Plant Tax

Annual

Completing life cycle (germination through death) in one year or growing season, gen non woody

Biennial

Completing life cycle (germ thru death) in two years or growing seasons (gen flowering in 2nd year), non woody, often rosette 1st szn

Perennial

Completing life cycle (germ thru death) in more than two years or growing seasons (non woody to woody),

Acaulescent

no stem

Caulescent

stem

Herbaceous

lacking wood: having characteristics of an herb

Woody

Hardened thickened vascular tissue under the bark of subshrubs, shrubs, trees and some vines

Scapose

Plant/inflorescence that has a relatively long peduncle rise, sometimes with leaf or scale bracts but without true foliage leaves

Succulent

thickened, fleshy, swollen parts to retain water

Rosette

Radiating cluster of leaves generally at or near ground level

Fibrous root

Thread-like but tough, pertaining to root system of many roots similar in length and thickness

Taproot

Primary root that grows more or less straight down into soil, is tapered to the end and has smaller lateral branches

Adventitious root

Arising at unusual times or places? wanders above surface

Rhizome

In seed plants, stem is elongate and generally horizontal and underground

can bear leaves

Stolon

Thin, elongate stem lying flat on the ground forming roots as well as erect stems or shoots

Tuber

Short, thickened, fleshy, usually starchy underground stem for storage and propogation (potatoes)

Bulb

Short underground stem and the fleshy leaves or leaf bases attached to and surrounding it (onion)

Corm

Short, thick unbranched underground stem surrounded by dry leaves or leaf bases

Thorn armament

sharp pointed stiff projection derived from a branch and is often subtended by a leaf or leaf scar

Spine armament

sharp pointed stiff projection derived from a leaf

Prickle armament

Sharp pointed stiff projection, originating on epidermis,

Blade (lamina)

leaf

Midrib

Thickest boldest vein running on central axis

Rachis

Primary axis of a compound or dissected lead blade

Margin

Edge of a leaf

Petiole

Leaf stalk, connecting leaf blade to stem

Sessile

Without a petiole, peduncle, pedicel or other kind of stalk

Petiolate

Having a petiole

Stipule

Appendage at base of a petiole, generally paired, sometimes a spine

Stipulate

Having a stipule

Leaf axil

Leaflet

Leaf-like unit of a compound leaf

Alternate

Arranged singly along an axis

Opposite

Arranged in pairs along an axis

Rosette

Radiating cluster of leaves generally at or near ground level

Whorled

Arranged in groups of three or more at nodes or positions along axis

Leaf Architecture

1) Simple

2) Lobed

3) Once-pinnately compound

4) Twice-pinnately compound

5) Palmately compound

6) Trifoliate

Leaf Venation

1) Pinnate

2) Palmate

3) Parallel

Overall blade shape

1) Linear

2) Ovate

3) Obovate

4) Lanceolate

5) Oblanceolate

6) Cordate

7) Deltoid

8) Elliptical

9) Oblong

Apex

1) Obtuse

2)Acuminate

3)Acute

4)Cordate

5) Obtuse

Base of blade

1) acute

2) cordate

3) obtuse

4) truncate

Different Vestiture’s

1) Pubescent

2) Puberulent

3)Tomentose

4) Glabrous

5) Glaucous

6) Simple hair

7) Branched hair

8) Glandular hair

9) Trichome

bract

Reduced leaf or scale-like structure subtending a branch, cone scale, inflorescence (infl bract), or sessile flower or pedicel (fl bract)

tendril

slender, coiling structure by which a climbing plant becomes attached to its support

shoot

pertaining collectively to a young stem or twig and its appendages (new growth in the spring) or to all above-ground parts of a plant (shoot system)

short shoot

(spur) is a shoot on some woody plants that undergoes only limited elongation, so that internodes between appendages (leaves, flowers) are very short

node

position on a stem from which one or more structures (especially leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise

Internode

Segment of an axis (generally a stem) between successive positions (nodes) from which one or more structures (leaves, buds, branches, or flowers) arise

Evergreen

Never leafless; usually pertaining to leaves that remain green and on the plant for more than one season, and that do not all fall seasonally, or to plants that are never leafless

Deciduous

Falling off naturally, leaves that fall seasonally and are seasonally leafless

Basal leaves

At or near the base of a plant or plant part, especially said of leaves clustered near the ground or of a placenta confined to the base of an ovary

Cauline leaves

Pertaining to structures, especially leaves, borne along (not confined to the base of) an elongate, above ground stem: not basal

Adaxial

side or surface of a structure toward the axis on which the structure is borne (upper surface of a lead, inner surface of a petal)

Abaxial

Side or surface of a structure away from the axis on which the structure is borne (lower surface of a leaf, outer surface of a petal)

Flower parts

perianth

calyx and corolla collectively, whether or not they are distinguishable

sepals

individual member of the calyx, whether fused or not: if fused, often equal in number to the number of calyx lobes: gen green

calyx

collective term for sepals: outermost or lowermost whorl of flower parts, gen green and enclosing remainder of flower in bud

petals

individual member of the corolla, whether fused or not: if fused, often equal in number to the number of corolla lobes

corolla

collective term for petals: whorl of flower parts immediately inside or above calyx, often large and brightly colored. Sometimes indistinguishable from calyx

Stamens

Male reproductive structure of a flower, typically composed of a stalk-like filament and a terminal, pollen producing anther. Filaments sometimes partly fuse to the corolla, or to other filaments to form a tube

Carpel

Basic female structure of a flower, evolved from a fertile lead. Carpels are free or variously fused into a compound pistil, the number of carpels then often equal to the number of stigmas, styles, or chambers of the ovary.

Loss of Whorls

1) Complete

2) Incomplete

3) Apetalous

4) Perfect (bisexual)

5) Imperfect (unisexual)

6) Staminate

7)Pistillate

Complete

Contains all four whorls of floral organs

1) Calyx (sepals)

2) Corolla (petals)

3) Androecium (stamens)

4) Gynoecium (pistil)

Incomplete

Lacks one or more of the four floral parts

-sepals, petals, stamens, pistil or a combo

Apetalous

having no petals

Perfect (bisexual)

having both a stamen and carpel

Imperfect (unisexual)

Having either a stamen or a carpel, but not both

Staminate

Pertaining to flowers, inflorescences, or plants with fertile stamens but sterile or missing pistils

Pistillate

Pertaining to flowers, inflorescences or plants with fertile pistils but sterile or missing stamens

Sex determination

1) Hermaphroditic (both male and female)

2) Monoecious (having both male and female rep. strc. on separate parts)

3) Dioecious (either male or female but not bisexual)

Symmetry

Actinomorphic (radial)

Zygomorphic (bilateral)

Fusions

1) Connation (connate)

2) Adnation (adnate)

3) Apocarpous

4) Syncarpous

5) Epipetalous

Connation

Fusion of organs of the same type

Adnation

fusion of organs from different parts

Apocarpous

carpels of a flower are free and independent, each forming its own pistil and ovary

Syncarpous

carpels are fused together, forming a single pistil with a shared ovary

Epipetalous

Pertaining to stamens that are fused to the petals to various extents and therefore appear to arise from them

Androecium

• Stamen

• Filament Anther

• (and or staminode)

Staminode

Sterile stamen, usually modified in appearance, sometimes petal-like or elaborate in structure

Gynoecium

Carpel

Style

Stigma

Ovary

Locule (Chamber)

Ovule

Septum

Pistil

Ovary flower position

Superior

Hypogenous

Inferior

Epigynous

Superior

ovary that is free from the perianth and stamens, or free from the fused lower portions of these structures to the extent the structures appear to arise at its base

Hypogynous

The ovary is superior

Inferior

Ovary that is fused to the fused lower portions of the perianth and stamens, to the extent that these structures appear to arise at or above its summit

Epigynous

the ovary is inferior

Dehiscent

Opening at maturity to release contents: usually pertaining to anthers or fruits

Indehiscent

Not opening inheretly to release contents: Usually pertaining to fruits

Achene

Dry, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit from a 1-chambered ovary in which the fruit wall is free from the seed, sometimes winged: often appearing to be a naked seed

Schizocarp (mericarps)

A dry compound fruit that, at maturity, divides into two or more mostly indehiscent one-seeded segments (carpels) which are dispersed individually

Mericarp

One of the carpels of a schizocarp

Capsule

Dry fruit from a compound pistil, nearly always dehiscent

Follicle

Dry fruit from a simple pistil, dehiscent on generally only one side, along a single suture. A single flower may develop into a simple fruit of 1 follicle or an aggregate fruit of several follicles

Drupe

Fleshy or pulpy, indehiscent, superficially berry-like fruit in which 1 seed is encased in a stone, or more than 1 seed is encased in an equal number of free or variously fused stones (cherry)

Berry

Fleshy, indehiscent fruit in which the seeds are generally more than 1 and not encased in a stone (cucumber)

Fruit clusters

1) Multiple

2) Aggregate

Pedicel

Stalk of an individual flower in an inflorescence, or the corresponding structure in fruit

Peduncle

Stalk of an individual flower borne singly, not in an inflorescence, or of an entire inflorescence, or of an entire inflorescence, or the corresponding structure in fruit

Rachis

In ferns, primary axis od a compound or dissected leaf blade

Bract

generally reduced, lead or scale like structure subtending a branch, cone scale, inflorescence or sessile flower or pedicel