Seed
Special terms
Organ of reproduction and dispersal in seed plants. It is differentiated into the embryo, the seed coat, and a protective covering. Often contains nutrients.
Glossary of terms
A reference section with categories and short explanations.
Seed propagation
Special terms
Reproduction of plants by means of seeds. Annuals and perennials are propagated this way. They retain their cultivar characteristics. The opposite method is vegetative propagation.
Sepals
Special terms
Small leaf-like structures that make up the calyx.
Shoot
Special terms
Lateral branches of the stem with leaves and an apical bud.
Simple flowers
Special terms
Flowers that have a small number of petals. Often pollen can be found on the pot in which they grow.
Spadix
Special terms
Type of inflorescence.
Spathe
Special terms
Leaf at the base of an inflorescence (spadix) in Araceae. Often brightly colored.
Species
Special terms
The primary structural unit in the system of living organisms. The principal taxonomic category in biological systematics. A species is understood as the aggregate of populations of individuals capable of interbreeding to produce fertile o…
Spikelet
Special terms
The inflorescence of grasses, represented by a compact group of flowers.
Sporangium
Special terms
A capsule-like spore-bearing structure in spore-producing plants, often distinguishable only under strong magnification. In ferns, sporangia are most often located on the underside of the spore-bearing leaves.
Spore
Special terms
An organ of asexual reproduction in spore-bearing plants. It is a small, often microscopic body of various shapes.
Spur, spurlet
Special terms
An elongated, often swollen and curved petal of the corolla or a sepal, or an outgrowth of these parts of the flower. It often serves as a nectar reservoir.
Stagnation, dormancy
Special terms
A state into which a plant enters during seasonal changes or other unfavorable conditions for growth, such as high temperatures, a shortage of water, or nutrients. In a state of dormancy the rate of growth and the intensity of metabolism d…
Stamen
Special terms
Part of a male or bisexual flower that produces pollen. Consists of a filament and an anther.
Stamen filament
Special terms
Part of the stamen that connects the anther to the perianth, usually thin, less often widened and flattened. Partial or complete fusion of the filaments and formation of a staminal tube is possible.
Staminal tube
Special terms
A tube formed by fused staminal filaments (for example, in mallows).
Stem succulent
Special terms
A plant with water-storing tissue in the stems.
Stigma
Special terms
The upper part of the pistil onto which pollen lands during pollination and where it germinates.
Stolon
Special terms
A thin horizontal shoot with long internodes, ending in a bud, serving for vegetative reproduction.
Subshrubs
Special terms
Perennial plants whose renewal buds persist for several years, while the upper parts of the shoot are replaced annually.
Substrate
Special terms
A solid base on which plants are grown.
Succulents
Special terms
Plants with thick, fleshy stems and leaves.
Suckers (offshoots)
Special terms
Lateral shoots that develop in the leaf axils of a mature plant.