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S: Words and Terms beginning with S

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 5:15 am

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S

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry


(32)

Samara: Is a winged achene or fruit. The fibrous wing allows the fruit to travel on the wind further from the parent plant. An example would be the seeds of maple trees(Acer) and Elm trees(Ulmus)

Sandy / Light soil: Lacking organic matter, the soil is low in nutrients and will not retain water. Composed of more sand than clay, sandy soil is easily cultivated and warms up more quickly than clay soil.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the Soli Types category.

Scale A sap feeding insect often recognised by the sticky residue left as a result of feeding. Mature insects are light brown to brown hard shelled and attached to a stem or underside of a leaf.

Scape: The flower stalk of a plant without leaves. Example: A Daylily plant.

Seed: Covered by a protective coat seeds contain all the embryonic information to produce another plant.
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Seed Pod: A container that contains seeds of a flower

Senescence The process wherein a plant ages. Cell division and growth capacity ceases or is severely deminished.

Sepal: Part of the protective covering of a flower bud, collectively called the calyx.
Reference: http://www.gardenstew.com/about32159.html

Shade Garden: An area of land that receives dapple shade/sun or less than 2-3 hours direct sun, Morning is better than mid or afternoon sun. Deep shade receives little or no direct sunlight. Like the color gray there is a also a wide latitude for shade.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the suitable for category.

Shrub: A woody plant with multiple stems growing less than 12-14 feet. Stems are less tham 3 inches in diameter.
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Side Shoots: a shoot that grows laterally away from the plant stem.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Silty: Waterborn sand, soil or mud deposited as a sediment.
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Soli Types category.

Slug / Snail Resistant: A plant that is inherently unappetizing to a gastropod or mollusk.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the wildlife Value category.

Soil pH: A measure of soil acidity or alkalinity. While the scale allows for a range of 0 to 14 plants usually live on soil with a ph range of 5.0 to 9.0 pH effects the ability pf a plant to use nutrients hence the need to monitor soil ph to accommodate the needs of plants.

Solanine: A poison found in members of the nightshade family. Noted members whose leaves and flowers are toxic are tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and peppers.

Spatulate:A leaf that like a spatula is narrow in the beginning and widens to a larger spoon shape
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Spear-shaped: Or hastate shaped is pointed at the tip, widening to the base that forms pointed lobes resembling barbs.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Speciation clock: Is a molecular evolution timing technique used to identify the separation of species over geologic time.

Spice: Parts of plants used in seasoning food. They can be seeds, leaves pods or other parts, fresh or dried.
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Spores: A single or multi-celled organism that is the reproduction mechanism for a plant or fungi either asexually or with another spore.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Stamen: The organ that produces pollen in a flower

Stem Cutting: A process wherein a plant is propagated using a portion of a stem planted in a new media and allowed to establish new roots.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Stolon / Runner: A surface root that traverses the ground establishing roots at nodes as well as new plants.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Stomata: an orifice or hole in a leaf that allows for the exchange of gases like oxygen and carbon-dioxide. Usually found on the underside of a leaf.

Sublimation: The transition of a solid to a gas without going through an intermediary stage of a liquid. i.e. ice to water vapor

subnivean space: Refers to the low shallow space that forms between the snowpack and the ground. Here animals such as mice and voles are active during the winter seeking food and relative security from predators. As the snow melts the meandering tunnels of these creatures becomes more evident. Suggested by Cayuga Morming

Subtropical: Regions located between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn defined by areas of temperature and periods of rainfall and geographic elevation.
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Subulate: A long slender awl shaped leaf with a tapered point. Example:juniperus communis
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Succulent: A plant that stores water in thick leaves and or stems as a safeguard against dry periods. Examples: Medicine Plant(Aloe Vera), Pincushion Cactus (Mammillaria).
You will find this word in the plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Sucker: A new growing shoot. Underground plant roots produce suckers to form new stems and spread by means of these suckering roots to form large plantings, or colonies. Submitted by Kay

Swamp: A watery area with a variety of plant life due to the abundance of nutrients. Soil collects in this habitat fed by moving water allowing trees shrubs wildflowers and grasses do well in this constantly changing environment.

Symbiotic: A relationship wherein each organism contributes to the well being of the other.(Submitted by Cayuga Morning) Example: Lichen

Last edited: Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:55 pm

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R: Words and Terms beginning with R

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:14 am

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R

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry

(11)

Rabbit Resistant: Plants that are usually not on the rabbits menu of edibles.
Catch 22: what the rabbit eats one year it may not eat the next year.
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the Wildlife Value category.

Raceme: An arrangement of single stalked flowers along an elongated, unbranched stem. Submitted by Kay

Rainforest: A forest, tropical, semi-tropical or temperate in a high humidy/rainfall area containing dense stands of tall evergreens
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Rhizome: A swollen energy-storing stem structure, similar to a bulb, that lies horizontally in the soil. Roots emerge from its lower surface and stems emerge from a growing point at or near its tip, as in bearded iris. Submitted by Kay

Rhizosphere: The rhizosphere is the area immediately surrounding the plant root that is effected by root secretions. I suppose seeing is better. To give you an idea as to how narrow the zone is, try gently shake plant roots in water, the area of the rhizosphere is what remains on the roots. The complex interactions in the zone are numerous and important. Fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematodes inhabit the zone to name a few.
Reference post: http://www.gardenstew.com/about31374.html

Reniform: A leaf whose form suggests a kidney.
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Rhomboid: A leaf in the shape of a diamond. Examples:Vanhoutte spirea and Betula nigra,
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Root: A structure of branching usually underground stems radiating out from the axis of a plant devoid of leaves, used for support and the storage and transfer of nutrients.

Rich: Soil with a high amount of nutrients beneficial to plants.
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the Soil Types category.

Root Cutting: A propigation tenique using a section of root from a woody plant.
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the Propigation Techniques category.

Rosette: A cluster of leaves, often near the soil radiating out from a stem.
You will find this word in the Plants edit section under the leaf shape category.

Last edited: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:26 pm

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Q: Words and Terms beginning with Q

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:13 am

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Q

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry

(2)

Quadrat: A location marked off for study or observation of plants

Quercus species: Oaks, Submitted by Kay

Containing over 600 species of oak, the Quercus Genus is found from Northern temperate latitudes to the tropics, the fruit is called an acorn.

Last edited: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:26 pm

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N: Words and Terms beginning with N

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:11 am

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N

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry


(12)

N: The chemical symbol for nitrogen. Is also the first number in the three component fertilizer.

Native A plant Indigenous to an area and has not been introduced.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Naturalize Bulbs: Introducing bulbs to an area where they are not native.

Natural Selection: The process of plants with superior inherited traits that allows then to survive where other plant populations diminish or become extinct.

Nectar: The fluid produced by a flower and consumed by bees, insects and hummingbirds.

Neutral 7.0: Represents the midpoint of the pH scale Neither acidic or alkaline. Example: Pure water (H2O)
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Soil pH category.

Night Blooming: A plant with a nocturnal bloom period. Example the Cereus Cactus.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

Nitrogen Fixation: Process by which nitrogen from the air is converted by the plant into compounds the plant can use.

Nocturnal: Active during the nighttime hours. Examples: Evening Primrose, Casablanca Lily, owls and raccoons.

Node: The portion of a plant stem that is the staring point for leaves and branches.

Noxious: When it applies to plants it usually refers to substances or qualities of a plant species that are poisonous, foul smelling or harmful.

Nut: A seed surrounded by a hard shell.



Last edited: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:25 pm

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M: Words and Terms beginning with M

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:33 am

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M

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry


(16)√

MADogs&Horses: Term: (Maples, Ashes, Dogwood, & Horse chestnuts) These trees all have opposite leaves. The acronym aids in tree identification.
Suggested by Cayuga Morning

Marcescent:It refers to leaves that wither but remain attached to the stem, such as oak leaves, chestnut leaves & hornbeam leaves. You can easily see trees with marcescent leaves in late fall/winter when all the other deciduous trees have long since dropped theirs. Helps in tree identification in winter. Suggested by
Cayuga Morning

Mast year/hard mast: A Mast seeding is defined as the highly variable annual production of fruit by a population of trees and/or shrubs. These intermittent pulses of food production drive ecosystem-level functions and forest dynamics.The difference between a mast seeding year and a non-mast seeding year can be thousands of acorns, hickory nuts, beech nuts, etc. A hard mast year for a large oak can be 20,000 acorns or more.

Matutinal flower: a flower that opens in the pre dawn hours of the morning.

Medicinal: Plants containing substances used to alleviate symptoms or cure afflictions.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Plant Type category.

Mediterranean Garden: Contain plants that do well in a dry summer and a warm wet winter, plants that require little maintenance and tolerate drought.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Suitable For category.

Microtubes: An active part of a plant structure that adjusts to accommodate the plants need for orientation.
Ref: http://www.gardenstew.com/about31198.html

Miniature/Fairy Garden: Plants with diminutive features making them ideal for very small gardens or terrarium.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Suitable For category.

Moist: A property of soil brought about by sufficient quantities of organic material.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Soil Types category

Monocot: Flowering plants who's seeds contain one leaf. Popular examples are Orchids, rice, wheat and tulips to name a few.

Moon Garden: A garden with flowers that display well when lit by moon light.Flowers can also be nocturnal. examples: Moon flowers and cereus.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Suitable For category

Moths: A plant that provides food and/or shelter for moth progeny.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Wildlife Value category

Mulch: A surface covering applied to garden soil to conserve moisture, inhibit weeds, keep soil temperatures warm in winter, cool in summer, and enrich with nutrients.
Submitted by Kay

Mycology: The study of fungi

Mycorrhize: is a symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. Both partners benefit by exchanging what each needs. The plant has better access to nutrients in the soil which it needs for growth and the fungus receives carbon from the plant made during the photosynthesis process.
Reference: http://www.gardenstew.com/about31374.html

Myrmecochory: Refers to plants that depend upon ants for their seed dispersal. The outer coating of the seed called an elaiosome is used to feed larvae. Dispersal is accomplished when the ants take the seed to their disposal area or remove the seed from their nest. Contributed by Cayuga Morning.

Last edited: Sun Jun 21, 2020 6:59 pm

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L: Words and Terms beginning with L

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 3:32 am

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L

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry

(13)

Lanceolate: Shaped like a lance with a point at the apex.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Leaf Shape category.

Latex: Milky fluid prevalent in plants such as milkweed (Asclepiadaceae), Mulberry (Moraceae) and Dogbane (Apocynaceae). Latex is used in several manufactured products: rubber and paint to name a couple.

Layering - Air: Process where a larger plant stem is used to re-establish a leggy plant. The stem is cut, surrounded by growing media held in container and allowed to grow a new set of roots the stem is then severed and a new shorter plant is established.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Layering - Simple: The process of using a low branch to propagate another plant while it is still attached to the parent plant. Examples: Rhododendron, azaleas and hydrangeas.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Leaf: a growth emanating from a stem or branch of a plant or tree that manufactures nutrients by photosynthesis.

Leaf Cuttings: A method of propagation using a leaf or part of a leaf in a suitable medium under proper conditions to vegetatively clone a plant. Examples are African Violets or Begonias.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Propagation Techniques category.

Lichenology: The study of lichens, a symbiotic relationship between fungus and algae.

Linear: A leaf presenting a long narrow shape. Example Spider plant(Chlorophytum comosum), Ammania auriculata
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Leaf Shape category.

Lithophyte: An epiphyte that grows on rocks drawing nutrients from rainwater, detritus, or even its own dead or decaying parts.

Lithosere: A sucession of plantlife that starts on newly exposed rock. i.e. glacial outcropping, lava flow or tectonic plate uplift. Each new generation contributes to the buildup of soil and conditions for more advanced plant life.

Loamy / Medium: Soil containing mostly organic material with sand and/or clay mixed in.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Soil Types category.

Lobed: A leaf with an indented edge. Example: White Oak, Sassafras
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Leaf Shape category.

Low Maintenance Garden: Plants requiring little work, usually just cleanup. examples: Daylilies, peonies and daisies.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Suitable For category.

Last edited: Mon Oct 23, 2017 9:10 pm

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K: Words and Terms beginning with K

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 4:34 pm

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K

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry


(3)

K: The chemical symbol for Potassium

Killing Frost: A rapid fall in temperature to the freezing point so as to cause permanent damage to a plant by preventing reproduction or by dehydration.
A term referenced by many members

Kingdom: In Botany a kingdom is the highest classification to include all plants.

Last edited: Fri Nov 22, 2019 6:08 pm

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P: Words and Terms beginning with P

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:33 pm

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P

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry

(30)

Palmate: A leaf resembling a hand with finger like leaf nodes radiating out from the center. Examples:
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Parasitic: A plant that draws its nourishment from another plant. Example: Mistletoe
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Plant Type category.

Partial Shade: A light condition of intermittent sunlight, caused by trees, bushes, buildings or topography of the land.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Sun Exposure category.

Pedate: A leaf with deeply divided lobes . Examples:
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Pedicel:A stem that attaches single flowers to the inflorescence.

Peduncle: is a stem that holds the whole inflorescence

Peltate: A leaf in the shape of a shield with no divisions. Example:
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Perennial: A plant that survives weather conditions to regrow each spring, a plant with two or more cycles of herbaceous growth.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Plant Type category.

Perfoliate A leaf whose stem wraps around and seemingly punctures the leaf. Examples: perfoliate Bellwort(Uvularia perfoliata), Desert Penstemon (Penstemon Pseudospectabilis)
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Pericarp: The portion of a fruit that covers a ripened ovary. made up of three parts, the innermost called the endocarp, the middle layer called the mesocarp and the outer layer, called the exocarp or epicarp. The edible part of the fruit often varies. While one might eat the skin of a peach I would not suggest the same for an orange.

Petals: The colorful outer segments of the flower which serve to attract pollinating insects. Some petals have markings only bees can see.

pH In gardening it pertains to the measure of the Hydrogen ions in moist(with water) soil using a logarithmic scale. The scale range is from 0 to 14 with 7.0 being neutral. Most soil however, falls within 5.0 to 9.0.

Phenology Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and inter-annual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors (such as elevation, rainfall and sunlight).
REF: http://www.gardenstew.com/about31718.html

Phenophase: An observable stage or phase in the annual life cycle of a plant or animal that can be defined by a start and end point. An example would be an open blossom till it dies or falls off the plant.

Phototropism: The orientation of a plant in response to light. Turn a plant away from a light and phototropism takes over reorienting the plant toward the light.


Phloem:Translocates food and nutrients from leaves to growing parts of the plant and to the roots where they is stored. Like the veins and arteries in your body the Phloem is moves water and nutrients to other locations.
Reference: http://www.gardenstew.com/about31374.html

Photoperiodism: is a plants reaction to the increase or decrease of light it receives as the seasons change.

Phycology: The study of algae.

Phytotoxins: A toxin produced in a plant. Example: a sunflower. Phytotoxins inhibit seedling germination and seedling growth in the proximity of the plant.

Pinnate (odd): Leaves arranged in pairs on a common stem with a single leaf terminating the end of the stem
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Pinnate (even):Leaves arranged in pairs on a common stem
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Pinnatisect: Divided pinnately but not into separate leaves.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Poisonous: A plant with some or all parts that could cause harm or death to humans and or animals.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Plant Type category.

Polar Vortex:A large scale cyclonic atmospheric condition around the north and south poles. They are cold low pressure patterns, located in the troposphere and extending into the stratosphere, increasing size in the winter and shrinking in the summer. Fed by temperature differentials between the tropics and polar regions they rotate counterclockwise in the Arctic and clockwise in the Antarctic.
In post of 1-6-14 by Netty
In post of 11-11-14 by Toni

Pome:A fruit consisting of a fleshy enlarged receptacle and a tough central core containing the seeds, e.g., an apple or pear.

Pond: A plant that grows best in water(aquatic) or near high moisture embankments.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Plant Type category.

Poor: Soil with little organic material or at either end of the pH spectrum.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the Soil Types category.

Psammosere: A seral community of plants inhabiting a costal area, typically grasses that occupy sand dunes

Pteridology: The study of algae.

Pulvinus: The thick porton at the base of a leaf, it controls the wilting of the leaf.

Last edited: Fri Nov 15, 2019 12:23 am

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J: Words and Terms beginning with J

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:33 pm

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J

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry


(2)

Juglone Tolerant: The ability of a certain plants to resist the toxic chemical juglone, produced by Black walnut and Hickory trees.
You will find this term in the Plants edit section under the Plant Type category.

juvenile leaves: Leaves of a young plant, different from a mature adult plant

Last edited: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:23 pm

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U: Words and Terms beginning with U

Category: Botanical Glossary | Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2014 2:20 pm

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U

Glossary Index: http://www.gardenstew.com/blog/e10953-58-glossary-index.html

Have a suggestion for a word or term? Please leave a comment below. Thank you,

Jerry

(7)

Ultradian rhythm: A cycle with a period shorter than 24 hours but longer than an hour.

Umbelliferae: Plants that have flower heads shaped like umbrellas. These include carrots, parsley, celery, dill, anise.
In post of 11-6-14 by Marlingardner

Undershrub: A low shrub that often grows under taller trees.

Understory:The layer of shorter trees & shrubs which grow beneath much taller trees. Suggested by Cayuga Morning

Undulate: wave like. Example:the leaf of a beech tree. Look at the leaf sideways.
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Unifoliate: With a single leaf
You will find this term in the plants edit section under
the leaf shape category.

Unisexual: A plant containing both male and female reproductive organs.

Last edited: Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:28 pm

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