GLOSSARY OF BOTANICAL TERMS 



167 



Midrib. The main rib of a leaf or leaf-like part. 



Miiriform. Mitre-shaped, or like a cap. 



Monadelphous. Stamens united in one group by their 



filaments as in many Leguminosse. 

 Moniliform. Suggesting a string of beads. 

 Mono-. In Greek compounds, signifying one. 

 Monoclinous. Hermaphrodite; perfect; the two sexes in 



the same flower. See Diclinous. 

 Monocotyledonous. With a single cotyledon. 

 Monoecious. Staminate and pistillate flowers on the same 



plant. 



Monogynous. With only one style. 

 Monopetalous. One-petaled; all the petals united to form 



one body or organ, as a gamopetalous corolla. 

 Monopodial. Axial direction continued by growth from 



terminal bud or persistance of the leader. 

 Monostichous. In one row. 

 Monstrosity. Deformity; any unusual or non-typical kind 



of development. 

 Morphology. The science or subject that treats of forms 



or of the transformations of organs. 

 Mucose. With a slimy covering or secretion. 

 Mucro. A short and sharp abrupt tip. 

 Mule. An old word for a cross, particularly between dif- 

 ferent species; hybrid; cross-breed. 



Multifid. Cut or cleft into many narrow lobes or parts. 

 Multiple. Of several or many distinct parts. 

 Multiple fruit. The united product (in one body) of 



several or many flowers. 

 Multiseptate. With many divisions or chambers, as some 



nuts. 



Muscariform. In form of a brush or fly-brush. 

 Mycelium. Vegetative part of a fungus, composed of 



threads or thready tissue. 



Naked flower. With no floral envelopes; without calyx 



and corolla. 

 Napiform. Turnip-shaped; more or less short-fusiform; 



broader than high and abruptly tapering both ways. 

 Navicular. Boat-shaped; cymbiform. 

 Nectariferous. Nectar-bearing. 

 Nectary. A structure or organ that secretes nectar. 

 Nephroid. Kidney-shaped; reniform. 



Nerve. A vein or slender rib, particularly if not branched. 

 Netted. Marked with reticulated lines or nerves that pro- 

 ject somewhat above the surface. 

 Neuter, neutral. Neither stamens nor pistils; sexless. 

 Nidulate. Nested ; as if like or borne in a nidus or nest. 

 Node. A joint where a leaf is borne or may be borne; also 



incorrectly the space between two joints, which is 



properly an internode. 

 Nucleus. The kernel of a seed; the central denser 



structure of a cell. 



Nucule. A small nutlet; any hard seed-like fruit or part. 

 Nut. An indehiscent 1-celled and 1-seeded hard and bony 



fruit, even if resulting from a compound ovary. 

 Nutlet. A small or diminutive nut; nucule. 



Ob-. A Latin syllable, usually signifying inversion. 

 Obconical. Inversely conical; cone attached at the small 



point. 

 Oblanccolate. Inversely lanceolate; with the broadest part 



of a lanceolate body away from the point of attachment. 

 Oblique. Slanting; unequal-sided. 

 Oblong. Longer than broad, and with the sides nearly or 



quite parallel most of their length. 

 Obovate. Inverted ovate. 



Obovoid. An ovoid body attached at the smaller end. 

 Obsolescent. Nearly obsolete ; becoming rudimentary. 

 Obsolete. Not evident or apparent; rudimentary. 

 Obtuse. Blunt, rounded. 

 Occllaled. Eyed; a circular spot of one color inside a larger 



spot or area of another color. 



Ochraceous. Ochre-yellow, gradually changing to brown. 

 Ocrea. A boot-shaped or tubular stipule, as in Polygonum. 

 Oculus. An eye; a leaf-bud when used as a cutting. 



Offset. A plant arising close to the base of mother plant. 



Oleaginous. Fleshy and oily. 



Oligos. In Greek compounds, signifying few. 



Opaque. Dull; not translucent or shining. 



Operculum. A lid, as of a circumscissile capsule. 



Orthos. In Greek compounds, signifying straight. 



Orthotropous (ovule or seed). An erect straight seed, with 



the micropyle at the apex and hilum at the base. 

 Osseous. Bony, hard, brittle; of very close texture. 

 Ovary. Ovule-bearing part of a pistil. 

 Ovate. With an outline like that of hen's egg cut in two 



lengthwise, the broader end downward. 

 Ovoid. A solid that is oval in outline. 



Ovule. The body which, after fertilization, becomes the seed. 

 Ovuliferous. Ovule-bearing. 



Painted. Said of colors that are in streaks of unequal 



brilliancy. 

 Palate. In personate corollas, a rounded projection or 



prominence of the lower lip, closing the throat or very 



nearly so. 

 Palea, palet. In the grass flower, the upper of the two 



inclosing bracts, the lower one being the lemma. 

 Palmate. Lobed or divided in a palm-like or hand-like 



fashion. 



Palmatifid. Cut about half way down in a palmate form. 

 Panicle. A branching raceme; flower-cluster in which the 



branches are racemose, the flowers being pedicellate. 

 Papilionaceous corolla. Butterfly-like; pea-like flower, 



with a standard, wings, and keel. 

 Pappiform. Pappus-like. 

 Pappus. Peculiar calyx-limb of composites, being plumose, 



bristle-like, scales, or otherwise. 



Parasitic. Growing and living on or in another organism. 

 Parietal. Borne on the paries or wall (inner surface) of 



a capsule. 



Parted. Cleft or cut not quite to the base. 

 Parthenogenetic. Seed developing without fertilization or 



fecundation. 



Partial. Of secondary importance or rank. 

 Partite. Divided very nearly to the base. 

 Partitioned. Divided in compartments or chambers by 



internal horizontal partitions. 

 Pathological. Diseased. 

 Pedicel. Stem of one flower in a cluster. 

 Peduncle. Stem of a flower-cluster or of a solitary flower. 

 Pellucid. Clear, transparent; that can nearly be seen 



through. 

 Peltate. Attached to its stalk inside the margin; peltate 



leaves are usually shield-shaped. 

 Penninenied. Nerves arising along the length of a central 



midrib. 



Pentamerous. In fives. 



Pepo. Fruit of pumpkin, squash, and the like. 

 Perennial. Of three or more seasons' duration. 

 Perfect flower. One that has both stamens and pistil. 

 Perfoliate. The stem apparently passing through the part, 



as a leaf; united around the stem. 



Pergameneous, pergamentaceous. Texture of parchment. 

 Perif. In Greek compounds, signifying around. 

 Perianth. The floral envelope considered together; com- 

 monly used for flowers in which there is usually no 



clear distinction between calyx and corolla, as the lilies. 

 Pericarp. The ripened ovary. 

 Perigynium. The sac or utricle that incloses the ovary or 



achene in Carex; it is sometimes inflated. 

 Perigynous. Borne around the ovary and not beneath it, 



as when calyx, corolla and stamens are borne on the 



edge of a cup-shaped hypanthium; such cases are said 



to exhibit perigyny. 



Persistent. Remaining attached ; not falling off. 

 Personate. Said of a two-lipped corolla the throat of which 



is closed by a palate, as in toad-flax. 

 Petal. One of the separate leaves of a corolla. 

 Petaloid. Petal-like; of color and shape resembling a petal. 

 Petiole. Leaf-stalk. 



