GLOSSARY OF BOTANICAL TERMS 



Persistent. — Long continuous, applied to leaves that remain on the tree 



over winter and to a calyx that remains until the fruit ripens. 

 Petal. — One of the leaves of the corolla. 

 Petiole. — The stem of a leaf. 

 Pinna (pi. pinnae). — One of the primary divisions of a pinnately compound 



leaf. 

 Pinnate. — Applied to compound leaves where the leaflets are arranged on 



each side of a common petiole. 

 Pistil. — The modified leaf or leaves which bear the ovules ; usually con- 

 sisting of ovary, style and stigma. 

 Pistillate. — Applied to flowers that possess pistils but not stamens. 

 Plicate. — Folded like a fan. 

 Plumule. — The primary bud of the embryo. 

 Pollen. — The fertilizing powder produced by the anther. 

 Polygamous. — Applied to plants which produce staminate, pistillate, and 



perfect flowers all on the same plant. 

 Protoplasm. — The living matter of the cell. 

 Pubescent. — Downy, covered with soft hairs. 

 Raceme. — A simple inflorescence of pedicelled flowers upon a common, more 



or less, elongated axis, 

 Rachis. — The axis of inflorescence. 

 Radicle. — The primary root of the embryo. 



Receptacle. — The shortened stem on which the floral organs are inserted. 

 Reduplicate. — Doubled back. 

 Reflexed. — Bent outward. 



Repand. — Leaf margin toothed like the margin of an umbrella. 

 Revolute. — Rolled backward. 

 Rotate. — Flat circular disk; applied to corollas. 



Samara. — An indehiscent dry fruit provided with a wing-like appendage. 

 Secund. — Flowers arranged along one side of a lengthened axis. 

 Sepal. — One of the leaves of the outer whorl of floral organs. 

 Serrate. — Toothed, with sharp teeth projecting forward. 

 Sinuate. — Wavy. 



Sinus. — The cleft between two lobes. 

 Spatulate. — Resembling a spatula in outline. 

 Spike. — A form of simple inflorescence in which the flowers are sessile or 



nearly so, borne upon a lengthened axis. The lower flowers bloom 



first. 

 Spray, — The ultimate division of a branch. 

 Stamen. — The pollen-bearing organ of the flower, usually consisting of 



filament and anther. 

 Staminate. — Applied to flowers which have stamens but not pistils. 

 Sterigma. pi. Sterigmata. — The woody base upon which the leaves of 



many of the evergreens are borne. 

 Stigma. — That part of the pistil which receives the pollen. 



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