Glochid
Special terms
A small, fragile, needle-like, often translucent spine of Pereskia and Opuntia cacti, with saw-toothed barbs.
Glossary of terms
A reference section with categories and short explanations.
Herbaceous plants
Special terms
Non-woody plants that die back to ground level at the end of the growing season.
Herbaceous stem
Special terms
A vegetative organ that is the axis of the shoot, bearing buds, leaves, flowers and fruit.
Hybrid
Special terms
A plant produced by the union of genetic material from genotypically distinct organisms. In botanical nomenclature hybrids are denoted by "х".
Hybrid varieties
Special terms
Grown by crossing male and female cells.
Hydrochory
Special terms
Dispersal of fruits, seeds, and other parts of a plant by means of water.
Hydroponics
Special terms
Method of growing plants in which a nutrient solution is used instead of soil.
Hypocotyl
Special terms
Subcotyledonary node, the embryonic stem — a small section of stem between the root and the first (embryonic) leaves — the cotyledons.
Inflorescence
Special terms
A branched shoot or a specialized part of a shoot that usually bears numerous flowers in the axils of reduced leaves. Various types of inflorescences are formed: spikes, spadices, umbels, panicles, heads (capitula), racemes.
Internode
Special terms
Part of a stem between two adjacent nodes.
Involucre, involucral bracts
Special terms
A collection of green small leaves (bracts) that cover the base of the flower head (capitulum) in composites (Asteraceae). The involucral bracts may be arranged in several rows.
Large-sized trees
Special terms
These are mature trees with a well-developed branching system, with branches evenly distributed, reaching a height of more than two meters in coniferous species and more than four meters in deciduous species.
Lateral position
Special terms
The position of any part of an organism to the side of the median plane.
Lateral shoot
Special terms
Secondary branch that grows from the side or from the base of the stem of a succulent plant.
Layering
Special terms
This is a part of a stem or root bearing buds that is bent away from the parent plant and covered with soil to produce a new plant.
Leaf arrangement
Special terms
The order of attachment of leaves on the stem.
Leaf succulent
Special terms
A plant that has water-storing tissues in its leaves, containing large amounts of water.
Lianas
Special terms
These are plants with long herbaceous or woody stems. They require a permanent support. Lianas differ in the way they attach to a support. For example, the stems of asparagus twine around a support; in others this function is performed by …
Monocarpic
Special terms
A plant that flowers and fruits once in its life, and then dies.
Monotypic genus
Special terms
A genus that includes only a single species.
Monstrosity
Special terms
A mutation in which lateral growth points begin to proliferate chaotically, leading to deformation of the stem and forming a tuber-like stem.
Mother leaf
Special terms
The leaf from which this group of offsets was obtained.
Mother plant
Special terms
The name of a plant, most often lacking an apical growth point, that produces lateral shoots (plantlets).
Multiple fruit
Special terms
An organ formed as a result of the partial or complete fusion of many fruits. The ripe multiple fruit separates from the plant as a whole (for example, in fig, raspberry).
Mutation
Special terms
The phenomenon of abrupt change in heredity; sometimes arises without apparent cause.
Node
Special terms
Point where a leaf or a whorl of leaves is attached to the stem.
Nutrients
Special terms
Certain mineral substances necessary for plant growth. These include nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S). Micronutrients are primarily heavy metals. Plants obtain nutrients from the substra…
Offset
Special terms
Traditional name for a lateral shoot, often with root primordia or already formed roots. Accordingly, the plant on which offsets form is called the mother plant.
Offshoots
Special terms
Aboveground shoots formed from axillary buds on rhizomes and roots, easily detached and often possessing their own root system.
Opposite leaf arrangement
Special terms
Arrangement of leaves in which two leaves arise from a stem node and are positioned opposite each other.
Organic fertilizers
Special terms
Fertilizers of plant or animal origin, for example horse or cow manure, soil organisms, which are not absorbed by plants immediately.
Ornamental flowering plants
Special terms
This is a comparatively small group of plants that are grown solely for their beautiful, showy flowering. Among flowering houseplants there are shrubs, subshrubs, herbaceous plants, and bulbous plants. Among them one can single out specime…
Ornamental foliage plants
Special terms
They provide ornamental interest either through an unusually striking leaf shape (ferns, philodendrons), or through the bright coloration of their leaves in the most unexpected combinations (begonias, marantas, crotons, many acanthaceous p…
Ovary
Special terms
Part of the pistil of flowering plants.
Perennial
Special terms
A plant that lives for more than two years.
Perianth
Special terms
The outer part of the flower. It can be double (divided into calyx and corolla) or simple (when the elements are not visually distinguishable).
Petals
Special terms
Modified apical leaves of higher plants that form the corolla of a flower.
Photosynthesis
Special terms
The process of forming carbohydrates in plant cells from carbon dioxide and water using light energy in the presence of chlorophyll.
Phylloclades
Special terms
A modified flattened shoot of a leaf-like form, located in the axil of a small membranous leaf (for example, in Asparagus).
Pinching
Special terms
Removal of the soft apical tips of shoots with the fingers. This promotes better branching of the plant and bushier growth.