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GLOSSARY 



Used to describe leaves the 

 blades of which are not com- 

 pletely divided into leaflets, 

 to describe the calyx or co- 

 rolla of flowers the sepals or 

 petals of which are united so 

 that the individual parts are 

 separate at the end of the 

 tube, and to describe fruits 

 developed from compound pis- 

 tils the individual carpels of 

 which remain only partly 

 united in the mature fruit. 



Lunate. Moon-shaped or cres- 

 cent-shaped. Used in this text 

 for certain seeds. 



Mealy. Coated with a floury 

 deposit. A coarser covering 

 than a glaucous bloom. 



Membranous. Having the tex- 

 ture of a membrane. Used 

 in this text to describe the 

 wings of some seeds and the 

 coverings of some podlike 

 fruits. 



Monodelphous. In one group. 

 Used for stamens that are 

 held in one bundle because 

 their filaments are united 

 through part of their length. 

 See diadelphous. 



Monoecious. Applied to plants 

 if pistils and stamens are 

 borne in separate flowers but 

 both kinds of flowers are 

 borne on the same plant. 

 Contrasting words are dio- 

 ecious, polygamous and per- 

 fect. 



Monotypic. Having but one 

 type. Used in this text to 

 indicate that a genus or 

 family consists of only one 

 species. 



Mucronate. Ending in a short, 

 stiff, abrupt point. Used in 

 this text to describe tips and 

 teeth of leaves when veins 

 extend through the edge of 

 the blade. 



Node. The joint of a stem. 

 Recognizable as the place 



where leaves or buds are 

 attached. 



Oblanceolate. Like the head of 

 a lance, but with the widest 

 part beyond the middle. Used 

 to indicate the shape of leaves 

 and other plant parts. 



Oblique. Slanted or having un- 

 equal sides. Used especially 

 to describe bases of leaves 

 when one side of the base 

 extends farther down on the 

 petiole than the other. 



Oblong. Oblong in general out- 

 line but, with plants, carrying 

 also the idea that both ends 

 are broadly rounded. 



Obovate. Oval but with the 

 wide part away from the 

 stem. Used especially to de- 

 scribe leaf shape. 



Obsolete. Rudimentary. Used 

 particularly in describing 

 flowers, to indicate that some 

 parts are either suppressed or 

 present only in rudimentary 

 form. 



Obtuse. Bluntly rounded at the 

 end. Used for tips of leaves 

 and other plant parts. 



Odd-pinnate. Consisting of an 

 uneven number of leaflets. 

 Indicates that a compound 

 leaf has leaflets set in pairs 

 along its rachis and has a 

 single leaf at the end of the 

 rachis. 



Opposite. The term used when 

 leaves occur in pairs at the 

 nodes. Contrasting words are 

 alternate and luhorled. 



Orbicular. Like an orb; essen- 

 tially spherical. Used fre- 

 quently to indicate the shape 

 of fruits. 



Ovary. The ovule-bearing part 

 of a pistil. 



Oval. Broadly elliptical. 



Ovate. Egg-shaped, the wide 

 part basal. Used to indicate 

 the outline shape of leaves 

 and many other plant parts. 



