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Glossary 



GLOSSARY' 



Glossary of words used in the botanical keys with a definition of the meaning 

 assigned to them in the Flora. 



Acaulescenl. Stemless or apparently so, or 



having the stem below the surface of the 



ground. 

 Accumbent (cotyledon). Having the edges 



against the radicle. 

 Achene. A small, dry, hard, 1-celled, 



1-seeded, indehiscent fruit. 

 Aricular. Slenderly needle-shaped. 

 Acuminate. Gradually tapering to a point. 

 Acute. Ending in a point. 

 Adnate. Having one organ attached wholly 



or in part to another. 

 Adventive. Imperfectly naturalized. 

 Alternate. Not opposite. 

 Alveolate. Closely pitted. 

 Ament. A catkin or scaly spike; refers to 



inflorescences. 

 Amplexicaul. Clasping the stem. 

 Anastomosing. Veins crossirig so as to form 



a network. 

 Androgynous (inflorescence). Composed of 



both staminate and pistillate flowers, 



with the staminate flowers above the 



pistillate. 

 Annual. Of only one year's duration. 

 Annual (winter). A plant from autumn-sown 



seed which blooms and fruits the next 



year. 

 Aphyllopodic (Car ex). 



less or rudimentary. 

 Anther. The part of a stamen containing 



the pollen. 

 Anthesis. The time at which the flower 



expands and frees the pollen. 

 Apetalous. Without petals. 

 Apiculate. Ending in a short, pointed tip. 

 Appressed. Lying flat against another 



organ. 

 Arachnoid. Like a cobweb. 

 Arcuate. Moderately curved. 

 Areolate. Having a network of small spaces, 



usually marked out by veinlets. 

 Areola. One of the small spaces in an 



areolate surface 

 Arislate. Tipped with an awn. 

 Articulated. Jointed. 

 Ascending. Crowing obliquely upward, or 



upcurved. 

 Attenuate. Slenderly tapering. 

 Auricle. An ear-shaped appendage. 

 Auriculate. With a basal lobe. 



Awn. A bristle-shaped appendage. 



Axil. The angle formed by a leaf or branch 



with the stem. 

 Beaked. Ending in a prolonged tip. 

 Berry. A fruit with the entire 



fleshy. 

 Bidentate. 

 Biennial. 

 Bipinnate. 

 Blade 

 Bract 



Lower leaves blade- 



pericarp 



Two-toothed. 

 Of two years' duration. 

 Twice pinnate. 

 The flat, expanded part of a leaf. 

 A diminutive leaflike structure sub- 

 tending a flower or flower cluster or 

 attached to divisions of an inflorescence. 



Bracteole. A diminutive bract or a secon- 

 dary bract. 



Branch. As applied to woody plants, any 

 division or subdivision from the stem 

 except the growth of the season. 



Branchlet. As applied to woody plants, the 

 growth of the season. 



Calciphile. A plant reaching its optimum in 

 a soil more alkaline than neutral. 



Callosity. A small, hard protuberance. 



Calyx. The outer of two series of floral 

 leaves, sometimes the inner series lacking. 



Canaliculate. Longitudinally channeled. 



Canescent. Hoary with a gray pubescence. 



Capillary. Hairlike. 



Capsule. A dry, dehiscent fruit of more 

 than one carpel. 



Carpel. A simple pistil or one member of a 

 compound pistil. 



Castaneous. Chestnut color. 



Caudate. With a slender tail-like appendage. 



Cauline. Belonging to the stem. 



Cell. Any structure containing a cavity, as 

 an anther, ovary, etc. 



Cespitose. Growing in tufts. 



Chaff. A thin, dry scale. 



Chartaceous. Papery in texture. 



Ciliate. With marginal hairs. 



Ciliolate. Minutely ciliate. 



Circumscissile. Dehiscing by a regular 

 transverse circular line of division. 



Clavale. Having a terete, longitudinal body 

 larger at one end than at the other; 

 club-shaped. 



Cleistdgamous. Fertilized in the bud by its 

 own anthers. 



Cleft. Cut about halfway to the midvein. 



'For those who wish a more complete and illustrated glossary, I recommend Lindley's 

 "Illustrated Dictionary of Botanical Terms", 1848. Republished by Alice Eastwood, price 

 50 cents. Address California Academy of Science, San Francisco, Calif. 



