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Glossary of Botanical and other terms
This list of terms is by no means exhaustive, it has been compiled from various data sources and is continually being updated. If you can add to or amend any of the data on this page please contact at The Friends of Brickfields Country Park.
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| Term | Meaning |
| abdomen | the last of an insect's three body divisions |
| Acaula | stem less |
| Achene, akene, achaenium | a small, dry carpel containing a single seed, the pericarp of which is closely applied but separable and which does not open when ripe |
| Acid soil | soil with a pH lower than 7 |
| Acma | anvil shaped |
| Actinomorphic | flowers which are radially symmetrical |
| Adpressed | flatly pressed back, a leaf that lies flat against the stem or a plant that lies pressed against the ground |
| Aerial rootlets | Small root-like structures found on some climbing vines |
| Aestive | of summer |
| Alatus | winged parts |
| Alba | white |
| Alkaline soil | soil with a pH higher than 7 |
| Alba | white |
| Algae | simple living organisms that grow by converting light energy through photosynthesis |
| Alkaloid | bitter tasting nitrogen based compound, usually poisonous, E.g. nicotine, cocaine |
| Allelopathy | the ability to release chemicals which stop the growth of other plants |
| Alternate, alternifolia | leaves or buds arranged alternately not in pairs or whorls along a twig |
| Amabilis | lovely |
| Anemophilous, Aanemophily | seed plants pollinated by wind |
| Angiosperm | Common name for flowering plants. The term refers to the fact that the seeds are enclosed within an ovary which matures into a fruit |
| Angustifolia | narrow leafed |
| Annuua | annual |
| Antennae | Feelerlike appendages located on an insects head above their mouth parts |
| Anther | the part of the stamen of a flower that holds the pollen |
| Anthesis | the opening of a flower ready for pollination |
| Antitranspirant | a substance sprayed onto plants to reduce the rate of transpiration, or water loss |
| Apical | coming from the growing tip of a stem or body |
| Arborescent | branching growth, like a tree |
| Arena | sandy |
| Argenta | silvery |
| Aril | an extra sometimes coloured coating or covering on a seed |
| Arvense, Arvensis | a weed found in cultivated fields |
| Aspera | rough leaved |
| Augusta | stately or noble |
| Aurea | orange |
| Aureo | golden or yellow |
| Auricula | with ears or lobes |
| Autumnale | flowers in the autumn |
| axil | the angle formed between a leaf stalk and the stem to which it is attached. In flowering plants, buds develop in the axils of leaves. |
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| Bacillarus | staff like |
| Barbinerva | with veins |
| Bark | The outermost cell layers on stems, branches, twigs, and roots, formed by the cambium cells. The bark of trees usually has two layers, the outer and the inner, more or less distinct in structure, texture, color, etc |
| Basal | Located at the base, the term often describes leaves of wildflowers |
| Belladonna | beautiful lady |
| Berry | A fleshy fruit that contains small seeds |
| Biennis | biennial |
| Binomial | two names |
| blade | a broad and flattened region of a plant / alga, allowing for an increase in photosythisis from the increased surface area |
| Blanda | pleasant |
| Bombycina | silky or furry |
| Bract, bracteata | A structure occurring beneath a flower or fruit or their clusters, can be leaf-like, petal-like, or woody |
| Bud | an incipient shoot bearing embryonic leaves, flowers or both |
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| Caerulea | dark blue |
| Cambium | a layer of actively dividing cells, found within stems and roots, that gives rise to secondary growth causing an increase in diameter |
| Campanulata | bell shaped |
| Campeste | growing in or associated with fields |
| Canadense | Canadian in origin |
| Candida | pure, shining white |
| Candidissimum | whitest |
| Cap | The rounded, flat, or convex top of a mushroom |
| Capitata | dense head |
| Capsule | a dry fruit that partially splits open at maturity |
| Carnea | flesh coloured |
| Carpel | a part of the pistil, a modified leaf |
| Catkin | a cluster of tiny flowers or fruits, usually fuzzy and caterpillar-shaped, drooping |
| Caudata | with a tail |
| Caulescent | with an obvious stem, usually above ground |
| Caulis | refers to the stem |
| Cell wall | Any tough layer which surrounds a cell and its cell membrane. In plants, this wall is composed of cellulose |
| Cepa | clustered |
| Chelate | a chemical that contains a metallic element in a form that plants can use |
| Chinensis | Chinese in origin |
| Chlorophyll | photosynthetic pigment. It includes a magnesium atom surrounded by a porphyrin ring, and often has a long hydrophobic tail |
| Chlorotic, chlorosis | pale or yellowish leaves usually caused by a lack of nitrogen, iron, or magnesium |
| Chrys | golden |
| Chrysogonum | green and gold in colour |
| Ciliata | fringed with hairs |
| Cinerea | ash coloured or grey |
| Citrioda | lemon scented |
| Coarse toothed | a leaf edge which has large, dentate or serrate teeth |
| Coccinea | scarlet |
| Compacta | growing smaller than average |
| Compound eye | An eye with many elements, common in insects, each element is visible as a hexagonal facet |
| Compound leaf | A leaf divided into leaflets, with the general appearance of a leaf |
| Cone | A dense and conical mass of flowers or fruits, or of seed-bearing scales, on a central axis |
| Conifer | A cone-bearing plant |
| Cordatus, cordifolia | heart shaped |
| Cornuta | with spines or horned |
| Corolla | all petals of a flower make up the corolla |
| Corona | a crown like structure on some corollas E.g. daffodils |
| Corymbs | a type of inflorescence |
| Cotyledon | a food storage organ in seeds serve to absorb nutrients packaged in the seed. First "green" visible leaf/s of a seedling are cotyledons providing food until the seedling is able to produce its first true leaves and begin photosynthesis |
| Crassifolia | fleshy leaved |
| Crenulate | minutely scalloped |
| Crispula | wavy margined |
| Cristata | crested |
| Cultivar | a plant variety produced from propagation or inbred seed, usually the result of hybridization A cultivar name is indicated by a roman (not latin) word or words enclosed in single quotation marks |
| Cultriformis | knife shaped |
| Cuticle | waxy surface that reduces water loss from a leaf by "sealing" the outer surface |
| Cymes | a type of inflorescence |
| Cyparissa | cyprus like |
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| Dealbata | whitened |
| Deciduous | a process where the leaves of a plant fall off seasonallyusually in the autumn |
| Deltoides | triangular |
| Dentate | haing toothed leaves |
| Denticulate | finely toothed |
| Determinate | a term used to describe a plant whose growth is stopped by the production of flowers and fruit |
| Dicot | seedlings with two cotyledon |
| Dicotyledon | a plant with two cotyledons in its seed, includes all the broad leaved trees |
| Dioecious, dioica | male ♂ and female ♀ flowers on separate plants |
| Diurnal | flowers only during the daytime |
| Divaricata | straggly, sprawling, or spreading |
| Double-toothed | a leaf edge on which each tooth bears smaller teeth |
| Drupe | A fleshy fruit with a stone-like pit Eg. blackberries |
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| Echinate | bearing stiff prickly hairs |
| Elytra / Elytron | hard outer wings of a beetle or other insect, wing covers |
| Endodermis | the layer of cells which surrounds the central core of vascular tissue, helps to regulate the flow of water and dissolved substances |
| Ensata | sword shaped |
| Epidermis | The outermost layer of cells or "skin" of a plant, covering the leaves, stem, and roots |
| Epiphyte | plant which grows on another plant using it for structural support, or as a way to get off the ground and into the canopy environment. Eg Ivy |
| Erecta | upright |
| Ericoides | of the heath |
| Erythro | red |
| Etoliated | a plant grown in too little light, leaves and stems shrivel and it becomes stunted |
| Eutrophic | rich in nutrients |
| Excortica | peeling |
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| Fan compound | compound leaf where leaflets are arranged in the shape of a fan |
| Fasciation | abnormal widening and flattening of a stem, typically of a flower stalk |
| Fatuosa | proud |
| Felted | covered with short, dense hairs |
| Fenestra | window like |
| Fiber | elongated and thickened cells found in xylem tissue, strengthens and supports the surrounding cells |
| Fiddlehead | an unfurled fern leaf |
| Filamentosa | has filaments or threads |
| Filiform | long and thin threadlike |
| Finbriate | fringed |
| Fine toothed | a leaf edge with small teeth, denticulate or serrulate |
| Flora | refers to the flowers |
| Flore pleno | double flowers |
| Floribunda or florida | plants that flower abundantly |
| Flower | reproductive structures found in flowering plants |
| Foetidus | bad smelling |
| Folius | as part of a species name, refers to the leaves |
| Fragrans | fragrant or sweet scented |
| Frond | a leaf of a fern or palm |
| Fruit | in flowering plants, the structure which enclose the seeds, true fruits develop from the ovary wall |
| Frutescens, fruticans, fruticosus | shrubby or bushy |
| Fulgens, fulgida | shining or glistening |
| Fulva | tawny coloured |
| Furcate | forked |
| Furrowed | Marked with longitudinal grooves |
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| Galeobdola | nettle like |
| Genus | the next major category of plant classification above species |
| Geotropism | the movement of plant parts in response to gravity, stems grow up roots grow down |
| Gill | In mushrooms, the spore containing organs, in fish the breathing organs |
| Glaber, glabra | smooth or hairless |
| Glabrous | no hairs or fuzz, hairless |
| Glaucous | covered with a grey, blue, or white waxy coating or bloom that is easily brushed off |
| Glaucus | leaves or other parts with a bluish or white coating |
| Globose | spherical |
| Glutinosa | sticky |
| Glycoside | toxin where a sugar molecule is linked with oxygen to another compound, often nitrogen-based. Harmful when the sugar molecule is stripped off, usually through digestion |
| Gracilis | graceful or slender |
| Grandi | large |
| Graveola | heavy scented |
| Guttata | spotted |
| Gymnosperm | generally any seed plant which does not produce flowers |
| Gynostemium | the central reproductive stalk of an orchid consisting of a stamen and pistil fused together |
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| Habit | the general growth pattern of a plant. A plant's habit may be described as creeping, trees, shrubs, vines, etc |
| Halophyte | able to tolerate a large amount of salt in the soil |
| Herb | generally any plant which does not produce wood, and is therefore not as large as a tree or shrub, is considered to be an herb |
| Herbaceous | green and leaf like in appearance and texture, above ground stems that are fleshy |
| Hermaphrodite | having both male ♂ and female ♀ parts |
| Hibernate | a state of regulated hypothermia, that allows animals to conserve energy during the winter |
| Hilum | the scar on a seed coat marking the place where it was attached to the ovary during development |
| Hirsutus | covered with stiff bristly hairs |
| Hirta | covered with stiff bristly hairs |
| Hispida | bristly |
| Husk | outermost covering of a fruit, usually quite thick or heavy |
| Hygrometrica | measuring moisture |
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| Ignea | glowing |
| Imbricate | overlapping |
| Inaperta | closed |
| Incana | hoary or grey |
| Indeterminate | plants which continue to grow after flowering starts |
| Indicus | from India |
| Indumentum | the coating of fine hairs on the underside leaves |
| Inflorescence | a cluster of flowers arranged in a particular way on a stem |
| Infundibular | funnel shaped |
| Integument | the coating of an ovule that becomes the skin of a seed |
| Involucral | A ring of bracts around an inflorescence |
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| Japonicus | Japanese in origin |
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| Koreanus | Korean in origin |
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| Labiate | with flower parts arranged into two lips |
| Lact | milky |
| Laevigatus | smooth |
| Lamina | any broad and flattened region of a plant or alga, which allows for increased photosynthetic surface area |
| Lanata | woolly |
| Lanceolate | lance shaped leaves (or petals ?) much longer than wide, pointed tip and broad base |
| Larva, Larvae | immature stage of an insect which goes through metamorphosis, between egg and pupa stages |
| Latifolia | broader than average leaves |
| Lenticel | A corky spot on tree or shrub bark, usually circular that originated as a breathing pore |
| Leaf | found in most vascular plants, consisting of a flat lamina (blade) and a petiole (stalk) |
| Leaflet | A leaf-like subdivision of a compound leaf to individual blades |
| Leuc | white |
| Leucens | bright, shining, or clear |
| Ligneous | woody |
| Loam | a fine rich sandy soil |
| Lobed, lobata | leaves or flower petals that are divided into incompletely separated, rounded or bristle-tipped sections |
| Loess | soils deposited by winds |
| Lucidus | bright, shining, or clear |
| Lute, lutea | yellow |
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| Macrophylla | large leaves |
| Maculatus | spotted |
| Majalis | flowering in May |
| Mannoxylic | Wood in which there is a great deal of parenchyma tissue among the xylem is called mannoxylic. Cycads and pteridosperms have mannoxylic wood. Contrast with pycnoxylic. |
| Margaritacea | pear like |
| Melanocarpa | black fruit |
| Meleagra | spotted |
| Meridionalis | flowering at mid day |
| Mollis | softly hairy |
| Monocarpic | a plant that flowers only once in its life and then dies |
| Monocot | seedlings with one cotyledon |
| Monoecious | separate male ♂ and female ♀ flowers on the same plant |
| Montana | found in mountainous areas |
| Moschata | musk scented |
| Mutabilis | flowers that change colour |
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| Nana, nanus | dwarf |
| Napella | resembling a small turnip |
| Necrosis | small patches or areas of plant tissue that have died because of disease or freezing |
| Nemerosa | of woods |
| Neoteny | is the retention of juvenile characteristics in adults of a species, similar to but not the same as progenesis |
| Nigr | black or very dark green |
| Nipponicus | Japanese in origin |
| Nitida | shining |
| Niv | snow or a snow white colour |
| Node | the region of a stem between two internodes, where there is branching of the vascular tissue into leaves or other appendages |
| Nucifera | nut bearing |
| Nudiflora | flowering naked, flowers before or after the leaves have appeared |
| Nuta | nodding, flowers as pendant or drooping clusters |
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| Odora | fragrant |
| Officinalis | a plant that was sold as an herb or used by an apothecary |
| Opposite | leaf or bud arrangement where leaves and buds are arranged in opposing pairs along a twig |
| Organ | collection of tissues which perform a particular function or set of functions in an plant's body. The leaf, stem, and root are plant organs |
| Ovate | oval-shaped leaves, petals, or sepals |
| Ovary | the part of a flower which encloses the ovules, after pollination it matures to becomes a fruit |
| Ovule | in seed plants, the structure which gives rise to the seed |
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| Pallida | pale |
| Palmata | palmate leaves or leaves shaped like a hand |
| Palustris | found in swamps or marshes |
| Panicle | cluster of flowers where flowers are borne on stalks that branch off larger stalks |
| Panicles | a type of inflorescence |
| Paniculata | bearing flowers in panicles |
| Pannosa | felt like appearance |
| Parthenogenetic | A reproductive process whereby eggs develop without undergoing fertilisation. Also called Parthenogenesis |
| Pappus | A feathery down terminating each seed |
| Parvi | as part of a species name, small |
| Patens, patulus | spreading |
| Pavia | flesh coloured |
| Pectinata | comb like |
| Pectoral | the fins on the sides of the body of a fish |
| Pedicel | the stalk of an individual flower in an inflorescence or cluster |
| Peduncle | the stalk of a single flower or the main stalk of a flower cluster |
| Pelage | A mammal's coat, composed of fur and/or guard hairs |
| Peltate | stalk of a flower is attached somewhere other than the margin of the leaf |
| Perennial | a plant which continues to grow after it has reproduced living for usually more than one year |
| Perennis | perennial |
| Perfoliate | leaf arrangement of plants such as honeysuckle, where two opposing leaves are fused and appear to be pierced by the stem or branch |
| Perianth | all the sepals and petals of a flower make up the perianth, literally "around the anthers" |
| Peridium | fruiting body or spore sac of a fungi |
| Petal | one of a circle of modified leaves immediately outside the reproductive organs of a flower, usually brightly coloured, located between the outer sepals and the stamens |
| Petraea | growing on rocks |
| Petiole | the stalk supporting a leaf |
| Phloem | nutrient-conducting tissue of vascular plants |
| Photosynthesis | a biochemical process where light energy is absorbed by chlorophyll the green pigment of most plants, a process that produces molecular sugar which the plant used as "food" |
| Photoxin | chemical substance which make the skin very sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight |
| Phylum | the first level in the plant kingdom, after plylum come class, order, family, genus, and species |
| Picta | painted |
| Pileus | the top, or cap |
| Pinnately compound | leaves which are divided up like a feather are said to be pinnately compound |
| Pinguifolia | fat or fleshy leaves |
| Pisifera | bearing pea like seeds |
| Pistil | the central set of female ♀ reproductive organs in a flower composed of one or more carpels |
| Pith | any central region of parenchyma tissue within a plant stem |
| Pits | thin regions of the cell wall in xylem conducting cells, an important characteristic for recognizing different kinds of wood |
| Platyspermic | having seeds which are flattened and disc-like. Contrast with radiospermic |
| Plicate | folded like a paper fan, eg. the leaves of palms, cyclanthoids, and some orchids |
| Pluvia | of rain, flowers after the rain |
| Pollen | A granular or powdery substance produced by an anther, which is then transferred to a stigmatic surface of the same or another flower to produce fertilisation. Collected by bees (bee pollen) who then turn it into honey |
| Pollinia | a mass of fused pollen produced by many orchids |
| Pollination | process of transferring the pollen from the anther to the stigma, a process accomplished by the use of wind, water, insects, birds, bats, or other means. Usually followed by fertilization, in which sperm are released from the pollen grain to unite with the egg cell |
| Pod | dryish fruit of some plants, containing one or more seeds and usually flattened, splitting down one or both sides |
| Polychroma | many colours |
| Praecox | flowers early in the year |
| Pratense | growing in meadows |
| Proboscis | extendable "beak" of an insect, used to probe and obtain food |
| Pronotum | in Bugs, the rear part of the head, next to the abdomen |
| Prostrate, procumba | lays flat (on the ground) |
| Pulch | pretty |
| Pumila | small or dwarf |
| Pungens | sharp pointed |
| Puberulent | With soft short fine hairs. Slightly pubescent |
| pubescent | With soft short hairs |
| Purpurens | purple |
| Pycnoxylic | wood in which there is little or no parenchyma tissue among the xylem is called pycnoxylic. Conifers and flowering plants have pycnoxylic wood. Contrast with mannoxylic |
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| Quercifolia | shaped like oak leaves |
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| Racemes | a type of inflorescence |
| Radicans | with rooting stems or aerial roots that grow along stems |
| Radicle | the first embryonic root of a seedling, which becomes it's first primary root |
| Radiospermic | having seeds which are round or ovoid. Contrast with platyspermic |
| Recurved | curved downwards or backwards can refer to either the leaves or petals |
| Remontant | a plant which bloom twice in one season |
| Reptans | creeping or low |
| Resupinate | flowers that grow inverted or upside down (like most orchids) |
| Reticulate | webbed or netted, usually refers to leaves that have a pronounced network of veins |
| Rhizome | a horizontal underground stem, such as found in many ferns, where only the leaves may stick up into the air |
| Rhizomorphs | a fungal underground stem or root system made up of a bundle of thread like filaments or hyphae |
| Riparian | Riparian areas are vegetated areas on each side of streams and rivers. They serve several functions, including purifying water by removing sediments, reducing the risk of flooding, reducing erosion, supporting a diversity of plant and wildlife species, maintaining a habitat fish " wildlife. |
| Riv | growing by streams |
| Robustus | strong |
| Root | usually the below ground portion of a plant |
| Rosea | rose coloured |
| Rosette | a series of whorls of leaves or leaf-like structure produced at the base of the stem, just above the ground |
| Rotunda | rounded |
| Rubra | red |
| Rugosa | wrinkled |
| Rupestris | growing on rocks |
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| Salicifolius | leaves shaped like willow leaves |
| Sanguinea | blood red |
| Saprophyte (Saprobic) | a plant that feeds on dead or decayed matter, saprophytes do not have chorophyll, E.g fungi |
| Sarmentosa | producing runners |
| Sativus | cultivated |
| Saxatilis | growing on rocks |
| Scale | thin, membrane like covering of a bud or twig base, or a fine grainy surface material on bark, a leaf, or a twig |
| Scandens | climbing |
| Scopulorum | found in rocky areas or cliffs |
| Scutellum | shieldlike bony plate or scale, on the thorax of some insects, can form a triangular plate between the top of the elytra |
| Secondary growth | plant growth which does not occur at the tips of the stems or roots, produces wood and bark in seed plants |
| Seed | structure that develops following fertilization of an ovule |
| Segments | subdivision of an animal's body or appendage |
| Sempervirens | evergreen, stays green all year long |
| Sepal | one of the outermost circle of modified leaves surrounding the reproductive organs of a flower, usually green |
| Setosa | densely hairy |
| Sheath | the lower part of the leaf that wraps around the stem, usually in grasses |
| Shoot | usually the above ground portion of a plant, bearing the leaves |
| Shrub | woody plant of one or more equally strong stems to a maximum height of about 5 meters (16 feet) |
| Sororia | sisterly |
| Species | Populations whose individuals freely breed with one another and vary only slightly from one another |
| Speciosa, spectabilis | showy |
| Spermatophyte | a seed plant |
| Spicata | spiked, flowers which occur in spikes |
| Spikes | a type of inflorescence or cluster of fruits with a narrow, fingerlike shape. The individual flowers or fruits either do not have separate stalks, or very short ones |
| Spinosa | spiny or deeply divided leaves |
| Spore | in plants, a reproductive cell that is capable of developing into a multicellular adult without fusion with another cell, usually formed as the products of meiosis |
| Spore Print | print of a mushroom's spores these vary widely in color and are made by placing a mushroom cap on a piece of paper |
| Squamata | scaly, usually referring to the bark of trees |
| Stagnalis | growing in still water |
| Stamen | male ♂ reproductive organ of a flower composed of an anther, where pollen is produced, and filament which supports the anther |
| Stem | main axis of plant growth above ground, bearing the buds, leaves, and flowers |
| Stigma | the sticky tip of a flower pistil (receives pollen during fertilsation) |
| Stipule | An appendage at the base of petioles or leaves, usually somewhat resembling a small leaf in texture and appearance |
| Stolon | A specialised type of horizontal above-ground shoot, a colonizing organ that arises from an axillary bud near the base of the plant. |
| Stolonifera | spreading by stolons |
| Stomata | openings in the epidermis of a stem or leaf which permits gas exchange with the air |
| Stratify | seeds subjected to a period of cold, moist treatment to aid germination |
| Strictus | erect or upright |
| Strobilus | a tightly clustered group of sporophylls arranged on a central stalk, commonly termed a "cone" or "flower" |
| Suaveolens | sweetly scented |
| Style | the narrow stalk of the pistil, located above the ovary but below the stigma |
| Sylvestri | of the woods, woodland species |
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| Tardiflora | late flowering |
| Tarsus, tarsi | end part of an insect's leg beyond the tibia |
| Tectora | growing on roofs |
| Tendril | clasping, twining, slender outgrowth of a vine's stem |
| Tenui | slender or thin |
| Tepal | when the sepals and petals of a flower are indistinguishable |
| Tetraploid | a plant with twice the normal number of chromosomes, can be larger / have more blooms than normal plants |
| Thalloid | plants which have no roots, stems, or leaves, eg. liverworts and hornworts |
| Thorn | sharp, woody outgrowth of the stem |
| Tilth | refers to the texture of a soil which is fine and crumbly due to tilling and the addition of organic material |
| Tinctoria | used for dye |
| Tomemtosa | hairy |
| Tree | woody plant, usually with a single trunk or stem, which generally grows more than 6 meters (20 feet) tall. Any tall plant including many conifers and flowering plants |
| Trunk | The main stem of a tree |
| Tuber | an underground stem which has been modified for storage of nutrients |
| Tuberosa | tuberous or rhizomatous roots |
| Tunic | the loose covering over a bulb or corm |
| Turgor pressure | force exerted outward on a cell wall by the water contained in the cell, gives the plant rigidity, and may help to keep it erect |
| Twig | end subdivision of a branch |
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| Umbellata | flowers that appear in umbels |
| Umbels | a type of inflorescence usually flat topped without an obvious central axis, an umbel is really a shortened raceme |
| Uvaria | flowers like a bunch of grapes |
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| Variegated | a plant, animal, or fungi which has two or more colors |
| Vascular | refers to the xylem and phloem tissues, which conduct water and nutrients through the plant body |
| Vegetative growth | growth of a plant by division of cells, without sexual reproduction |
| Vein | branch of the sap-conducting tissue of a leaf, petal, scale, bract, seed coat, etc |
| Venation | The pattern of veins on a leaf, a flower, or insect's wing |
| Velutinus | velvety |
| Venusta | charming |
| Vernalis | blooms / grows in the spring |
| Vernalization | the need for a plant to undergo a chilling period in order for them to form buds or start new growth |
| Verruculosa | warty appearance |
| Verticillata | whorled |
| Villosus | covered in soft hair |
| Virens | green |
| Virgatus | twiggy looking or wand like |
| Virid | green |
| Viscosus | sticky |
| Vulgaris | common |
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| Whorls | a type of inflorescence or arrangement of three or more leaves (or other organs) arranged in a circle from one point on a shoot or stem, rather like the spokes of a wheel |
| Wood | a secondary tissue found in seed plants which consists largely of xylem tissue |
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| Xanth | yellow |
| xylem | Water-conducting tissue of vascular plants |
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| Zoophagous | Insects that feed on other animals |
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