to dull or soothe acute toothache.
Depurative: Removes impurities and waste materials and purifies the blood.
Detachable: Removable.
Diaphoretic: Used to increase perspiration.
Didyma: In pairs.
Digestant: Aids in the digestion of foods.
Diphylla: Two-leaved.
Disinfectant: Destroys or inhibits the growth of harmful microorganisms.
Disjunct: Separated from the main, continuous portion of a species' range.
Disk: The tubular flowers found at the center of the flower head of man members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae).
Diuretic: Increases the volume of urine.
Dormant: Resting or non-vegetative stage, usually during winter.
Downy: Covered with soft hairs.
Drab: Dull brown, or gray.
Drupe: Fleshy seeded fruit with one seed enclosed in a stony cover; peach, apricot.
Dyspepsia: A disturbed digestive condition characterized by nausea, gas, and heartburn.

- E -

Ellipsoid: Solid with elliptical outline.
Elliptic: Oval shaped, with the ends rounded and the widest point at the middle.
Elliptical: Shaped like an elongated circle.
Elongate: Stretched out.
Emetic: An agent that causes vomiting.
Emmenagogue: An agent that induces menstrual flow.
Emmolient: Used externally to soften the skin and protect it.
Endemic: Restricted to a particular geographic region or soil type.
Entire: Undivided; in leaves; having the leaf margins smooth rather that incised or toothed.
Enzyme: Organic substance causing chemical changes without undergoing any change of its own.
Erect: Upright in relation to the ground.
Erectum: Erect.
Evergreen: Bearing green leaves or stems over the winter; not deciduous
Exceed: To be longer than.
Excrescence: An outgrowth or enlargement.
Expectorant: An agent that causes expulsion of mucous from respiratory tract.
Exudate: Discharge in layers or flakes.

- F -

Farinosa: Covered with whitish mealy powder.
Febrifuge: Reduces fever (antipyretic).
Fertile: Bearing or producing reproductive structures.
Fibrous roots: Roots with several to many more or less equal branches; lacking a large central taproot.
Flatulence: Stomach discomfort caused by gas.
Floret: The reduced flower of grasses, consisting of a lemma, palea, stamens, and pistil.
Follicle: A type of dry fruit derived from a single pistil that splits open along only one suture line, as in milkweed pods.
Frond: Leaf of fern or palm.
Frondosa: Full of leaves.
Fruit: The ripened, seed-containing reproductive structure of a plant.
Fungicide: An agent that destroys fungi.
Funiculus: The stalk attaching the ovule or seed to the wall of the ovary, (plural = funiculi); a structure of diagnostic value for Physaria spp. (Brassicaceae).
Furrowed: Wrinkled, corrugated, grooved.

- G -

Garbling: Process of sorting out and cleaning the usable parts of plants.
Genera: Groups of related plants.
Glabra: Smooth.
Glabrous: Without hairs.
Gland: A depression or appendage which usually secretes a sticky fluid.
Glandular: Bearing glands.
Glaucous: Covered with a waxy coat, often whitish or bluish in color.
Glumes: The pair of bracts at the base of a grass spikelet.

- H -

Habitat: The part of the environment where a plant grows.
Hastata: Triangular halberd-shaped lobes.
Head: A dense cluster of flowers, usually nearly spherical in outline. Individual flowers in the head are usually sessile or nearly so.
Hemostatic: An agent used to stop internal hemmorrhage.
Herb: Leafy upper portion of plant, minus roots.
Herbaceous: Non-woody; dying to the ground each year.
Hippocastanum: Horse-chestnut.
Humus: Organic portion of the soil, usually dark colored.
Husk: Outer covering of seed or fruits.
Hybridus: Mixed or impure.
Hydropiper: Water pepper.
Hyemale: Of the winter evergreen.
Hypnotic: An agent that induces sleep without delirium.

- I -

Incarnata: Flesh-colored.
Incision: A sharp, narrow notch or separation, as in the margin of a leaf.
Inferior: Located beneath or lower than another structure, as in the ovary of a flower located beneath the sepals and petals.
Inflata: Expanded.
Inflated: A structure that is bladdery or expanded like a balloon.
Inflorescence: The flowering part of a plant, usually referring to a cluster of flowers on a single stem.
Inrolled: Curled or curved inwards; involute.
Insecticide: An agent that kills insects.
Internode: The portion of a stem between two successive nodes, the gap between successive points of attachment of leaves on a stem.
Interrupted: Discontinuous; in an inflorescence, having clusters of flowers interspersed with bare areas of stem.
Intoxicant: An agent that produces mental confusion with subsequent loss of muscular control.
Involucre: A whorl of bracts located beneath (subtending) a flower cluster, as in the heads of members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae).
Irritant: Causes inflammation of, or stimulation to, the tissues.

- J -

- K -

Keel: A prominent ridge, shaped like the keel of a boat; in some members of the pea family (Fabaceae), the lower, boat-shaped petal of the flower that encloses the ovary and stamens.

- L -

Lanceolate: Lance-shaped, much longer than broad and tapering to a tip.
Lappa: Bur-like.
Lateral: On or at the side.
Lateriflora: Having flowers on the side.
Laxative: A cathartic that causes a more or less normal evacuation of the bowel without griping or irritation.
Leaflet: Any subdivision of a compound leaf.
Leafstalk: Stem of a leaf.
Lemma: The larger of the two bracts (the other being the palea) that enclose the stamens and pistil in a grass floret.
Lenta: Pliant, tough.
Ligule: Membranous structure or fringe of hairs found at the junction of the leaf blade and sheath of grasses.
Linear: Several times longer than wide, usually refers to very narrowly shaped leaves or fruits.
Lip: The lowermost, often highly modified, petal of some flowers (such as orchids, mints, and penstemons).
Lobe: Rounded part or segment of an organ, usually part of a leaf or petal.
Luteum: Yellow.

- M -

Maculata: Spotted.
Margin: An edge, as in the edge of a leaf blade.
Marilandica: Of Maryland.
Mealy: Soft, dry, and crumbly textured, as in certain fruits.
Medica: Middle.
Membranous: Thin, soft, and pliable.
Midrib: The main, central vein of a leaf, bract, scale, or petal.
Millefolium: Very many leaved.
Minus: Lesser or smaller.
Mucilaginous: Slimy.

- N -

Narcotic: An agent that relieves distress and induces sleep.
Needle: Long, narrow, sharp-pointed leaves, such as those of many conifers and some clubmosses.
Nigra: Black.
Nodding: Drooping.
Node: The point of attachment of a leaf or leaves on a stem; the joint of a stem.
Nudicaulis: Naked-stemmed.
Nudum: Bare.
Nutlet: A small, one-seeded, nut-like structure; the specialized fruit of members of the borage (Boraginaceae) and mint families (Lamiaceae).

- O -

Oblanceolate: A structure that is broadest near the tip and tapering to a narrower base.
Oblong: Much longer than broad, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.
Odoratissima: Very fragrant.
Officinale: Used medically.
Once-pinnate: A compound leaflet divided into entire leaflets (the leaflets are not further divided into lobes or secondary leaflets).
Opposite: Type of leaf arrangement in which two leaves are attached on opposite sides of a stem at the same node.
Opthalmiatric: Used in the treatment of eye diseases.
Ovary: The part of the pistil of a flower that contains the ovules.
Ovate: Egg-shaped, with the broadest end toward the base.

- P -

Palea: The smaller of the two bracts (the other being the lemma) that enclose the stamens and pistil in a grass floret.
Palmate: Lobed or veined with branches arising from a common point, like the fingers of a hand.
Palustris: Of swamps.
Panicle: A much-branched inflorescence in which the central axis (main stem) bears flowering branches which are themselves branched again.
Pappus: The modified sepals (calyx) of members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae) found at the top of the fruit in the form of thin bristles, feather-like plumes, scales, or sharp awns.
Parasiticide: An agent that destroys animal or vegetable parasites.
Partition: Line separating the two halves of the fruit of a mustard (Brassicaceae).
Parviflorum: Small-flowered.
Pectinate: Resembling a comb in having very narrow parallel segments borne at a right angle to the main axis.
Pectoral: Usually an expectorant, used for diseases of the chest and lungs.
Pedatum: Like a bird's foot.
Pedicel: The stalk of a single flower in a flower cluster, a single fruit, or a single grass spikelet.
Peduncle: The stalk of a flower or flower cluster.
Peltatum: Shield-shaped.
Peregrina: Traveling from a strange country.
Perennial: A plant which lives for three or more years.
Perfoliatum: Having pierced leaves.
Perianth: Collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower.
Perigynia: Sac-like structure enclosing the fruit in species of Carex (Cyperaceae). Singular = perigynium.
Persistent: Remaining attached, as in the calyx on a fruit or remnant, dead leaves.
Petal: The usually colored, individual components of the corolla of a flower; literally the leaves of a flower.
Petiole: A leaf stalk.
Pinnate: With leaflets, lobes, or veins originating from several different points on each side of a main axis, as in the structure of a feather.
Pinnately compound: Division of a leaf blade into leaflets arranged on each side of a common leafstalk.
Piperita: Peppery.
Pistil: The ovule-bearing structure of a flower, consisting of a stigma, style, and ovary; the "female" part of a flower.
Pistillate: With pistils, but lacking stamens; "female".
Pod: A dry seed vessel or fruit.
Pollen: Shed by male flowers, usually yellow dust; male reproductive agent.
Pratense: Of meadows.
Procumbens: Flat, prostrate.
Prostrate: Lying flat upon the ground (in contrast to decumbent in which a structure lies flat on the ground except for the tip which rises upward).
Protective: Used locally to protect and soothe the skin and mucous membranes.
Prunifolium: Plum-like leaves.
Pubescence: Any type of hair-like structure on a plant part.
Pubescent: Having hairs.
Pulegioides: Like Pennyroyal.
Pungent: A sharp sensation as to taste, smell, feeling.
Purgative: Increases peristalsis (contraction of the bowel).
Pustulant: Causes severe irritation of the skin, especially the sweat glands and results in pustule formation.

- Q -

Quinquefolium: Five-leaved.

- R -

Raceme: An elongate inflorescence made up of stalked flowers attached directly to the main axis.
Racemosa: Full of clusters.
Ray: The strap-like flowers at the margin of a head in members of the sunflower family (Asteraceae); a primary branch of the inflorescence in members of the parsley family (Apiaceae).
Receptacle: The enlarged tip of the flowering stem that bears all or most of the flower parts.
Reclining: Bent down.
Recurved: Curved downward or backwards.
Reflexed: Abruptly bent downward or back.
Refrigerant: Allays thirst and gives a sensation of coolness to the body.
Repens: Creeping.
Replum: Internal membranous partition dividing the fruit of mustards into two halves.
Resinous: Characteristic of resin, a solid to semi-solid yellowish brown plant substance.
Respiratory sedative: Used to allay coughs.
Respiratory stimulant: Stimulates the respiratory centers.
Rhizomatous: Bearing rhizomes.
Rhizome: An underground stem or rootstock bearing reduced, scaly leaves.
Rhombic: Having the form of an equilateral parallelogram.
Rib: Prominently raised vein or wing-like structure.
Rootstock: Slow-growing, woody upright underground base of a perennial herb that gives rise to yearly growth of stems and leaves; caudex.
Rosette: A crowded cluster of leaves located at, or near the ground, at the base of a stem.
Ross: To remove coarse outer bark.
Rubifacient: Causes reddening and mild irritation of the skin.
Rubra: Red.

- S -

Saprophyte: A plant living on dead or decaying plant material.
Scabrous: Rough to the touch like sandpaper, usually due to very short, stiff hairs or outgrowths of the epidermis.
Scale: Any thin, short, often membranous structure; in the sedge family (Cyperaceae) often used in reference to the bracts that subtend individual staminate and pistillate flowers; small, sharp-tipped leaves of certain clubmosses (Lycopodiaceae).
Scariola: Papery, scaly.
Secund: Oriented on one side of an axis, as in fruits or flowers all being on one side of a stem.
Sedative: Used to quiet the individual.
Sempervirens: Evergreen.
Sepal: An individual leaf-like segment of the calyx of a flower.
Serotina: Late-flowering.
Serpentaria: Snake bite cure.
Serrate: Saw-toothed margin of a leaf.
Serrulata: Finely serrated.
Sessile: Lacking a stalk, hence directly attached to a main stem or branch.
Sheath: The lower part of the leaf that enfolds the stem in grasses, sedges, and rushes; in horsetails (Equisetum) used to describe the ring of papery leaves at each stem joint.
Shrub: A woody plant with several equally large stems from the base, usually less than 4.5 m tall.
Sialagogue: Causes an increase in the flow of saliva.
Silique: A fruit type found in certain members of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) characterized by its long, slender shape that is typically 3 or more times longer than wide.
Simple: Unbranched or undivided; in leaves refers to condition in which leaves are not divided into leaflets.
Simple leaf: A leaf that is not divided into leaflets even though lobed.
Simplicissima: Undivided.
Solitary: Borne alone.
Somnifacient: Produces sleep without delirium; a soporific.
Soporific: Tending to cause sleep.
Spicata: Bearing a spike.
Spike: An elongated inflorescence of sessile flowers or florets.
Spikelet: The basic unit of the inflorescence of grasses and sedges. In grasses (Poaceae), it is composed of a pair of basal glumes subtending I or more florets. In sedges (Cyperaceae) it consists of a single bract subtending a flower.
Spiny: Bearing sharp-pointed prickles or woody bodies.
Spore: The reproductive body produced and dispersed by ferns, horsetails, club mosses and other "lower" vascular plants that do not reproduce by true seeds.
Spreading: Diverging at nearly a right angle from a structure; nearly prostrate.
Spur: A tubular or sac-shaped extension of a petal or sepal.
Stalk: Stem on which a leaf, flower, or other organ is attached.
Stamen: The pollen-producing structures of a flower; the "male" part of a flower.
Staminate: With stamens, but lacking a pistil; "male".
Sterile: Non-fertile; structure lacking reproductive parts or abilities.
Stigma: The surface of the pistil on which pollen grains land and germinate.
Stimulant (cerebral): An agent that stimulates the activity of the cerebellum, especially the centers of reason, thought, etc.
Stimulant (general): A substance which increases general functional activity.
Stipule: Leaf-like or scaly appendages (typically paired) at the base of the petiole in many plants. These may be fused at the base as in some members of the pea family (Fabaceae).
Stolon: A horizontal stem, usually growing along the surface of the ground, often giving rise to new plants at its tip; runner.
Stomachic: Stimulates appetite and increases secretion of digestive juices.
Stramonium: Swelling.
Strict: Straight and upright; few if any branches.
Strobilus: Cone-like reproductive structure; spore-bearing structure of horsetails (Equisetaceae) and clubmosses (Lycopodiaceae). Plural = Strobili.
Strobus: Overlapping scales; cone.
Style: The portion of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma.
Styraciflua: Flowering gum.
Subtend: Below and close to, such as a bract below a petal.
Sudorific: Increases perspiration.
Sylvatica: Of the forest, wild.
Syriaca: Of Syria.

- T -

Taeniafuge: A tapeworm expellant.
Taenicide: An agent that destoys tapeworms.
Taproot: The primary root from which secondary (smaller, lateral) roots arise.
Terminal: Located at the tip of a structure.
Ternately compound: Divided into threes, as in a leaf consisting of three leaflets.
Thalictroides: Like meadow rue.
Thapsus: Of ancient Thapsus.
Tinctoria: Of dyes.
Tonic: Stimulates the restoration of tone to the muscles.
Tooth: Any small, marginal lobe, usually on the edge of a leaf blade.
Toothed: Indented.
Torulose: Alternately swollen and constricted, a condition often found in the fruit of certain mustards (Brassicaceae).
Trifoliate: Having three leaflets.
Triforked: Divided into three branches, as in hairs that are divided near their tip into three separate branches.
Triphyllum: Three-leaved.
Tuberosa: Having tubers
Tubular: Tube-shaped; hollow cylinder.
Tufted: A close-growing cluster of stems, as in certain bunchgrasses, sedges, and mat-forming herbs.
Tussock: A compact, densely tufted growth form of some grasses and sedges.
Twig: The current year's growth of a stem; the endmost section of a branch.
Twining: Twisting and winding.

- U -

Umbel: A flat topped cluster of flowers arising from a common point.
Umbel: A flower cluster in which the individual flower stalks arise from a common point, like the rays of an umbrella.
Umbellata: Having flowers arranged in umbels.
Urinary antiseptic: Retards the growth of microorganisms in the urinary tract.

- V -

Valve: One of the segments into which a dehiscent fruit separates.
Vasoconstrictor: Narrows the passageway of the blood vessel.
Vegetative: A sterile structure of a plant, not associated with the production or dissemination of seeds, spores, or pollen.
Vein: A vascular bundle of a leaf or petal; nerve.
Vermicide: An agent that destroys worms.
Vesicant: Causes irritation to the skin, resulting in blisters.
Villosa: Shaggy, hairy.
Viride: Green.
Viscid: Sticky; with sticky exudates.
Viscous: Sticky and thick.
Vulgare: Common.
Vulnerary: An agent that promotes healing of open wounds.

- W -

Whorl: Three or more flowers or leaves at a node forming a circle.
Wing: A thin, often dry or leaf-like extension bordering a structure; in some members of the pea family (Fabaceae), the two lateral petals of the flower.
Winged: Having wings, such as the thin dry extensions on a maple seed.
Woolly: With long, interwoven hairs."

- X -

- Y -

- Z -