Copyright 1995-1998. Laurence C. Hatch. All Rights Reserved. THIS DICTIONARY IS NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE A BOTANICAL, SCIENTIFIC, OR AGRICULTURAL DICTIONARY. USERS OF THE PLANT SCIENCES INFORMATION SYSTEM SHOULD UTILIZE TERMITAX FOR TECHNICAL BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL TERMS. abortive only partially developed such as incomplete seed or frost-nipped bud accent plant attention-getting plant due to its color or form of some part achene small, dry 1-seed fruit that does not split or open acorn fruit of an oak that consists of a seed (nut) plus a cup acuminata/acuminatus Latin name for having an acuminate or sharply pointed feature. acuminate having a sharp, gradually tapered point adult phase the stage of plants capable of producing fruit and flowers adventious bud an extra or special bud not found in the axil of a leaf AHS American Horticultural Society air layering a process of producing a new plant by forming soil around a stem air-layering a process of producing a new plant by forming soil around a stem alba/albus/album epithet meaning white or whitish - usually applied to flowers albo-maculata spotted in white. albo-marginata epithet meaning white edged or margined - almost always about leaves albo-striata striped or striated in white. Usually a variegated plant. algae a primative plant usually found in water - includes kelp and pond scum alpina/alpinus/alpinum epithet meaning from an alpine area OR just a very dwarf plant. It is also used to denote smaller species in a large genus. alpine any plant that is normally found in wild on mountains or rocky areas alt German for old as in cultivar names. Latin prefix meaning tall altissima tall compared to other species - at least in the wild state amurensis/amurense from the Amur area of Asia - many fine plants bear this epithet. They are frequently very cold hardy plants due to their origins. anatomy the internal structure of plant - mostly vessels and growing tissues anchor root a large root that holds a plant in a physical soil mass annual a plant that normally lives 1 year or is used for just 1 year annual - functional a plant which can survive 2+ years but is most useful for just 1 year annual - winter an annual which grows over winter but flowers the seasons after annual ring a concentric circle of wood produced in the tree trunk anther the pollen-bearing portion of a flower - a male part anthracnose a fungus disease that causes spots and often death of foliage apex tip or terminus - usually applied to a leaf or petal aphid a small green or white insect which sucks juices from plant parts apomixis process of producing viable seed without fertilization arb. popular abbreviation in speech and writing for arboretum arborcide a type of herbicide chemical that kills trees - many herbicides do not kill arboretum an organized collection of trees and other woody plants arboriculture science of the culture or care of trees; usually urban or park trees arborist 'tree doctor' specializing in woody plant culture. In some states you must be certified and licensed to use this term in business. asexual propagation multiplying plants without use of seeds atro- botanical name prefix meaning dark or intensely colored. atrosanguinea dark or bloodish red or maroon. atrovirens dark or blackish green. aurescent becoming yellow or yellow part of the season. australis from southern regions of a range. Not necessary from Australia, whose name has a common derivation. autumnal of the fall season - ie. fall leaf color or fall-blooming auxin a chemical that stimulates plant growth - natural or man-made axil angle between a petal (leaf stalk) and a stem - buds occur there azurea/azureus/azureum epithet meaning azure or deep blue - usually meaning flower color B & B balled and burlapped - a method of digging and holding woody plants BG popular abbreviation for botanical garden backcross a hybrid of two plants crossed once again to (back) to one parent bareroot said of plants not shipped in pots or with a full root ball beard short and cascading patch of hairs on a flower or other part - Iris biblical plant any plant species (or 'kind') mentioned in the Holy Bible bicolor a 2-colored plant or flower - such as daffodils and petunias biennial a plant which grows foliage the first year and flowers the second year bifida/bifidum bifid or divided into two parts or portions. In the case of Phlox bifida the petal lobes (corolla) are cut into two lobes. bigeneric hybrid species formed by crossing two different genera - ie. Leyland cypress biomass substance of living tissue - often a measure of weight or volume bisexual said of a flower with both stamens and pistils - also termed perfect blush pink or reddish tint to a plant part - usually a pale colored flower bonsai a living woody plant dwarfed by careful pruning and container culture bract leaf-like or petal-like structure which may appeared with or below flowers or have bright flower-like appearance. The obvious "flowers" of the dogwood (Cornus florida) and Poinsettia are actually bracts. The true flowers are small, yellow and green parts in the center. bud a dorment growth point that is usually covered by scales bud count number of early buds - not all may be allowed to develop fully bud eye a potential growth point that is used for budding (propagation) bud union a swollen and distinct node when a bud has been grafted butterfly garden planting intending to attact and feed members of Lepidoptera button center a double rose flower with unexpanded central petaloid parts caerulea/caeruleum/caeruleus blue - usually intensely so as in flowers. Occasionally used for glaucous conifer cultivars. calcium nitrogen quick-acting fertilizer with about 48% calcium and 16% nitrogen callus a thickened tissue that develops at the base of stem cuttings calyx sepals and often greenish bracts underneath a flower campanulata Latin name for a plant having campanulate or bell-like flowers. They may or may not resemble the genus Campanula (bellflower). campanulate bell-shaped as in many flower corollas can/canned metal can used as a pot before plastic pots were developed canadensis/canadense from Canada in the wild - or more accurately northern North America. cane a stem of a rose or raspberry - from a thin multi-stem plant cane - basal a major stem from a budded plant - typically a rose cane - later a branch from a basal or primary cane/stem - often a rose canker bacterial or fungal disease causing bark lesions - kills Lombardy poplar capitata Latin name for a plant with a head-like or large clustered feature capsule a dry fruit holding many seeds and coming from 2 or more carpels cardinalis/cardinale bright glowing red like the bird. carpel a single pistil in a female flower part containing several pistils captan a popular fungicide used in home gardens carolina/caroliniana from the Carolinas of the US or that general portion of the Southern US below Virginia. casoton a weed killer often used around trees and shrubs catkin =ament - a single sex spike with no petals - birch and alder caudiform a plant with a fleshy swollen base that is not a true bulb cell a single partitioned unit of living tissue cell a single unit in an anther or ovary - not made of one true cell cellar gardening using a basement to grow plants with artificial light certification said of seed or stock verified to be true or lacking viruses chalk a white limestone product or soil - more of a British term chaparral a collective Western planting of scrubby underbrush charcoal a soil additive to increase moisture intake and 'sweeten' media chimera/chimaera a fusion of unrelated tissues such as in all variegated leaves chimera/chimaera a man-made fusion of tissue caused by grafting chlorophyll a group of green molecules used to convert light to energy chlorosis yellowing of plant tissue due to nutrient deficiencies or disease chromosome a unit of heredity material in all living cells ciliate having short eyelash-like hairs as on a leaf or petal margin cion a little-used spelling variant of the word scion clean cultivation garden practice of removing all weeds at all times climber 1) vine-like or rambling plant which will grown on or over structures 2> said of vigorous rose sports that trail unlike the regular form clinal variation/cline trait that has a spectrum such as blue to green in spruces clone a line of plants vegetatively propagated from a single mother plant club root fungal disease causing swollen roots - mostly in Mustard family clump-forming said of a plant with few stolons - a less invasive grass coccinea/coccineus/coccineum epithet meaning scarlet red or bright red - Salvia coccinea flowers colchicine a toxic chemical used to double chromosome numbers in seeds cold frame a low frame with clear top used to aclimatize plants to cold color chart a standard set of plant pigment colors used for accurate descriptions companion plant a plant making an showy, contrasting display or providing pollination composite a member of the Daisy or Asteraceae family compost a soil amendment made by piling organic material and letting it rot compost British term (such as John Innes Compost) for a standard soil mixture cone the seed-holding structure (NOT a fruit) of trees like pines and spruce. Botanists usually use the term strobilis since the term cone is widely misapplied. conifer a cone-bearing plant that may be evergreen or deciduous (bald cypress) coniferetum see pinetum coniferous said of a forest or region mainly composed of conifer species. The opposite might be termed deciduous, hardwood, or tropical. cordata epithet meaning cordate or heart-shaped - usually a leaf shape as in Tilia cordata. cordate heart-shaped as in a leaf base - cordiform means the whole object cordiform heart-shaped or formed. cordoned having been espaliered - usually applied to espaliered fruit only corm fleshy stem that resembles a true bulb - Gladiolus are best known cormel a tiny corm (fleshy stem base) around a large mother corm cornuta/cornutum/cornutus epithet meaning horned - such as the spiny leaves of Ilex cornuta corolla the petals and normally colored portion of a flower corona/crown a fused flower tissue as in the cup of a Daffodil creosote and oil-based perservative used to treat wood used in gardens cross same as hybridization and fertilization - mating two plants crown the part of a budded plant when the scion and understock meet crucifer a member of the Mustard family such Cabbage cryptogam a plant reproducing by spores such as most ferns and algae culm an upright flowering stem from a rhizome - applied to grass cultigen any plant arising from cultivation (gardens) and not the wild cultivar a CULTIvated VARIety or garden variety or horticultural variety. The term was coined by L.H. Bailey of Cornell University.7 cultivar group an association of related cultivars with a species, subspecies, or variety due to common origin or groups of traits. Typically a cultivar group originates from a single popular cultivar which has many sports or seedlings that differ from it in small ways. In some cases these may be parallel genetic mutations or even have linked genes but no common history. cuneate wedge-shaped such as a narrow leaf base cupped said of a flower (often a rose) where the center is depressed cuttage the process of rooting cuttings - a useful but uncommon term cutting any stem or vegetative part of a plant used for propagation cytology the study of cells and often chromosomes - not genetics per se damping off loss of young seedlings due to fungus near the soil line deadheading the processing of removing old or spend flowers decidua epithet meaning a deciduous species in a normally evergreen genus deciduous falling or not persistant as in maple or oak trees each fall decumbent trailing stems on the ground with lateral shoots upright defoliate/defoliation loss of leaves such as premature summer leaf drop dentata epithet meaning dentate or having large teeth dentate having large or coarse teeth - serrate refers to finer small teeth dibble a stick or tool that makes planting holes in the soil or media dieback death of shoot tips such as by winter cold or chemical damage diploid having two set of chromosomes - normal for most species direct seeding germination of seed in their final spot as opposed to a nursery disbudding the processing of removing extra buds to promote larger flowers dissected cut or lacerated into segments - said of fringed petals or leaves dissectum 1> epithet meaning deeply cut as in foliage 2> popular abbreviation for Acer palmatum f. dissectum cultivars dish garden a miniature planting in a shallow tray - usually with tiny plants display index percentage of peak display for flowers or other showy part domestica a plant having been domesticated or cultivated near residences. dormancy a state of suspended growth as occurs with seeds and bulbs dorsal relating to the back or outer portion of a plant part double a flower with numerous and full petals - typical more than 5 petals double digging soil bed preparation done by 2 or more spading sessions double nose said of Narcissus bulbs with two growing apices or 'noses' drip irrigation watering plants by small droplets over a long period of time each day dwarf said of a genetically smaller plant - often 1/4 or less normal size dye plant a plant used to extract pigments used in textile or art work edging plant a compact and short plant used to line or trim borders edible landscape landscape using vegetables and fruit plants showy and eaten for humans endangered species a species likely to become extinct - has a legal definition endemic native or local to your area - used to apply to species -ensis botanical name suffix meaning from a region or country. Canadensis or nevadensis are two examples. entire having a smooth (uncut or untoothed) margin as with many leaves epiphyte a plant growing in the air with roots - bromeliads and staghorn fern epithet a word used as part of a species or variety name for a plant escape a garden plant that has been seeded or spread into the wild espalier trained woody plant in a lattice-like or fench-like pattern etiolation stretching of a plant and loss of color due to a lack of needed light ethylene natural occuring gas that ripens fruit - used to ripen bananas evapotranspiration process of loss of water from a plant's tissue and soil evergreen any plant retaining foliage all year long - can be blue or gold too! everlasting a flowering plant that retains colors when cut and dried ex of or according to a particular expert. This is an expression used by taxonomists who have differing definitions of a species or other taxon. It is sometimes used in nursery catalogs when the identify of a plant may be in question (ie. Plantus viscosum ex J. Doe). The expert may or may not be the physical source of the plant. exfoliating usually said of bark (ie. sycamore) that peels and sheds off exotic said of a plant not native - commonly used for rare or tropical plants explant any removed portion used for tissue culture - NOT a former plant (ha!) eye a vegetative or leafy bud F1 hybrid/f1 hybrid a first generation of a cross of different plants fasciation/fasciate a flattened or cockscomb-like growth - can be normal or not fastigiate having a narrowly columnar or pillar-like growth form feathering something done to spread out roots before planting a potted plant fertile capable of producing seed - sometimes used to denote edible fruit fiddlehead a unfurling fern frond that resembles the end of a violin filament the slender stalk or stem of the anther or pollen sac fireblight a serious bacterial disease that kills members of the rose family flat a low plastic or wooden tray used for propagation or transplanting floriculture study of producing and marketing fresh flowers florida with abundant flowers. Cornus florida is the best known example. It has nothing to do with the state of Florida which was named for the same characteristic. A plant from Florida would be called floridana or floridanus in most cases. floriferous having many flowers compared to most cultivars or species focal plant a plant with form or color calling attention or focus to an area foliage leaves or vegetative tissue in the collective sense or mass' foliar of or concerning foliage or leaves - ie. foliar spray or foliar mass forcing stimulation of flowers or growth by controlling light and temperature form a botanical variation of a variety differing in only 1 trait like color foundation plant a plant suitable for planting around houses and below windows frond leaf-like portion of a fern - technically they are not true leaves fruticosa/fruticosum/fruticosus being fruticose or shrub-like - often in a genus of smaller form fruticose being a shrub or shrub-like - a 'fruticose woody plant' is just a 'bush'. Potentilla fruticosa was named to distinguish it from the many herbaceous members of that large genus. fumigation use of gas or vapors that sterilize soils or containers fungicide a chemical used to kill fungus of harm to plants gall a swelling on a leaf or stem caused by fungi or insects like wasps garden any place where humans cultivate or regularly care for plants genotype the true genetic makeup of a plant - see also phenotype genus a 'kind' of plant such as oak or begonia or wheat germination development of seeds into seedlings or leafy young plants gibberellin a group of compounds that naturally control stem elongation girdle to intentionally remove bark for grafting or to kill a plant girdling root roots that strangle a plant by encircling it tightly gland a pore or hair that release liquid or air - bark of cherry trees glauca/glaucum/glaucus epithet meaning blue and waxy - frequently used with conifers glaucous having a blue and waxy coating - blue spruce and grapes globose rounded in 3 dimensions are in globe arborvitae or many shade trees graft inserting a bud or stem in another plant for purposes of propagation grandiflora/grandiflorus/grandiflorum 1) epithet meaning larger flowers than normal for a species 2> Grandiflora - a class of roses with large and clustering blooms green manure a fast-growing crop used to add organic matter when plowed under growing media/growing medium any material used to culture plants - not just soil growth regulator chemical used to increase growth or shorter stems ground cover a spreading short plant used to cover soil - a living mulch guano bat or bird dropping used as a fertilizer high with about 13% nitrogen ha-ha hidden ditch used to keep out people or animals - zoos use them today habit growth form or overall plant shape. Habits can be described with such terms as columnar, weeping, globose, prostrate, or mounded. habitat type of region in which a plant is native - swamp or woodland etc. halophyte salt-loving or salt-tolerant plant - an ecological term for wild plants hardening preparing a vulnerable plant for normal conditions such as cold hardpan non-technical term for a clay or hard layer of soil below the surface hardwood a deciduous tree used for wood as opposed to pine - oak is common hardwood cutting a cutting taking from mature or lignified stems hardy 1) having proven survival ability in cold to a certain temp. or zone 2) popularly among amateurs a term for any durable or tough plant harvesting removal of a desirable plant part - usually fruit or seed or stem healing process of closing of a plant wound or graft union heaving lifting of soil and plants due to frost and ice hedge a linear planting of plants as a barrier - windbreaks are tall hedges heliotropic said of a plant which parts responding to the sun or light herb literally any fleshy plant - used mostly to denote edible aromatic ones herbaceous said of a plant with soft or succulent tissue herbarium a collection of pressed and dry specimens for research purposes herbicide a chemical used to kill specific plants or all plants in its path high centered having petals taller or more pointed than outer petals high-centered having petals taller or more pointed than outer petals hip fruit of a rose - usually large and red when noted in articles horizontalis/horizontale having habit or branches very horizontal. Juniperus horizontalis is obviously a very flat, low plant. Used as a cultivar name this epithet may just indicate branches spreading outward rather than being erect. hortus Latin word for garden - also a series of reference books (ie Hortus III) hotbed a heated soil bed used for propagation as with cuttings in winter hybrid a sexual cross of two distinct plants hydroculture long-term growing of plants in water-based nutrient solutions hydroponics the older term for hydroculture -iana suffix meaning commemorative or in memory of a person or company -ii suffix on plant names denoting a person being honored or who found it. Epithets like sieboldii and wilsonii recognize major plant explorers. imposter clone a clone that has incorrectly replaced the true clone in the trade. inarching a type of grafting that attachs a parent plant using an arched stem inbred/inbreeding said of a undesirable plant made by crossing two related plants indicator plant sensitive plant that alerts to some condition - Hydrangea and drought inermis thornless or less thorny. insecticide a chemical used to kill undesired insects around plants or people internode the stem space between leaf or flower nodes interspecific between species - most modern hybrid roses are such crosses interstem a piece of stem tissue grafted between a rookstock and a scion interstock a piece of stem tissue grafted between a rookstock and a scion introduced 1) a plant which is exotic or brought from another region 2) brought and sold on the nursery trade for the first time IAA Indole-3-acetic acid - used to promote rooting in cuttings IBA Indolebutyric acid - used to promote rooting in cuttings IRA an international authority that catalogues cultivar names japonica/japonicus/japonicus epithet meaning from Japan - actually most such plants are widely Asian juvenile phase non-reproductive stage of a plant - some have different leaf shapes kainite a fertilizer of about 15% potash and 50% Sodium Chloride keel fused boat-shaped petals in members of the pea family knee bent projection of trunk such as those at the base of a bald cypress kousa Japanese name for their dogwood - correctly pronounced KOW-sa labiate having lips as in the two lips in flowers in the mint family lacebark with exfoliating or bi-colored bark - usually with a fine texture lacinate cut or dissected as in leaf margins or some lacy flower petals lactiflora/lactiflorus/lactiflorum epithet meaning white or milky (lacti-) colored parts - usually flowers larva immature insects such as maggots (flies) or caterpillers lathhouse a shaded environment created using slats of wood and wire (lath) latifolia epithet meaning wider leaves than normal for a genus or species latiloba/latilobus/latilobum epithet meaning wider lobes or tissues sections in a leaf or flower lawn any expansive planting of grasses that are mowed to keep them short layering propagation method to root attached portions of side shoots leaching washing out or down of chemicals (ie. fertilzer) by water leader the main or terminal shoot of any plant - usually vigorous leaflet flat division of a leaf leaf scar mark on a twig or stem left where a leaf was detached leafspot one of many types of fungal or bacteria diseases causing round marks legume the flat pod of a pea or any species belonging to the pea family lifting a form of transplantation usually involving little root disturbence liliflorum/liliflora/liliflorus epithet meaning flowers like Lilium (lily) - big white trumpets line a group of plants used for breeding - most self-cross and stay uniform liquid manure a fertilizer made by running water through or into solid manure lutea/luteum/luteus epithet meaning yellow - often a lighter shade than aurea (golden) macrantha/macranthus/macranthum epithet meaning larger flowers - macro + anther maculata/maculatum/maculatus epithet meaning spotted or mottled in some color - sometimes variegated maritima/maritimus/maritimum from a seashore or maritime area - most are low or spreading in size media botanical epithet meaning intermediate between two parent taxa. Juniperus x media is arching-spreading and intermediate between its upright parent J. chinensis and the spreading one J. sabina. media/soil media any substrate (organic or not) used to hold plant roots meristem the growing tissue area in a plant - all buds contain a meristem micro-climate a very local or small scale climate such as valley or woodland midrib/midvein the rib or central vein running down the center of a leaf ming tree an non-living bonsai - usually an Asian style dwarf plastic tree mint any member of the Mint Family (Labiatae) but applied to aromatic ones mold/mould a downy or hairy type of fungus found on decaying plant tissue mollis epithet meaning a covering of soft hairs - at least in spring monoclonal cultivar a cultivar that correctly represents a single clone morifolium epithet meaning leaves (folium) like mulberry (Morus) - as in mums morphology the study of structure or forms - phytomorphology covers plants mother block a certified group of plants used to derive propagation tissues mulch an thin organic or manmade material covering the soil around plants multi-stemmed having more than one stem or trunk - separates a shrub from a tree. mutation a change in the expected genetic or tissue makeup of a plant mycelium/mycelia thread-like growth parts of many fungi - often white or grey nana/nanus/nanum epithet meaning dwarf or at least smaller - popular in conifer names naturalized said of a plant self-propagating where it's not native - 'wild exotic' nematode mostly microscopic worm-like organisms that damage plant roots nigra/niger/nigrum/nigrus epithet meaning black or darker - sometimes for flowers or dark leaves nomenclature the science of naming and spelling of plant names bud mutation/sport a mutation that occurs from buds or growing tissue seed mutation a mutation where a seedling has an unexpected genetic trait naturalized exotic (non-native) plant which reproduces without man's help niger/nigrum/nigrus/nigra epithet meaning dark or blackish in color - often for purple flowers night-blooming said of plants opening blooms only in dark or shade night-flowering said of plants opening blooms only in dark or shade nitrate of soda an strong alkaline fertilizer with about 15% nitrogen nitrification process of oxidizing ammonium salts into nitrogen for plants nocturnal of the night - usually applied to night-blooming plants node the point where a leaf or other structure meets a stem nodule round bacteria-filled swellings on the roots of legume plants nomenclature the study of naming plants including spelling and format novae-angliae epithet meaning from New England as in the Aster species nut a hard and single-seed fruit found in many trees and shrubs nutrient a chemical required by a plant for growth - nitrogen is a main one oblanceolate narrow and widest above the middle as in many leaves obtuse having a rounded and blunt apex as in many plant leaves occidentalis/occidentale being of western origin. Not necessarily the Western US but perhaps used to distinquish it from Asian or Eastern species which might be termed orientalis, japonica, chinensis, etc. Thuja occidentalis vs. Thuja orientalis (now Platycladus) are two such comparisons. oedema corky portions of Geranum leaves caused by excessive humidity offset small bulb or plantlet used to propagate new plants -oides plant name suffix meaning like or similar too such as Genus + oides orbicular rounded in two-dimensional outline as many plant leaves orchard a managed planting of fruit trees used for fruit production organic literally containing carbon - used mostly to apply to natural products ornamental showy or visually pleasing to humans - most landscape plants are o. ornamentals popular abbreviation for a division of Horticultural Science dealing with plant cultivated for landscape or display value. ovary the female part of a flower containing immature seeds (ovules) ovate have an egg-shape in two dimensions as in a great many leaves pad and fan cooling use of a moistened surface and fans to cool a greenhouse pacifica/pacificum/pacificus epithet meaning from the Western US or near the Pacific ocean 7 parvi- botanical name prefix meaning small or reduced. Examples below. parviflora having smaller flowers. parvifolia having smaller or shorter leaves. Pinus parvifolia has needles less than 2 inches unlike most other Asian pines. pathogen a organism (mostly virus or fungus) causing a plant disease peatmoss/peat moss a organic soil additive from Sphagnum and related mosses pendula/pendulum/pendulus epithet for a weeping (or sometimes just spreading) cultivar pendulous/pendulus weeping or drooping with branches hanging down from a central stem perennial a plant which lives or can be displayed for 2 or more years perennial - herbaceous fleshy perennial - one not a shrub or tree perlite a light weight white-colored soil additive from volcanic materials persicifolia having leaves (-folia) shaped like the peach (Prunus persica) petals - guard the outer (and often larger) petals phenotype the visual appearance of a plant regardless of genetics (genotype) physiology the study of chemical function of any organism phytogenetics the study of plant (phyto-) genetics and breeding. phytopathology the study of plant (phyto-) diseases. picta/pictum/pictus painted (like picture) - often a variegated or multicolored plant pinetum woody plant collection emphasizing conifers - not just pines pinnata/pinnatum/pinnatus having pinnate or feather-patterned veins or leaflets. Pinnation occurs when many small, lateral branches come off a rib or axis. pisifera/pisiferus literally pea-bearing. Pisum is the genus of the garden pea. Chamae- paris pisifera has clusters of small, greenish pea-shaped cones before they mature. platanoides epithet meaning like Platanus or sycamore - leaves of Acer p. for one plume feather-like erect inflorescence - usually of a grass or Astilbe pollination process of transfering pollen from a stamen to a pistil pollinator cultivar (often a male clone) proven to pollinate other cultivars polyclonal cultivar a cultivar representing two or more distinct clones polyethylene a common plastic used for containers or mulching or packaging post-harvest physiology a science relating to fruit and vegetable storage and quality potting soil an growth substrate suitable for small containers PPAF plant patent applied for - should not be sold commercially without the future license in your plans. precocity tendency of a given species/cultivar to mature early procumbens epithet meaning procumbent or trailing low along the ground - Juniperus p. progeny testing evaluation of seedlings of a particular cross or source provinence the geographic wild origin in terms of site and population a wild- collected plant was obtained. These can sometimes be equivalent to geographic races but in many cases provinences may not be genetically distinct from a nearby one. A proper way to denote a provinence in most cases would be "Boulder Mt. 2200 ft." or "Cypress Swamp north edge". ptero- botanical name prefix meaning winged. pyramidal pyramid-shaped with a wide base and narrow top - many trees and shrubs open pollination allowing any pollen (by wind or insect) to reach a pistil purity (genetic) relative stability and uniformity of a breeding line seed purity lack of weed and other undesired seeds and materials quick dip treating cuttings with hormone using a liquid rather than powder rebloomer a plant (usually cultivar) with 2 or more flowering periods reblooming typically said of a plant with a spring and later fall blooming recurrent a plant more or less blooming in two or more sessions or months registered said of a cultivar cataloged with an International Registrar (IRA) registrar an international authority that catalogues cultivar names (IRA) reniformis/reniforme epithet meaning kidney (reni-) shaped (formis) root - anchor a large root that holds a plant in a physical soil mass root - feeder a small surface root which easily absorbs nutrients and water rosea/roseus/roseum epithet meaning pink in color - usually applied to flower colors runner a long offshoot of a plant - most are technically stolons sabadilla insecticidal powder used as a less toxic alternative to rotenone saccate have a sac-like shape saggitate shaped like an arrowhead - usually said of a leaf or spathe samara winged fruit as in ash and maple trees - maples have 2 per fruit sanguinea/sanguineus/sanguineum epithet meaning bright or blood (sanguine) red - usually flowers sanitation the process of keeping a clean and disease-free growing area saprophyte a plant that lives on decaying organic matter such as mushrooms sargentii/sargentiana named in most cases for Charles Sargent, first director of the Arnold Arboretum. He named, catalogued, and collected many of the first Asian species introduced to the western world. scab a fungal scale disease that leaves spots on foliage and fruit scabrous rough to the touch as with many hairy leaves or stems scald a burning of tissue (often leaves) due to strong sun or light scale a small bract or leaf-like covering of a flower or leaf bud scale a small round insect - some are cottony as in the common mealybug scandent climbing scape a leafless stalk bearing flowers as in many spring bulbs and Iris scarification deliberate wounding of a seed to allow water to enter scion the top 'slip' or desirable propagated tissue in a grafted plant scorch injury to plant parts due to burning by wind or water loss scorch sometimes used as a synonym of scald such as burning by the sun scree rock garden planting bed made of crushed stone and soil screen a tall hedge of many plants used to block wind or a bad view scuffle hoe single right-angled blade used to remove weeds (= Dutch hoe) seascape landscape planted near the seashore or beach - mostly salt tolerant seed a ripened plant ovary - capable of germinating to produce another plant seed coat the covering or protective layer around a seed selection process of picking plants which meet your purpose and removing others self 1) to cross a plant with its own flowers or one of identical type 2> said of flowers or part of one color as opposed to a bicolor self-fertile a plant capable of producing viable seed with its own pollen self-pollination a plant capable of pollinating its own flowers - some are not self-sterile a plant NOT capable of reproducing with its own pollen semi-double/semidouble 1) a flower with only a few stamens converted to petals 2) flower with less than twice the normal number of petals - 5 8 10 semi-evergreen 1) foliage is retained all year in warm climates but not in colder ones 2> some of the foliage is retained in most climates where hardy semp a common abbreviation for Sempervivum and related genera sempervirens epithet meaning always (semper) green (virens) - ie. Cupressus s. sepal a divided part of a calyx or outer whorl of a flower septum a partion of a fruit serrate having teeth or sharp points as in many leaves sessile lacking a stalk as in leaves with a stem or petiole setaceous resembling or having a bristle sevin a popular and low toxicity insecticide used on plants and animals shade any low light planting environment that blocks 10% or more of the sun short-season crop a plant capable of producing parts in a minimum of days shrub a woody plants that is usually under 15 feet tall and has many stems sludge processed sewage that is used as fertilizer - high in nitrogen sheath a tube-shaped part containing a leaf of a grass or similar plant sib shorthand for sibling or sister/brother in a seedling population signage the collective labels and signs in a garden - mostly educational sinensis/sinense epithet meaning from China (or Asia generally) - chinensis is similar sinuate having a slightly wavy margin - undulate is more extreme sinus the recess between lobes of a leaf or petal slimeflux exuded mass from a cut or wound woody plant trunk slip a traditional term for a softwood plant cutting smut a fungal disease that often has grey or black spores - common in corn softwood cutting a herbaceous (often green) cutting of relative young stems soil a natural substrate for plant roots - has minerals and organic matter soil drench media treatment to kill fungi - some are applied after planting soilless mix a substrate for plant roots that has manmade materials sowing process of scattering and planting seeds to be germinated sooty mold a fungus that develops on insect secretions such as aphid honeydew sort/sorte a plant variation or variety - a non-technical term - sorte is German spaghetti irrigation/spaggheti tube popular name for drip irrigation because of long narrow tubes used spathe a large hood-like bract enclosing flowers as in Jack-in-the-pulpit speciation process of a wild population becoming a new distinct species species a unit of botanical classification capable of reproducing itself speciosa/speciosum being very showy - usually in flowers - Chaenomeles speciosa or Catalpa speciosa often flower quite heavily. spicate having the shape or form of a spike spice a powedered extract of fruit or leaves - usually from tropical plants spike an unbranched stalk full of flowers - many 'spikes' are really racemes spine a modified leaf that is sharp - see also thorn and prickle spinosa epithet meaning with spines or prickles or even thorns spinosissima having many spines - prickles in the case of Rose s. spittle bug frog hoppers that suck sap from plant stems and produce 'saliva' spore a simple reproductive cell of ferns or fungi sport a shoot which differs from a plant and can be reproduced as such spreader a mechanical (often wheel-based) device to spray chemicals spreader a chemical used to disperse pesticides uniformly over a plant surface spur a projection of a flower as in delphinium or lackspur or columbine spur a short thick stem that produces flowers and fruit - as in apples stake a piece of wood/plastic/metal used to support stems or flowers stamen the pollen-carrying male part of a flower - often yellow or red staminate having or pertaining to a stamen or pollen-bearing part of a flower standard an upright single-stemmed plant as grafted tree roses standard an upright petal as in many members of the pea family starch a stored carbohydrate in plant parts - we eat one called potato stellate star-shaped as in radiating petals or minute plant hairs stem a vascular growing axis of a plant with buds and growing nodes sterile lacking fertility or reproductive potential sterile said of a soil heated or treated to remove harmful organisms sterilization process of killing insects and disease in soil sterilization process of killing harmful organisms on cultured plant tissue stick verb used when one places cuttings in a rooting medium or bed stigma the receptive female portion of a flower that receives pollen stipe stalk of a fern frond (leaf) or stalk of a flower pistil stock basal or rooted part of a grafted plant stock a group of preserved nursery plants used for propagation stolon a slender horizontal stem which produces new plants stomate a breathing or water pore of a plant leaf or stem - sweat gland stool a clump of roots used for propagation - usually applied to layering strain a race within a species reproduced by seed - many are now cultivars stratification a temperature treatment of seed used to break dormancy striate striped or having long lines strike to produce roots as with a cutting - an old traditional term strobilus the correct term for a conifer cone - as in pines or spruce style the long female stalk between the stigma and ovary suberization formation of corky bark (suber=cork) on wounded cuttings or stems subshrub/sub-shrub partly woody plant as in some Salvia and candytuft succulent a fleshy and very watery plant as in Cacti and Sedum sucker a vigorous shoot arising from a plant base or from below ground suffruticose a synonym of shrubby - often used for densely bushy plants summer annual a 1-year plant that sows in spring and flowers in summer/fall sunscald a burning of tissue due to strong light on foliage or bark sylvestris/sylvestre epithet meaning of the woods (syl- as in Pennsylvavia) - woodland plant syncarp a rounded aggregation of fruits - a sycamore is the best known kind systemic pesticide/systemic herbicide chemical that is absorbed by a plant and is translocated in its vessels t-budding a type of grafting that places a bud into a T-shaped cut on a stock tap root the primary or thick main root - pull a dandelion and you have one taxa/taxon any unit of plant classification - 30 taxa = 30 'kinds of plants' taxonomy the science of plant classification and nomenclature tc/TC popular abbreviation for tissue culture propagation. temperate zone Northern hemisphere of the world - opposite of tropical zone tendril a twisting thead-like shoot used to support the plant - Boston ivy terrarium a glass or plastic-enclosed growing environment with high humidity texture relative coarseness or fineness of foliage in the landscape thallus a flat leaf-shaped part in the early life cycle of a fern throat the inner mouth-like opening of a tubular flower tissue culture growing plants in a laboratory from small tissue fragments tomentosa/tomentosum epithet meaning tomentose (see below) tomentose having a wooly (often white or grey) covering of short hairs top-dressing a fertilizer or compost applied at the soil level top-working grafting only the ends of a plant - leaving branches intact top working grafting only the ends of a plant - leaving branches intact topiary art of pruning plants into specific shapes such as animals translocation movement of water and nutrients through a plant's vessels transpiration the process of leaves releasing water to the air transplantation process of moving a plant from one soil mass to another tree a woody plant that is normally over 15 feet tall and has 1 major trunk trench layering propagation using long branches rooted in a manmade ditch trenching digging a shallow ditch around the border of a planting tri- epithet or other prefix meaning three or triple tricolored a plant with 3 colors - usually variegated with pink new leaves triloba/trilobus/trilobum epithet meaning three major lobes in the leaf or other part triploid have 3 sets of chromosomes - many of these plants are seedless truncate having a leaf or part abruptly cut - tulip tree or Christmas cactus truss a non-technical term for a domed flower mass as in Rhododendron tuber a thickened stem with buds as in Begonia and potato tuberous having tubers or part resembling them - like tuberous roots turf a dense mat of lawn grasses that are usually cut very low turgid said of a plant part that is swollen and full of water type the pressed herbarium specimen used to represent a plant for all time umbel a cluster of flowers radiating from a center as in wild carrot undulate having a wavy margin as in leaves or petals unisexual having only 1 sex (male or female) of flowers on a single plant urban horticulture specialty in the study of stresses affecting city trees and landscapes USDA United States Department of Agriculture USNA United States National Arboretum variant a different plant whether it be a botanical or horticultural plant variedad Spanish word for variety - often means a true cultivar variegate a noun applied to a cultivar plant with variegated parts variegated having markings or zones of tissue lacking green chlorophyll variety - botanical a natural occuring variation of a wild species variety - horticultural =cultivar - a variation of a species found in gardens vascular pertaining to the vessels that conduct water or nutrients in plants vegetable a plant with edible herbaceous tissue such as leaves or stems vegetative the leafy or green portions of a plant - not fruit nor flowers vein the rib or branch of vessels in a plant leaf or other flat part venation the pattern of veins or vessels and their relative association vermiculite a light soil amendment made by exploding the mineral called mica vernacular name a common name in a local language - as opposed to Latin or Greek vernation the orientation and arrangement of leaves in a bud verticillate whorled or arranged in a radiating patterns as umbrella pine viable/viability seed or spores capable of germination with suitable treatment vine a plant which trails and climbs by means of attaching parts and stems virescent becoming green - such as plants with yellow or red new growth virginiana/virginianum/virginianus from the Southeastern US in the wild - not just the state of VA virus a deforming microorganism that causes leafcurls and mottled foliage virus indexing a procedure to test plant stock to determine if it has a virus vivipary/viviparous having live plantlets on a mother plant - as some lilies vulgaris/vulgare epithet meaning common or ordinary - usually the first species known or the one most familiar in Europe. wall garden a garden against a man-made structure to protect plants wardian case/Wardian an ornate 19th century terrarium used for ferns and rare plants water-logged/waterlogged said of soil that is oversaturated with water watersprout/water sprout a vigorous sucker from the base of a woody plant grafting wax a wax used to seal a bud or graft from water and air whip a long scion used for tongue and groove grafting whorled arranged around a central point - leaves not alternate nor opposite wildlife garden planting (often naturalized) using plants attracting and feeding animals willow water a solution from willow (Salix) said to aid in rooting cuttings winter annual a 1-year plant that sows in fall/winter and flowers early spring woody plant a tree or shrub - any plant with lignified tissues wounding deliberate cutting of plant stems to increase root formation xerophyte plants naturually adapted to drought or low moisture conditions xeroscape a landscape made of plants that require little water or rain yak A hybrid or selection of Rhododendron yakushimanum
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