Vocabulary List

Vocabulary terms and definitions will be a part of lab quizzes on species identification.

LEAVES

Retention

deciduous, persistent

Attachment

alternate, clustered, fascicle, opposite, whorled, decussate

Parts

blade, leaflet, margin, petiole, stipule

Types

compound, palmately compound, pinately compound, simple

Shapes

needle, awl-shaped, elliptical, lanceolate, linear, oblanceolate, ovate, scale, cordate

Margins

entire, lobed, revolute, serrate

Tips

acuminate, acute, notched, obtuse, truncate

Veins

arcuate, palmate, parallel, pinnate

Surfaces

glabrous, glaucous, pubescent

Other terms

bract, node, petiolate, sessile, involucre

FLOWERS

Basic types

dioecious, monoecious; complete, incomplete, imperfect, perfect

Inflorescence

ament or catkin, cyme, head, raceme, panicle, spike

Parts

anther, calyx, corolla, filament, ovary, ovule, perianth, petal, pistil, sepal, stamen, stigma, style

SEED-BEARING STRUCTURES

Gymnosperms 

aril, cone

Angiosperms

achene, berry, capsule, drupe, involucre, legume, nut, pome, samara,

TWIGS

Parts

bud, bud scale, cambium, cruciform buds, imbricate scales, lateral bud, leaf scar, lenticel, pith, shoot, spine or thorn, sterigmata, terminal bud

TREE FORM

General

excurrent, deliquescent

Vocabulary Definitions

 LEAVES

Retention
deciduous - shed annually at the end of the growing season
persistent (evergreen) - remaining attached one to several years


Attachment

alternate -a single leaf at each node

clustered - in false whorls at tips of lateral spurs, without a basal sheat

fascicle - bundle of 2 to 5 leaves enclosed at base by sheath

opposite - two leaves at each node

whorled - more than 2 leaves at each node

decussate - opposite leaves, each pair at right angles to adjacent pair

Parts and Types

blade - the flat, expanded portion of a leaf

leaflet - a portion of a leaf blade that is subdivided into several smaller blades

margin - edge of the leaf

simple - not compound, having a single blade

compound - composed of 2 or more similar leaflets attached to a rachis

petiole - stem of a leaf

stipule - a leaflike appendage of the base of the petiole, usually one on each side of the petiole

palmately compound - a leaf composed of several leaflets radially diverging from the petiole like the spread of fingers on a hand

pinnately compound - a leaf composed of several leaflets arranged on each side of a common rachis

Shapes

needle - long and very narrow, circular in cross-section (needle-shaped

awl-shaped - broad at the base tapering to a sharp point at the ape

cordate - heart-shape

lanceolate - lance-shaped, several times longer than wide, with the broad end basal

linear - long and narrow, with parallel edges

oblanceolate - lance-shaped with the broad end distal

scale - small, flattened (like fish scales)

ovate - shaped like the longitudinal section of an egg, with the broad end basal

elliptical - oval, with the form of an ellipse, rounded about equally at both ends

Leaf Margins and Tips

entire - leaf margins without divisions, lobes or teeth

lobed - leaf margins with elongated pointed or rounded extensions

revolute - leaf margins rolled to underside

serrate - leaf margins toothed, teeth pointing upward or forward

acuminate - lleaf tip gradually tapering to the apex, long pointed

acute - leaf tip sharply pointed, but not drawn out

notched - leaf tip indented at the apex

obtuse - leaf tip blunt or rounded at the apex

truncate - leaf tip ending abruptly, as if cut off at end

Leaf veins 

arcuate - leaf veins curved toward apex

palmate - veins arising from one point

pinnate - veins arising from each side of a common axis

parallel - having the main veins extending through the leaf longitudinally and in parallel arrangement

 

Surfaces
glabrous - smooth without hairs
glaucous - white, waxy covering
pubescent - with fine hairs

Other Terms
bract - leaflike structure (modified leaf), provides a function other than for photosynthesis
node - point from which a leaf or branch emerges on a stem
petiolate - leaf attachment with a petiole
sessile - leaf attachment without a petiole

 FLOWERS

Definition: The reproductive structure of Angiosperms containing stamens and/or pistils (with or without other parts, see below)

Basic terms 
dioecious - unisexual, the staminate and pistillate flowers on different individuals
monoecious
- bisexual, the stamens and pistils in separate flowers but borne on the same individual
complete - flowers having sepals, petals and the two vital reproductive parts--the pollen producing stamens (male) and the pistils (female) with basal ovary enclosing ovules
incomplete - flowers lacking one or more of these four parts
imperfect - unisexual flowers have either stamens or pistils but not both
perfect - flowers having both stamens and pistils, sepals and petals may or may not be present

Inflorescence - a dense group of flowers on a stem

ament, or catkin - a scaly bracted spike of usually unisexual flowers, frequently deciduous in one piece

cyme - a flat-topped loose flower cluster, flowers with stalks

head - a dense, flat or round inflorescence; flowers without stalks

panicle - a compound raceme

spike - a simple inflorescence of sessile flowers arranged on a common, elongated axis

raceme - a simple inflorescence of stalked flowers on a more or less elongated axis

Parts

anther - the pollen-bearing part of the stamen

calyx - all of the leaflike bracts subtending the corolla

corolla - all of the petals

filament - the stalk of the anther

ovary - the part of the pistil that contains the ovules

ovule - seed before fertilization

perianth - calyx plus corolla

petal - a division of the corolla or inner part of the perianth, typically colorful to attract pollinators

pistil - female organ of a flower, consisting of ovary, style and stigma

sepal - a division of the calyx, usually bract-like

stamen - the pollen-bearing (male) organ of the flower

stigma - the part of a pistil that receives pollen for fertilization of the ovules

style - narrow upward extension of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma

 

SEED-BEARING STRUCTURES

Seeds - the completely matured and modified ovule containing an embryo
Gymnosperms - plants bearing naked seeds (simple wood composed mainly of tracheids)
 aril - a seed partially enclosed by red, fleshy covering
cone - female, large structure with seeds on overlapping scales; male, small structure with pollen sacs
Angiosperms - plants with seeds in an ovary (complex wood composed mainly of vessels and fibers)

FRUITS: Mature ovary containing seeds

achene - a dry, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit (usually small)

berry - a fleshy fruit with embedded seed

capsule - a dry fruit of more than one ovary that splits at maturity to release seeds

drupe - a stone fruit from superior ovary, such as a plum or cherry

involucre - a cluster of fused bract surrounding a group of flowers

legume - furit of the pea family, pod-like and splitting oben at both sides

nut - a hard, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit produced from a compound ovary

pome - an inferior fruit of 2 or several ovaries enclosed in thick flesh, such as an apple

samara - an indehiscent, winged fruit

TWIGS

bud - the undeveloped state of a shoot, with or without scales

bud scale - hardened scale-like structures covering buds

cambium - layer of dividing cells beneath the bark, increases stem diameter

cruciform buds - 3 buds fused in the shape of a cross

imbricate scales - overlapping like shingles

lateral bud - along twigs, typically in axils of leaves

leaf scar - scar left on a twig by the abscission of a leaf
terminal bud - at apex of a twig

pith - the central softer part of a stem

shoot - a unit of vegetative growth; including twigs, buds and leaves

spine, thorn - a sharp, mostly woody outgrowth in the position of a leaf or stipule

sterigmata - small woody, peg-like projections to which leaves are attached

lenticel - a corky growth on young bark that admits air to the interior of a twig or branch

 

Tree Form

excurrent - tree trunk continuous to top; many small lateral branches, slender silhouette

deliquescent - tree trunk dividing into many large lateral branches; umbrella-shaped silhouett