Glossary of botany

Glossary of Botany

This glossary of botany is a comprehensive list of terms and definitions used in the field of botany, the scientific study of plants. This glossary aims to provide clear and concise explanations of botanical terms to aid in the understanding of plant biology.

A

Abaxial

The surface of a leaf or other plant part that is facing away from the stem. It is the opposite of adaxial.

Adaxial

The surface of a leaf or other plant part that is facing towards the stem. It is the opposite of abaxial.

Anther

The part of a stamen that contains the pollen.

B

Biennial

A plant that completes its life cycle in two years, typically growing vegetatively in the first year and flowering in the second.

Bract

A modified leaf or scale, typically small, with a flower or flower cluster in its axil.

C

Calyx

The outermost whorl of a flower, consisting of units called sepals.

Cambium

A layer of actively dividing cells between xylem and phloem tissues that is responsible for secondary growth in plants.

D

Deciduous

Plants that shed their leaves annually.

Dioecious

A plant species having separate male and female individuals.

E

Endosperm

A tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants following fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition.

Epiphyte

A plant that grows on another plant but is not parasitic, such as many orchids.

F

Filament

The stalk of a stamen that supports the anther.

Frond

A large, divided leaf, especially of a fern or palm.

G

Gymnosperm

A group of seed-producing plants that includes conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetophytes. They have "naked seeds" not enclosed in an ovary.

Germination

The process by which a plant grows from a seed.

H

Herbaceous

Plants that have non-woody stems and die back at the end of the growing season.

Hybrid

The offspring resulting from the cross-breeding of two different species or varieties.

I

Inflorescence

A group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem.

Internode

The segment of a plant stem between the points where leaves are attached.

J

Juvenile

The early stage of a plant's life cycle before it reaches maturity.

K

Keel

A ridge along the back of a leaf or petal, often found in legumes.

L

Lenticel

A small, spongy area on the surface of stems and roots that allows gas exchange.

Leaflet

A segment of a compound leaf.

M

Meristem

A region of plant tissue, found chiefly at the growing tips of roots and shoots, consisting of actively dividing cells.

Monocot

A group of flowering plants whose seeds typically contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon.

N

Node

The part of a plant stem from which one or more leaves emerge.

Nectary

A gland that secretes nectar.

O

Ovary

The part of the pistil that contains the ovules.

Ovule

The structure that gives rise to and contains the female reproductive cells.

P

Petiole

The stalk that attaches a leaf to the plant stem.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Q

Quiescent

A state of dormancy or inactivity in seeds or buds.

R

Rhizome

A horizontal underground plant stem capable of producing the shoot and root systems of a new plant.

Rosette

A circular arrangement of leaves or petals.

S

Stamen

The pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower, typically consisting of a filament and an anther.

Stomata

Small openings on the surface of leaves that allow for gas exchange.

T

Tuber

A thickened underground part of a stem or rhizome, such as a potato, serving as a food reserve and bearing buds from which new plants arise.

Tendril

A slender threadlike appendage of a climbing plant, often growing in a spiral form, that stretches out and twines around any suitable support.

U

Umbel

A type of inflorescence in which the flower stalks arise from a common point, somewhat like the ribs of an umbrella.

V

Vascular

Relating to the plant tissues (xylem and phloem) that conduct water, sap, and nutrients.

Venation

The arrangement of veins in a leaf.

W

Whorl

A circular arrangement of three or more leaves, flowers, or other organs at a single node.

X

Xylem

The vascular tissue in plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the root and also helps to form the woody element in the stem.

Y

Yield

The amount of crop produced in a given area.

Z

Zygote

The cell formed by the union of two gametes; the earliest stage of a developing organism.