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B & T World Seeds
Common Name:
Botanical name:
Glossary S - Z
sac:
a pouch or cavity;
pollen
-sac.
saccate:
pouched.
sagittate:
shaped like an arrow-head.
samara:
a dry,
indehiscent
fruit
with its wall expanded into a
wing
.
saprophyte:
an organism deriving its nourishment from dead organic matter and usually lacking
chlorophyll
. cf.
epiphyte
,
parasite
.
scabrid (= scabrous):
rough to the touch.
scabridulous:
slightly rough; diminutive of scabrous.
scalariform:
having a ladder-like pattern.
scale:
a reduced or
rudimentary
leaf, e.g. surrounding a dormant bud; a thin flap of tissue, e.g. on the
ventral
surface of a liverwort
thallus
and at the base of a
stamen
in simaroubaceae.
scandent:
climbing.
scape:
the
stem
-like, flowering stalk of a plant with
radical
leaves.
scarious:
dry and membranous.
schizocarp:
a dry
fruit
formed from more than one
carpel
but breaking apart into 1 -
carpel
units when ripe. cf.
mericarp
.
sclerenchyma:
mechanical tissue with heavily thickened
cell
walls.
scleromorph:
a plant whose leaves (or
stem
s, if leafless) are hard in texture, usually having thick cuticle and containing many fibres. cf.
xeromorph
.
sclerophyllous:
with leaves stiffened by sclerenchyma.
scorpioid:
of a cymose
inflorescence
, branching alternately on one side and then the other. cf.
helicoid
.
scribble:
irregular lines on the bark of some eucalypts, being the old tunnels burrowed by moth larvae between bark layers and exposed when the outer layer falls.
secund:
with all the parts grouped on one side or turned to one side (applied especially to
inflorescence
s).
seed:
a propagating organ formed in the sexual reproductive cycle of gymnosperms and
angiosperm
, consisting of a protective coat (
testa
) enclosing an
embryo
and food reserves.
segment:
a part or sub-division of a
divided
organ; one of a group of similar organs named collectively, e.g. one
petal
= a segment of a
corolla
.
sepal:
a member of the (usually green) outer
whorl
of non-fertile parts surrounding the fertile organs of a
flower
.
sepaloid:
looking like sepals, e.g. of
bract
s, usually green and arranged in a ring beneath a
flower
.
septate:
divided
internally by partitions.
septicidal:
of the dehiscence of a
fruit
, along lines coinciding with the partitions between
loculi
. cf.
loculicidal
.
septifragal:
of the dehiscence of a
fruit
, when the
valves
or backs of the
carpel
s break away leaving the septa intact.
septum:
a partition. pl. septa.
seriate:
in rows or
whorl
s.
sericeous:
silky; covered with silky hairs.
serrate:
toothed, with asymmetrical teeth pointing forward.
serrulate:
finely serrate.
sessile:
without a stalk (when applied to a
stigma
, indicates that the
style
is absent, the
stigma
being 'sessile' on the
ovary
).
seta:
a bristle or stiff hair; in bryophyta, the stalk portion of a
sporophyte
plant body;
terminal
seta.
setose:
bristly.
shrub:
a woody plant less than 5 metres high, either without a distinct main
axis
, or with branches persisting on the main
axis
almost to its base.
siliceous:
containing silica.
silicula:
a short siliqua, not more than twice as long as its width.
siliqua:
a dry,
dehiscent
fruit
formed from a
superior
ovary
of two
carpels
, with two
parietal
placentas
and
divided
into two
loculi
by a false septum between the
placentas
.
simple:
undivided; of a leaf, not
divided
into
leaflet
s; of a hair or an
inflorescence
, not branched.
sinuate:
with deep, wave-like depressions along the margin. cf.
undulate
.
sinus:
a notch or depression in the margin of an organ.
solitary:
of flowers, borne singly, not grouped in an
inflorescence
.
sorus:
in ferns, a discrete group of sporangia. pl. sori.
spadix:
a
spicate
inflorescence
with a stout, often succulent
axis
.
spathaceous:
like a spathe; with a spathe.
spathe:
a large
bract
ensheathing an
inflorescence
.
spathella:
a closed membranous
sac
which envelopes the immature
flower
in some podostemaceae, rupturing irregularly as the
pedicel
elongates at
anthesis
.
spathulate (= spatulate):
spoon-shaped; broad at the tip and narrowed towards the base.
species:
a
taxon
comprising individuals, or populations of individuals, capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring;
species:
the largest group of individuals between which there are no distinguishable, consistent differences in form or reproductive mechanisms.
spike:
an unbranched,
indeterminate
inflorescence
in which the flowers are without stalks. adj. spicate.
spikelet:
a unit of the
inflorescence
in grasses, sedges and some other
monocotyledon
s, consisting of one to many flowers and associated
glume
s.
spine:
a stiff, sharp-pointed structure, formed by modification of a plant organ, e.g. a lateral branch or a
stipule
.
spinescent:
ending in a spine; modified to form a spine.
spinose:
bearing spines.
spiral:
of leaves or
floral
organs, borne at different levels on the
axis
, in an ascending spiral. cf.
cyclic
.
sporangiophore:
the stalk of a sporangium.
sporangium:
a structure within which
spore
s are formed. pl. sporangia.
spore:
a
simple
propagule
, produced either sexually or
asexually
, and consisting of one or a few
cell
s.
sporocarp:
a fruiting body containing sporangia.
sporogenous:
of
cell
s or tissues, in which
spore
s are formed.
sporophyll:
a specialised leaf-like organ on which one or more sporangia are borne.
sporophyte:
a plant, or phase of a life cycle, that bears the
spore
s formed during the sexual reproductive cycle.
spur:
a tubular pouch at the base of a
perianth
part, often containing nectar.
stamen:
one of the male organs of a
flower
, consisting typically of a stalk (
filament
) and a
pollen
-bearing portion (
anther
). adj. staminate.
staminode:
a sterile stamen, often
rudimentary
.
staminophore:
a band of tissue around the
apex
of the
hypanthium
in a eucalypt flower on which the
stamen
s are
inserted
.
standard:
the
posterior
petal
in the
flower
in fabaceae.
stellate:
star-shaped; consisting of star-shaped
cell
s.
stem:
the main
axis
or a branch of the main axial system of a plant, developed from the
plumule
of the
embryo
and typically bearing leaves.
stigma:
the
pollen
-receptive surface of a
carpel
or group of fused
carpel
s, usually sticky.
stipe:
a small stalk; in ferns, the
petiole
of a
frond
; in algae, the cylindrical
basal
portion of a
thallus
.
stipitate:
stalked; borne on a stipe; of an
ovary
, borne on a
gynophore
.
stipule:
one of a pair of
appendages
at the bases of leaves in many
dicotyledon
s.
stolon:
a
prostrate
or trailing
stem
that produces
root
s at the
node
s.
stoloniferous:
having stolons; trailing over the soil surface and rooting at the
node
s.
stoma:
a pore; a pore in the
epidermis
of a leaf or other aerial organ, providing access for gaseous exchange between the tissues and the atmosphere. pl. stomata.
stomium:
a region of dehiscence, e.g. of an
anther
in flowering plants or of a
capsule
in mosses. pl. stomia.
stramineous:
straw coloured.
striate:
striped with parallel longitudinal lines or ridges.
strigose:
with sharp, stiff hairs which are slanting rather than erect.
strobilus:
a '
cone
' consisting of
sporophyll
s borne close together on an
axis
.
strophiole:
see
caruncle
struma:
a
cushion
-like swelling, e.g. at the
apex
of staminal
filament
s in dianella.
style:
an elongated part of a
carpel
, or group of fused
carpels
, between the
ovary
and the stigma.
subulate:
narrow and tapering gradually to a fine point.
sulcate:
grooved; furrowed.
superior:
of an
ovary
, borne above the level of attachment of the other
floral
parts, or above the base of a cup (
hypanthium
) that is free from the
ovary
and bears the
perianth
segment
s and
stamen
s. cf.
inferior
.
suture:
a line of junction between two fused organs; a line of dehiscence.
syconium:
a multiple
fruit
with a hollow centre, e.g. in ficus (fig).
sympatric:
of two or more
species
, having coincident or ovarlapping ranges of distribution. cf.
allopatric
.
sympetalous:
=
gamopetalous
sympodial:
of growth, without a single,
persistent
growing point; changing direction by frequent replacement of the growing
apex
by a lateral growing point below it; of a
stem
, growing in the above manner. cf.
monopodial
.
synandrium:
an
androecium
with the
anthers
of the
stamen
s cohering. cf. syngenesious.
synangium:
of
fruit
, several
fruit
s
united
in a single structure.
syncarp:
a structure consisting of several
united
fruit
s, usually fleshy. cf.
aggregate
fruit
.
syncarpous:
of a
flower
, having two or more
carpel
s, all fused together.
syngenesious:
of the
stamen
s of one flower, fused together by the
anthers
e.g. in asteraceae. cf.
synandrium
.
syntepalum:
in musaceae, a
unilaterally
split tube formed by the coherence of 3
sepals
and 2
anterior
petal
s in flowers of some
species
.
syntype:
one of two or more specimens cited by the author at the time of publication of a name for which no
holotype
was designated.
taproot:
the main, descending
root
of a plant that has a single, dominant root
axis
.
taxon:
a group or category, at any level, in a system for classifying plants or animals.
tendril:
a slender climbing organ formed by modification of a part of a plant, e.g. a
stem
, a leaf or
leaflet
, a
stipule
.
tenuiexenous:
of a
pollen
grain, with a thin
exine
.
tepal:
a
perianth
segment
in a
flower
in which all the perianth
segment
s are similar in appearance.
terete:
cylindrical or nearly so; circular in cross-section.
terminal:
at the
apex
or
distal
end.
ternate:
in groups of three; of leaves, arranged in
whorl
s of three; of a single leaf, having the
leaflet
s arranged in groups of three.
terrestrial:
of or on the ground; of the
habitat
of a plant, on land as opposed to in water, or on the ground as opposed to on another plant.
testa:
a
seed
coat (
testa
).
tetrad:
a group of four; four
pollen
grains remaining fused together at maturity, e.g. in ericaceae, epacridaceae.
tetradynamous:
of an
androecium
, consisting of four
stamen
s of the same length and two of a different length.
tetramerous:
of a flower, having four
segment
s in each
perianth
whorl
, and usually in each
whorl
of
stamen
s also.
thallus:
the vegetative body of a plant that is not differentiated into organs such as
stem
s and leaves, e.g. algae, the
gametophyte
s of many liverworts, and lemnaceae.
thorn:
a modified plant organ, especially a
stem
, that is stiffened and terminates in a
pungent
point.
throat:
of a
corolla
tube, the top, where the tube joins the
lobes
.
thyrse:
a branched
inflorescence
in which the main
axis
is
indeterminate
and the lateral branches
determinate
in their growth.
tomentum:
a covering of dense, matted, woolly hairs. adj. tomentose.
torus:
see
receptacle
.
trabecula:
a transverse partition dividing or partly dividing a cavity.
tree:
a woody plant at least 5 metres high, with a main
axis
the lower part of which is usually unbranched.
trichome:
an unbranched epidermal outgrowth, e.g. a hair, a
papilla
; in blue-green algae, a single row of
cell
s in a
filamentous
colony.
trichotomous:
branching almost equally into three parts.
trifid:
deeply
divided
into three parts.
trifoliate:
having three leaves.
trifoliolate:
of a leaf, having three
leaflet
s.
trigonous:
triangular in cross-section and
obtuse
ly-angled. cf.
triquetrous
.
trimerous:
of a flower, having three
segment
s in each
perianth
whorl
and usually in each
whorl
of
stamen
s also.
tripinnate:
of leaves, thrice
pinnately
divided
.
triplicate:
folded three times.
triquetrous:
triangular in cross-section and acutely-angled; with three distinct longitudinal ridges. cf.
trigonous
.
tristichous:
arranged in three rows on a
stem
, each row in the same plane.
tristylous:
heterostylous
species
having three
style
lengths (short, mid, long), the flowers of any one plant having styles of the same length.
truncate:
with an abruptly transverse end, as if cut off.
tuber:
a storage organ formed by swelling of an underground
stem
or the
distal
end of a
root
.
tubercle:
a small wart-like outgrowth.
tuberculate:
covered with tubercles.
tuberous:
swollen; of roots, tuber-like.
tumid:
swollen; inflated.
tunic:
thin membranous or fibrous outer layers of a
bulb
or
corm
.
turbinate:
top-shaped,
obconical
.
turgid:
swollen due to high water content. cf.
flaccid
.
type:
a designated representative of a plant name.
umbel:
a
racemose
inflorescence
in which all the individual flower stalks arise in a cluster at the top of the
peduncle
and are of about equal length.
uncinate:
terminating in a hooked point.
undulate:
wavy, i.e. not flat. cf.
sinuate
.
unifoliate:
having one leaf.
unifoliolate:
of a leaf, basically
compound
, but reduced to only one
leaflet
.
unilateral:
of
stamen
s, with
anthers
grouped to one side of the
style
.
unilocular:
of an
ovary
,
anther
or
fruit
, having only one internal cavity.
unisexual:
bearing only male or only female reproductive organs.
united:
fused together.
urceolate:
urn-shaped.
utricle:
a small bladder; a membranous bladder-like
sac
enclosing an
ovary
or
fruit
.
valvate:
of
sepals
or
petal
s in a bud, meeting edge to edge, not overlapping. cf.
imbricate
.
valve:
a portion of an organ that has fragmented; of a
capsule
, the teeth-like portions into which the dehiscing part of the
pericarp
splits at maturity.
vascular:
specialised for conduction of fluids;
vascular
plants.
vein:
a strand of
vascular
tissue.
velamen:
a water-retaining outer layer of the aerial roots of some
epiphyte
s, especially orchids.
velum:
a membranous covering; a veil.
venation:
the arrangement of
vein
s in a leaf.
ventral:
of a lateral organ, facing towards the subtending
axis
; of a
thallus
, facing towards the substratum. cf.
dorsal
.
vernation:
the arrangement of unexpanded leaves in a bud. cf.
aestivation
.
verrucose:
covered with wart-like outgrowths.
verrucose:
warted.
verruculose:
covered with closely spaced, minute wart-like outgrowths.
versatile:
of
anthers
, swinging freely about the point of attachment to the
filament
, which is approximately central.
verticillate:
arranged in one or more whorls.
vesicle:
a bladder-like
sac
or cavity filled with gas or liquid.
vessel:
a capillary tube formed from a series of open-ended
cell
s in the water -conducting tissue of a plant.
vestigial:
reduced from the ancestral condition and no longer functional. cf.
obsolete
,
rudimentary
.
villous:
shaggy with long, weak hairs. cf.
hirsute
.
viscid:
of a surface, sticky; coated with a thick, syrupy secretion.
viscous:
of a liquid, not pouring freely; having the consistency of syrup or honey.
viviparous:
of
seed
s or
fruit
s, germinating before being shed from the parent plant.
whorl:
a ring of leaves,
bract
s or
floral
parts borne at the same level on an
axis
.
wing:
a membranous expansion of a
fruit
or
seed
, which aids dispersal; a thin flange of tissue extended beyond the normal outline of a
stem
or
petiole
; a lateral
petal
of a
flower
in fabaceae.
xeromorph:
a plant having structural features usually associated with plants of arid
habitat
s (such as hard or succulent leaves) but not necessarily drought-tolerant. cf.
scleromorph
,
xerophyte
.
xerophyte:
a drought-tolerant plant. cf.
xeromorph
.
xylem:
the tissue, in a
vascular
plant, that conducts water and mineral salts from the roots to the leaves.
zygomorphic:
of a
flower
or
calyx
or
corolla
, symmetrical about one plane only, usually the plane that bisects the
flower
vertically. cf.
actinomorphic
.
