This Glossary of Botanical and other terms used throughout the Brickfields Country Park website 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.
| Term | Meaning |
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| Abdomen | The last of an insects 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. Particularly fruits of the family Plumbaginaceae, perennial flowering plants with a cosmopolitan distribution, referred to as the Leadworts |
| Acid, acidic | With a pH lower than 7.0 |
| Acma | Anvil shaped |
| Actinomorphic | Flowers which are radially symmetrical, can be divided into 3 or more identical sectors |
| Acuminate | Tapering to a point |
| Adnate | In fungi, gills that are attached to the stem to the full depth of the gill without curving up or down |
| Adnexed | In fungi, gills that are only partially attached, where the inner edge curves up towards the cap, but do just join the stem |
| Aerenchyma | Plant tissue containing air spaces, found in many aquatic plants |
| Aethalia | One of the fruiting body structures of a slime mould, it contains numerous spores |
| Aerial rootlets | Small root–like structures found on some climbing vines |
| Aestive | Of summer |
| Aestivate | Spend hot or dry periods in a prolonged state of torpor or dormancy |
| Agamic | Reproduction without the union of male and female cells, asexual or parthenogenetic |
| Alates | Winged reproductive individuals, either male or female |
| Alatus | Winged parts |
| Albino, Albinism | Total white colouration. An organism with complete absence of melanin is an albino |
| Alkaline | With a pH higher than 7.0 |
| Algae, algal | Simple living organisms that grow by converting light energy through photosynthesis |
| Alate | Winged reproductive form of ants, termites, aphids and some thrips. Alate females are typically those destined to become queens |
| Alkaloid | Bitter tasting nitrogen based compound, usually poisonous, E.g. nicotine, cocaine |
| Allele | One of a number of alternative forms of the same gene |
| 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 |
| Amino acid | Organic compounds containing and amine (-NH2) and carboxyl (-COOH) groups with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid |
| Amphibian | Cold–blooded animals that spend their lives in water and on land |
| Anaphylaxis | A severe allergic reaction that can develop rapidly possibly life–threatening in some cases. Also known as anaphylactic shock |
| Anemochory | The dispersal of plant seeds or spores by the wind |
| Androconial | A wing or body scale that is modified for the dispersal of a sexual scent (pheromone) |
| Androdioecy | A breeding system in flowering plants consisting of male and hermaphroditic plants in a population. See also gynodioecious |
| Anemophilous, Aanemophily | Seed plants pollinated by the 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, leaves |
| Annuua, annual | Occurs every year, plants that flower every year. See also Biennial |
| Ante–humeral | Relating to the space just before origin of wings |
| Antennae | Feeler like appendages located on an insects head above their mouth parts |
| Anterior | Nearer the front, in the front of the body, or nearer to the head or fore part. See also posterior |
| 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 |
| Apical | Coming from the growing tip of a stem or body. The outer wingtip area of a Butterfly or moth. See Subapical |
| Aphid | A small insect which feeds by sucking sap from plants, commonly Blackfly or Greenfly |
| Aphidophagous | Feeding on aphids |
| Apothecary | An old term for a person who formulates and dispenses medicine to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern term is chemist, or pharmacist in American English |
| Apothecia | A disk shaped or cup shaped ascocarp of some lichens |
| Appressed | Flatly pressed back, a leaf that lies flat against the stem or a plant that lies pressed against the ground. Pressed closely against, but not joined to, a surface |
| Apterae | Wingless form of an insect usually referring to parthenogenetic female aphids |
| Aquatic | Associated with water, living or growing in water |
| Arborescent | Branching growth, like a tree |
| Archaeophyte | A non–native plant species to a geographic region, but introduced before the year 1500. See also neophyte |
| Arena | Sandy |
| Areole, Areolate | Having a pattern of block–like areas similar to cracked dried mud |
| Argenta | Silvery |
| Aril | An extra sometimes coloured coating or covering on a seed |
| Arthropods | An invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages |
| Arvense, Arvensis | A weed found in cultivated fields |
| Asexual | A mode of reproduction where offspring arise from a single parent, the offspring will be exact genetic copies of the parent. The primary form of reproduction for single–celled organisms such as Archaea, bacteria, and protists, many plants and fungi reproduce asexually |
| Aspera | Rough leaved |
| Ascocarp | The fruit of certain lichens and fungi, usually a saucer–shaped or cup–shaped body, the inner surface of which is covered with a layer that bears spores |
| Augusta | Stately or noble |
| Aurea, Aureo | Latin female name meaning Golden or yellow |
| Auricle, Auricula | With ears or lobes |
| Autumnale | Flowers in the autumn |
| Awn | A slender bristle like appendage found on the spikelets of many grasses |
| 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 |
| Bacteria, bacterium | Prokaryotic single cell organisms |
| Barbel | A whisker like sensory organ near or on the mouth of fish and turtles. Barbels are used to search for food in murky water. |
| Barbinerva | With vein |
| 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, colour, etc |
| Basal | Located at the base, the term often describes leaves of wild flowers |
| Belladonna | Beautiful lady |
| Berry | A fleshy fruit that contains small seeds |
| Biennis, biennial | Lasting for or occurring every two years, in particular, it can refer to plant which blooms in its second year, see also Annual |
| Bifid | Split into two parts. See also trifid |
| Bilobate | Divided into or having two lobes |
| Bine | A climbing plant which climbs by growing in a helix around a support. See also Vine |
| Binomial | Two names |
| Bioluminescence | Light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism |
| Biotroph | Feeds on the living cells of a host plant over an extended period without killing it |
| Bipinnate | From pinnate, an arrangement of feather–like or divided features arising from both sides of a common axis, in this case sub–divided twice |
| Bivoltine | Often in insects referring to organisms having two broods or generations per year. See also Univoltine |
| Blade | A broad and flattened region of a plant or alga, allowing for an increase in photosynthesis from the increased surface area |
| Blanda | Pleasant |
| Bombycina | Silky or furry |
| Boreal | A subarctic climate in the Northern hemisphere, approximately between latitude 45° to 65°N, also known as the Taiga, particularly in Europe and Asia |
| Botanical | A substance obtained from a plants |
| Bract, bracteata, bracteoles | A structure occurring beneath a flower or fruit or their clusters, can be leaf–like, petal–like, or woody |
| Broadleaf | A tree or plant with wide flat leaves and produces seeds inside of fruits. Also see conifer |
| Bud | An incipient shoot bearing embryonic leaves, flowers or both |
| Bulbous | Growing from a bulb or resembling a bulb in shape |
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| Caerulea | Dark blue, dark coloured, azure |
| Calyx | Sepals of a flower considered as a group, a cup like structure or organ |
| 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, Capitula | A compact or compact head of a structure, usually a flat cluster of small flowers or florets, as in plants of the daisy family |
| Capitulum | Densely clustered inflorescence containing a large number of individual florets arising from a platform like base |
| Capsule | A dry fruit that partially splits open at maturity |
| Carnea | Flesh coloured |
| Carrion | The decaying flesh of dead animals including humans |
| Carnivore, Carnivorous | An organism that derives energy and nutrient from animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging |
| Carotenoids | Carotenoids are organic pigments that are found in the chloroplasts and chromoplasts of plants and some other photosynthetic organisms, including some bacteria and some fungi |
| Carpel | A part of the pistil, a modified leaf |
| Caterpillars | Larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera. They are mostly herbivorous in habit, although some species are insectivorous |
| Catkin | A cylindrical cluster of tiny flowers or fruits, usually fuzzy and caterpillar–shaped, drooping |
| Caudata | With a tail |
| Caudex | Axis of a woody plant especially a palm or tree fern, comprising the stem and root. In some plants it can become extremely swollen |
| Caulescent | With an obvious stem, usually above ground |
| Caulis, Cauline | Refers to the stem, especially of leaves arising from the upper part of a stem |
| Cell wall | Any tough layer which surrounds a cell and its cell membrane. In plants, this wall is composed of cellulose |
| Cepa | Clustered |
| Cephalothorax | The anterior part of the body in certain arachnids and crustaceans, consisting of the coalesced head and thorax |
| Cerci | Paired appendages on the rear–most segments of many arthropods (singular cercus) |
| 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 |
| Chloroplasts | Chloroplasts are organelles, specialized sub–units, in plant and algal cells, their main role is to conduct photosynthesis |
| Chlorotic, chlorosis | Pale or yellowish leaves usually caused by a lack of nitrogen, iron, or magnesium |
| Chromoplast | Chromoplasts are heterogeneous organelles responsible for pigment synthesis and storage in specific photosynthetic eukaryotes |
| Chromosome | Thread–like structures located inside the nucleus of animal and plant cells. Each chromosome is made of protein and a single molecule of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) |
| Chrys | Golden |
| Chrysalis | A developmental stage of a butterfly or moth between a Larva and an adult. Also the name of the hard protective covering that they have at this stage |
| Chrysogonum | Green and gold in colour |
| Circumpolar | A distribution range that occurs over a wide range of longitudes but only at high latitudes. E.g. all around the North or the South Poles |
| Cilia, Cilium | Slender protuberances that project from a much larger cell body |
| Ciliata | Fringed with hairs |
| Cinerea | Ash coloured or grey |
| Citrioda | Lemon scented |
| Clade | A group of organisms believed to comprise all the evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor |
| Cnidarian | A phylum of aquatic animals that have tentacles with stinging cells in their tips, they include anemones, hydroids, jellyfish, corals |
| Coccinea | Scarlet, from the Latin word meaning “deep red” |
| Cocoon | A casing spun of silk by many moth caterpillars and numerous other insect larvae as a protective covering for the developing pupa |
| Compacta | Growing smaller than average |
| Compound eye | An eye consisting of many elements, common in insects and crustaceans, where each element is a tiny photoreceptor consisting of a cornea, lens, and photo cells which distinguish brightness and color. The eye as a whole is visible as many hexagonal facets |
| 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, Coniferous | Needle or scale leaved, mostly evergreen, cone–bearing gymnospermous trees or shrubs of the order Coniferales, such as pines, spruces, and firs. Trees or shrubs bearing cones and evergreen leaves |
| Cordatus, cordifolia, cordate | Heart shaped, with a point at the apex and a notch at the base |
| Corm | A swollen underground part of a plants stem that serves for storage, used by some plants to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (estivation) |
| Cornicles | See siphunculi |
| Cornuta | With spines or horned |
| Corticated | Being covered, the outer part of a plant or body organ, or a layer of tissue in certain simple structured plants and animals |
| Corolla | All the petals of a flower make up the corolla |
| Corona | A crown like structure on some corollas E.g. daffodils |
| Corymb | A type of inflorescence |
| Costa, costal | A rib or rib like structure or item |
| 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 |
| Crenate | Having a margin with low, rounded or scalloped projections. See serrulate, and dentate and toothed |
| Crenulate | Minutely scalloped |
| Crispula | Wavy margined |
| Cristata | Crested, having a comb or tuft, plumed, tufted |
| Crustacean | A large and diverse arthropod taxon including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, woodlice and shrimps |
| Crustose | Growth of an organism where it grows tightly bound to a substrate forming a biological layer of the adhering organism |
| Culm | A stem, especially of grasses, that is usually hollow except at the nodes |
| Cuneate | wedge–shaped |
| Cupule | The cup surrounding developing nuts (e.g., the cap of an acorn) |
| 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 or item by “sealing” the outer surfaces |
| Cycloptic | Having a single eye. See also Dichoptic, Holoptic |
| Cymes | A type of inflorescence |
| Cypsela, cypselae | Fruits of the Asteraceae family |
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| Dealbata | Whitened |
| Deciduous | A process where the leaves of a plant fall off seasonally to conserve energy, usually in the autumn. See also Evergreen |
| Decoction | Method of extraction by boiling of dissolved chemicals, herbal or plant material. Tea is a decoction |
| Decumbent | In plants, lying along the ground or along a surface, with the extremities curving upwards |
| Decurrent | In fungi – extending down the stem below the point of attachment, becoming vase shaped |
| Decussate | To intersect or to cross. Intersected or crossing in the form of an X, arranged in pairs along a stem, each pair at a right angle to the one above or below |
| Dehiscent, dehisced | Splitting along a built–in line of weakness in a plant structure in order to release its contents |
| Deliquesce, deliquescence | In fungi, a process by which the fungus liquefies or auto–digests with its own enzymes, usually in around 24 hours |
| Deltoides | Triangular |
| Dentate | Having toothed leaves. See serrulate, and crenate and toothed |
| Denticulate | Finely toothed |
| Determinate | A term used to describe a plant whose growth is stopped by the production of flowers and fruit. See also Indeterminate |
| Detritivore | Detritivores, detritophages or detritus feeders, organisms that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus |
| Detritus | Decomposing plant and animal parts as well as organic fecal matter |
| Diapause | A period of suspended development in an invertebrate or mammal embryo, especially during unfavourable environmental conditions |
| Dichoptic | Viewing a separate and independent field by each eye. See also Cycloptic, Holoptic |
| Dicot | Seedlings with two cotyledon, two seed leaves. See also Monocot |
| Dicotyledon | A plant with two cotyledons in its seed, includes all the broad leaved trees |
| Dimorphic | Occurring in or representing two distinct forms. E.G. Sexually dimorphic, where males and females are marked differently or of a differing size |
| Dioecious, dioica | male and female flowers on separate plants |
| Diploid | A cell or organism that has paired chromosomes, one from each parent. See also Heterozygous, Homozygous and Tetraploid |
| Distal | Away from the centre of the body or from the point of attachment |
| Diuretic | Any substance that promotes the production of urine |
| Diurnal | The behavior of animals and plants that are active in the daytime |
| Discal (spot) | An transverse area of differing coloured cells in the discal area (roughly central) of the forewing in Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). Also known as an Ocellus |
| Divaricata | Straggly, sprawling, or spreading |
| Dorsal | Refers to the back of an animal or human being |
| Dorsum | For moths, the trailing edge of the forewing, in caterpillars, it's back or top surface |
| Double–toothed | A leaf edge on which each tooth bears smaller teeth |
| Drupe | A fleshy fruit with a stone–like pit E.g. blackberries |
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| Eclose | For insects – emerging as an adult from the pupa, or as a larva from an egg |
| Echinate | Bearing stiff prickly hairs |
| Elytra, Elytron | Hard outer wings of a beetle or other insect, wing covers |
| Embryo | The first developmental stage of an insect, see also Larva, Pupa and Imago |
| Endodermis | The layer of cells which surrounds the central core of vascular tissue, helps to regulate the flow of water and dissolved substances |
| Endohydric | Water intake up a stem through rudimentary vascular tissue |
| Endoparasitoid | A parasite that lives inside another animal and ultimately kills it |
| Ensata | Sword shaped |
| Entire | Smooth edged, not toothed |
| 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. E.g. Ivy |
| erecta | Upright |
| Ericoides | Of the heath |
| Erythro | Red |
| Esophagus | A tube connecting the throat to the stomach |
| Etoliated | A plant grown in too little light, leaves and stems shrivel and it becomes stunted |
| Eukaryotes | Any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other organelles enclosed within membranes |
| Eutrophic | Rich in nutrients |
| Evergreen | In botany, plants that have leaves throughout the year, E.g. firs and conifers. See also Deciduous |
| Excortica | Peeling |
| Exoskeleton | The external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of vertebrates |
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| Fan compound | Compound leaf where leaflets are arranged in the shape of a fan |
| Fascia, Fasciae | Connective tissue, E.g. the wing scales on moths and butterflies |
| Fasciation | Abnormal widening and flattening of a stem, typically of a flower stalk |
| Fastigiate | tree or shrub having the branches more or less parallel to the main stem |
| Fatuosa | Proud |
| Felted | Covered with short, dense hairs |
| Femora | The third segment of the leg in insects and some other arthropods, typically the longest and thickest segment |
| Fenestra | Window like |
| Fiber | Elongated and thickened cells found in xylem tissue, strengthens and supports the surrounding cells |
| Fiddlehead | An unfurled frond or rolled fern leaf growth, so called because of its resemblance to the scrolled head of a violin |
| Filamentosa | Has filaments or threads |
| Filiform | Long and thin threadlike |
| Finbriate | Fringed |
| Flora | Refers to the flowers |
| Flore, pleno | Double flowers |
| Floret | A small or reduced flower, especially grasses and composite plants E.G. Daisy |
| Floribunda, florida | Plants that flower abundantly |
| Flower | Reproductive structures found in flowering plants |
| Foetid, Foetidus | Bad or unpleasant smelling |
| Foliage | Refers to the leaves of plants |
| Foliose | Growth of an organism where it is not tightly bound to a substrate so forming a growth vaguely similar to “foliage” or “leaves” |
| Folius | As part of a species name, refers to the leaves of plants |
| Forb, phorb | An herbaceous flowering plant that is not a grass, sedge, or rush which are graminoids, but is usually found as a grassland species |
| 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, fruticose | Shrubby or bushy |
| Fulgens, fulgida | Shining or glistening |
| Fulva | Tawny coloured |
| Fungus, fungi | A fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts and moulds as well as the more familiar mushrooms |
| Furcate | Forked |
| Furrowed | Marked with longitudinal grooves |
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| Galeobdola | Nettle like |
| Gall | Abnormal outgrowth of a plants tissues caused by various parasites, fungi, bacteria, insects |
| Gastropod | From the Greek meaning "stomach foot". A large group of mollusc usually referred to as snails. They have a muscular foot, eyes, tentacles and a special rasp-like feeding organ (radula) |
| Gene | A gene is a molecule composed of a sequence of DNA or RNA which codes the molecules function |
| Genotype, Genotypical | An organisms genetic makeup |
| Germinate, germination | The process by which plants, fungi and bacteria emerge from seeds and spores, and begin growth |
| Genus, genera | The next major category of plant classification above species, plural form |
| 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 | Leaves or other parts with a grey, blue, or white waxy coating or bloom that is easily brushed off |
| Globose, globular | Spherical |
| Glume | A basal membranous outer sterile husk or bract in the flowers of grasses and sedges |
| Glutinosa | Sticky, full of or smeared with glue, viscous, glutinous |
| Glycoside | A 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 |
| Graft, grafting | A propagation technique that vegetatively joins two plants into one. Grafted plants use the roots and the bottom portion of one plant (rootstock) and attach it to a tender shoot (scion) from the top portion of another plant |
| Graminoid | An herbaceous plant with a grass–like morphology i.e. long, blade–like leaves. They are contrasted to forbs, herbaceous plants without grass–like features |
| Grandi | Large |
| Graveola | Heavy scented |
| Gregarious | Animals - living in flocks or loosely organized communities. Plants - growing in open clusters or pure associations. |
| Guttata | Spotted, from Latin meaning drop or drop like |
| Gymnosperm, Gymnospermous | Generally any seed plant which does not produce flowers. A vascular plant, such as a cycad or conifer, whose seeds are not enclosed within an ovary |
| Gynostemium | The central reproductive stalk of an orchid consisting of a stamens and pistil fused together |
| Gynodioecious | A breeding system in flowering plants where female and hermaphroditic plants coexist within a population. See also Androdioecy |
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| Habit | The general growth pattern of a plant. A plants habit may be described as creeping prostrate, climbing, trees, shrubs, vines, etc |
| Halophyte | Able to tolerate a large amount of salt in the soil |
| Halteres | Small knobbed structures modified from the rear wings in some two–winged insects. They function as gyroscopes providing a feedback pathway informing the insect about rotation of the body during flight |
| Hardwood | Wood of a broad leaved tree E.g. Oak, Ash, or Beech as opposed to that of softwood E.g. conifers |
| Haustorium | The portion of a parasitic fungus or plant that penetrates a hosts tissue and draws nutrients from it |
| Heliotrope, Heliotropic | Diurnal motion of plants or their parts in response to the direction of the sun |
| Herb | Generally any plant which does not produce wood, and is therefore not as large as a tree or shrub, is considered to be a herb |
| Herbaceous | Green and leaf like in appearance and texture, above ground stems that are fleshy |
| Herbivore, herbivorous | Organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant–based foods |
| Hermaphrodite, hermaphroditic | Having both male and female parts |
| Heterostylous | A unique form of polymorphism where several morphological types of flowers exist in the population where the morphs differ in the lengths of the pistil and stamens. On each plant, all flowers share the same morph, the pollen from a flower of one morph cannot fertilize another flower of the same morph |
| Heterogeneous | Diverse in character or content, composed of parts of different kinds, having widely dissimilar elements or constituents |
| Heterozygous | In diploid organisms, one allele is inherited from the male parent and one from the female parent. Heterozygous inherit differing DNA sequences |
| 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, Hirta | Covered with stiff bristly hairs |
| Hispida | Bristly |
| Holarctic | An aggregation of two of the eight ecozones of the Earth's surface. It includes the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions, basically the Northern hemisphere |
| Holoptic | Particularly in the eyes of various species of insects holoptic eyes meet along the median dorsal line of the head. See also Cycloptic, Dichoptic |
| Homozygous | In diploid organisms, one allele is inherited from the male parent and one from the female parent. Homozygous inherit identical DNA sequences |
| Husk | Outermost covering of a fruit, usually quite thick or heavy |
| Hybrid | Also known as cross breed. Mixing through sexual reproduction of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species or genera |
| Hydrophobic | Literally “water–fearing” describes the segregation and apparent repulsion between water and non–polar substances |
| Hygrometrica | Measuring moisture |
| Hygrophanous | In fungi refers to the colour change of the fungi's tissue as it loses or absorbs water, causing it to become more transparent when wet and opaque when dry |
| Hypha, hyphae | A long, branching filamentous structure of a fungus, they are the main mode of vegetative growth, collectively called mycelium |
| Hypothermia | The condition of having an abnormally or dangerously low body temperature |
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| Indehiscent | In fruit, not opening in any defined manner when mature usually referring to fruit. See also dehiscent |
| Ignea | Glowing |
| Imago | The last developmental stage of an insect often referred to as the adult stage. See also Embryo, Larva and Pupa |
| Imbricate | Overlapping |
| Inaperta | Closed |
| Incana | Hoary or greyish–white, grey |
| Indeterminate | Plants which continue to grow after flowering starts. See also Determinate |
| 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 |
| Inorganic | A compound that is not organic. In simple terms compounds that do not contain carbon, and not consisting of or being from from living matter |
| Insectary | Plants intentionally introduced into an ecosystem to increase pollen and nectar resources for beneficial insects which assists in pollination of other plant species in the localised area |
| Insectivore, Insectivorous | Organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat insects |
| Instar | Denotes each developmental stage of an insect |
| Integument | The coating of an ovule that becomes the skin of a seed |
| Invertebrate | Animal species that do not develop a spine or vertebral column. See also exoskeleton and vertebrate |
| Involucral, involucre | In flowering plants – a ring of bracts around an inflorescence. In Fagaceae – a term sometimes misused for the cupule surrounding developing nuts (e.g., the cap of an acorn) |
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| Japonicus | Of or relating to Japan, Japanese in origin |
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| Koreanus | Of or relating to Korea, Korean in origin |
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| Labiate | With flower parts arranged into two lips |
| Lact, Lactarius | Milky, containing a white or milky juice when cut or broken |
| 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 based |
| Larva, larvae, larval | Juvenile form that many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults E.g. insects, amphibians, or cnidarians, larva is Latin for “ghost” |
| Latifolia | Broader than average leaves |
| Latitude | A geographic coordinate that specifies the north–south position of a point on the Earth's surface. See also Longitude |
| Layering | A method of plant propagation where a portion of a plants stem grows roots when it touches the ground but whilst still attached to the parent plant, it then detaches and becomes an independent plant |
| 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 |
| Legume, leguminous | A plant in the family Fabaceae or Leguminosae (Peas and Beans). A seed capsule formed from one carpel that typically splits along two sides when mature. See also Silique |
| Lemma | The outer two bracts that enclose the flower in a grass spikelet |
| Lenticel | A corky spot on tree or shrub bark, usually circular that originated as a breathing pore |
| Lepidopteran | A member of the order Lepidoptera, species of butterflies, moths, and skippers |
| Leuc | White |
| Leucism, Leucistic | partial loss of pigmentation in an animal causing white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticles, but not the eyes |
| Leucens | Bright, shining, or clear |
| Lichen | A lichen is a composite organism that arises from usually an algae or cyanobacteria that lives among filaments of a fungus in a symbiotic relationship. Lichens come in many colours, sizes, and forms |
| Ligneous | Woody |
| Lignin | Is an organic substance binding the cells, fibres and vessels which constitute wood and other plants, as in straw. Lignin plays a crucial part in conducting water in plant stems |
| Ligule, ligulate | A thin membrane attached to a leaf of grass at the point where the blade meets the leaf sheath, or a strap–shaped corolla, such as that of a ray floret in plants in the daisy family |
| Loam | A fine rich fertile soil of clay and sand containing humus. A soil with roughly equal proportions of sand, silt, and clay |
| Lobe, Lobed, lobata | Leaves or flower petals that are divided into incompletely separated, rounded or bristle–tipped sections. Part of a leaf, often rounded, formed by incisions from the edge towards the midrib |
| Lobule | A small lobe or subdivision of a lobe |
| Loess | Soils deposited by the winds |
| Longitude | A geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the Earth's surface. See also Latitude |
| Lucidus | Bright, shining, or clear |
| Lute, lutea | Yellow |
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| Macrophylla | Large leaves |
| Macropterous | Having long or large wings or fins |
| 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 |
| Marginal | The outer edge of a butterfly or moths wing, after the postdiscal area |
| Medulla | The internal tissue of a plant |
| Meiosis | A specialized type of cell division which reduces the chromosome number by half occurring in all sexually reproducing eukaryotes, including animals, plants, and fungi |
| Melanin | A dark brown to black pigment occurring in the hair, skin, and iris of the eye in animals including humans. Responsible for tanning of skin when exposed to sunlight |
| Melanism, Melanistic, Melanosis | The occurrence of an increased amount of dark pigmentation (skin, feathers, eyes, hair) in an organism |
| Melanocarpa | Black fruit |
| Meleagra | Spotted |
| Meridionalis | Flowering at mid day |
| mesophyll | the inner tissue (parenchyma) of a leaf, containing the chloroplasts |
| Metamorphose, metamorphosis | A biological process in which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation |
| Microlepidoptera, micro–moth | An artificial (unranked) grouping of moth families, generally having wingspans of under 20mm |
| Midden | Is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of artifacts and ecofacts associated with past human occupation. The toilet area of an animal |
| Migrate, migratory | For birds or animals denotes a species that migrates (travels) to a different place, usually when the season changes |
| Mineral | A mineral is a naturally occurring chemical compound of a specific composition usually in a crystalline form |
| Molecule | a group of atoms bonded together, representing the smallest fundamental unit of a chemical compound |
| Mollis | Softly hairy, also pliant, flexible, easily moved, gentle |
| Mollusc | An animal such as a snail, clam, or octopus which has a soft body, many species have hard shells to provide protection |
| Monocarpic | A plant that flowers only once in its life and then dies |
| Monocot | Seedlings with one cotyledon, having one seed leaf. See also Dicot |
| Monoecious | Separate male and female flowers on the same plant |
| Monogynous | Species where a colony have a single queen, I.e. ants |
| Monotypic | Consisting of only one type of animal or plant, an invasive to the detriment of existing inhabitants |
| Montana | Found in or of mountainous areas |
| Morphology, Morphological | The study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features |
| Moschata | Musk scented |
| Mutabilis | Flowers that change colour |
| Myiasis | An infestation of the skin by developing larvae (maggots) of several fly species |
| Mycelium | The vegetative part of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching thread–like hyphae |
| Mycorrhizal | Symbiotic association between a fungus and the roots of a vascular host plant |
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| Nana, nanus | Dwarf, miniature, small |
| Napella | Resembling a small turnip |
| Naturalise | To allow or establish a plant or animal so that it is able to live wild in a region where it is not indigenous |
| Nearctic | One of the eight ecozones of the Earth's surface. It includes the ecoregions of Greenland, Canada, the United States and parts of Mexico. See also Palaearctic and Holarctic |
| Necrosis | Small patches or areas of plant tissue that have died because of disease or freezing |
| Nectar | A sugar rich liquid produced by plants either to attract pollinators or as a nutrient source to animal mutualists who in turn provide protection. The main sugar source for honey |
| Nemerosa | Of woods |
| Nocturnal | Active during the night. See also diurnal |
| Neophyte | A non–native plant species to a geographic region, but introduced after the year 1500. See also Archaeophyte |
| Neoteny | Is the retention of juvenile characteristics in adults of a species, similar to but not the same as progenesis |
| Nigra | 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 |
| Nucleus, nuclei | In biology – a specialized structure occurring in most cells (except bacteria and blue–green algae) separated from the rest of the cell by a double layer called the nuclear membrane |
| Nudiflora | Flowering naked, flowers before or after the leaves have appeared |
| Nuta | Nodding, flowers as pendant or drooping clusters |
| Nymph | The immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects |
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| Obovate | Egg shaped and flat, with the narrow end attached to the stalk |
| Oblanceolate | With plant leaves lanceolate have the more pointed end at the base |
| Ocellus | An eye shaped marking in the form of a spot or ring of colour, E.g. on the wing of a butterfly or moth (Lepidoptera) |
| Odora, odorata | Fragrant, perfumed |
| Officinalis | A plant that was sold as an herb or used by an apothecary |
| Omnivorous | Eating both animal and vegetable foods |
| Operculum | A secreted plate that closes the opening of some snails shell when the animal is retracted |
| Opposite | Leaf or bud arrangement where leaves and buds are arranged in opposing pairs along a twig or plant stem |
| Orbicular | Shaped like a flat ring or disc |
| Organ | Collection of tissues which perform a particular function or set of functions in a plants body. The leaf, stem, and root are plant organs |
| Organelle | A specialized sub–unit within a cell that has a specific function |
| Organic | Of or relating to an organism, a living entity |
| 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 |
| Ovipositor | An ovipositor is an organ used by some animals, mainly insects, for the laying of eggs, consisting of up to of three pairs of appendages formed to transport the egg, prepare a place for it, and to place it properly |
| Ovule | In seed plants, the structure which gives rise to the seed |
| Oxide, oxidising | Process of a material's decomposition when exposed to an oxidising agent (oxidiser). The decomposition of steel to form rust, or copper to form verdigris (a green powdery surface) are commonly seen oxidising processes for a material on exposure to Oxygen |
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| Palaearctic | One of the eight ecozones of the Earth's surface and by far the largest. It includes the ecoregions of Europe, Asia north of the Himalayan foothills, northern Africa, and the northern and central parts of the Arabian Peninsula. See also Nearctic and Holarctic |
| Pallida | Pale |
| Palmate, Palmata | Leaves shaped like a hand |
| Palp, palpus | An elongated, often segmented appendage usually found near the mouth in invertebrate organisms, the functions of which include sensation, locomotion, and feeding |
| Palustris | Found in swamps or marshes |
| Panicle, Panicles | Cluster of flowers or inflorescences where the flowers are borne on stalks that branch off larger stalks |
| Paniculata | Bearing flowers in panicles |
| Pannosa | Felt like appearance |
| Parasite, parasitised, parasitism, parasitoid | A non–mutual relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host |
| Pareidolia | a tendency for an observer to make an incorrect perception of an object, pattern or meaning, such as shapes in clouds, faces in objects or patterns, hidden messages in music |
| Parthenogenetic, Parthenogenesis | A reproductive process whereby eggs develop without undergoing fertilisation |
| Pappus | A feathery down terminating each seed |
| Papillae | A small fleshy projection on a plant, a small rounded protuberance on a part or organ of the body |
| Parenchyma | The bulk of a substance. In animals it comprises the functional parts of an organ and in plants it is the ground tissue of non–woody structures |
| Passerine | Of the order Passeriformes (perching birds), a notable feature is the arrangement of their toes, three pointing forward and one back, which facilitates perching |
| 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 attaching an individual flower in an inflorescence |
| Peduncle | The supporting stalk, stem or branch of an inflorescence |
| Pelage | A mammals coat, composed of fur and/or guard hairs |
| Peltate | Stalk of a flower is attached somewhere other than the margin of the leaf |
| Pendulous | Hanging down loosely or swinging freely, clusters of flowers or fruits that droop or hang down |
| Pericarp | The part of a fruit enclosing the seeds that develop from the wall of the ovary |
| Perennial, Perennis | A plant which continues to grow after it has reproduced, living for usually more than one year |
| 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, of rocky places, hillsides |
| Petiole, petiolate | The stalk supporting a leaf |
| Phorb | See Forb |
| Phenotype, Phenotypical | Any observable characteristic or trait of an organism, the result from the expression of an organisms genes as well as the influence of environmental factors |
| Pheromone | A secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species |
| Phloem | Nutrient conducting tissue of vascular plants |
| Phyllary | An individual bract within an involucre |
| 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 | A chemical substance which make the skin very sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight |
| Phylum | The first level in the plant kingdom, after phylum come class, order, family, genus, and species |
| Phytoplankton | Photo–synthesizing microscopic organisms inhabiting the upper layer of oceans and fresh water bodies. Also called micro–algae |
| Phytoremediation | A process that uses various types of plants to remove, transfer, stabilize or destroy contaminants in the soil and groundwater |
| Picta | Painted, coloured, decorated |
| Pileus | The top, or cap |
| pinacula | Flattened sclerotized plates on a caterpillar that bear the setae |
| pinnae | A primary division of a pinnate leaf, especially of a fern |
| Pinnate, Pinnated, Pinnately compound | Leaves which are divided up like a feather. An arrangement of feather–like or divided features arising from both sides of a common axis |
| Pinnatifid | Pinnately divided, but not all the way down to the central axis |
| 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 |
| Plasmodium, plasmodial | A living structure that contains many nuclei rather than being divided into individual cells each with a single nucleus. Best known from slime moulds, but are also found in some parasites and algae |
| Platyspermic | Having seeds which are flattened and disc–like. Contrast with radiospermic |
| Pleometrosis | Colonies started by more than one Queen, E.G. Ants |
| Plicate | Folded like a paper fan, E.g. the leaves of palms, cyclanthoids, and some orchids |
| Pluvia | Of rain, flowers after the rain |
| Pleurocarpous | Mainly horizontal trailing stems and lateral reproductive parts |
| Pod | A dryish fruit of some plants, containing one or more seeds and usually flattened, splitting down one or both sides |
| Pollard | A pruning system where the upper branches of a tree are removed, promoting a dense head of foliage and branches commonly used to maintain trees at a predetermined height, also for fodder to feed livestock, or for wood particularly for fence rails and posts |
| 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 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 |
| Polylectic | When referring to bees, those which collect pollen from a wide range of flowering plants |
| Polymorphism | The occurrence of different forms among the members of a population or colony, or in the life cycle of an individual organism |
| Polypore | A group of fungi that form fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside, also called bracket fungi or “conks” |
| Polychroma | Many colours |
| Polyphagous | Feeding on many different kinds of food |
| Postdiscal | Between the discal and marginal areas of a butterfly or moths wing |
| Posterior | Nearer the back, to the rear of the body, nearer the tail. See also anterior |
| Praecox | Flowers early in the year |
| Pratense | Growing in or of meadows or fields |
| Precocious | In plants - flowering before the leaves emerge |
| Proboscis | Extendable “beak” of an insect, used to probe and obtain food |
| Procumbent | a plant or stem growing along the ground that does not root |
| Progenesis | Precocious sexual maturity in an organism still in its larval or other immature stage |
| Prokaryotic, prokaryote | Organisms whose cells lack a cell nucleus |
| Pronotum | In Bugs, the rear part of the head, next to the abdomen. The upper surface of the first segment of the thorax. Shape of the pronotum is often important in identification of beetles, and many other groups |
| Propagation | The process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs, rootstock and suckers |
| Prostrate, procumba | Lays flat on the ground, growing closely along the ground |
| protein | Proteins are molecules consisting of amino acids that perform functions within organisms |
| Pruinose | Having a very fine whitish powder on a surface |
| Pterostigma | A cell in the leading edge of the outer wing of insects which is often thickened or coloured. Particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present in other insect groups |
| Puberulent | With soft short fine hairs. Slightly pubescent |
| Pubescent | With soft short hairs |
| Pulch | Pretty |
| Pulmonates | Are an informal group of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air |
| Pumila | Small or dwarf |
| Pungens | Sharp pointed |
| Pupae, pupate, pupal | The third stage in the life stage of some insects undergoing complete metamorphosis. There are four stages – embryo, larva, pupa and imago |
| Purpurens | Purple |
| Pustule | A small swelling of a leaf surface containing purulent material usually consisting of necrotic inflammatory cells |
| 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 |
| Rachis | A stem of a plant, especially grass bearing flower stalks at short intervals |
| Radicans | With rooting stems or aerial roots that grow along stems |
| Radicle | The first embryonic root of a seedling, which becomes its first primary root |
| Radiospermic | Having seeds which are round or ovoid. Contrast with platyspermic |
| Radula | An anatomical structure in mollusks used for feeding. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food enters the esophagus |
| Recurved | Curved downwards or backwards can refer to either leaves or petals |
| Relictual | A population that occurs in a restricted area, but whose original range was far wider during a previous geologic time. A species that is the sole surviving representative of a previously diverse group |
| 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 |
| Rhizine | Hair like growths that anchor a thallus to its substrate |
| 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 | Vegetated areas on the sides 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 |
| Riv | Growing by streams |
| Robustus | Strong |
| Root, rootstock | Usually below ground, the portion of a plant which attaches it to the ground or to a support, they convey water and nourishment to the rest of the 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 coloured, ruddy, painted red |
| Ruderal | Growing in rubbish, poor land, or waste ground |
| Rugose, Rugosa (Rugulose) | Wrinkled, corrugated, ridged. Rugulose – finely wrinkled |
| Rupestris | Growing on rocks |
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| Salicifolius | Leaves shaped like willow leaves |
| Samara | Type of fruit often seen on trees in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall, commonly called a “Key”. Colloquially known as “helicopters” or “propellers” |
| Sanguinea | Blood red |
| Saprophyte, Saprobic, Saprotrophic | A plant that feeds on dead or decayed matter, saprophytes do not have chlorophyll, E.g fungi |
| Saponins | A class of chemical compounds which produce a soap like foam in aqueous solutions |
| Sarmentosa | Producing runners |
| Sativus | Cultivated, a cultivated variety |
| Saxatilis | Growing on rocks |
| Scabrous | Having or covered with scales or small projections and rough to the touch |
| 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 |
| Scape | Typically a long leafless flowering stem rising directly from a bulb, rhizome, or similar subterranean or underwater structure |
| Sclerotized | Hardened |
| Scopulorum | Found in rocky areas or cliffs |
| Scutellum | Shield like 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 |
| Sedentary | inactive, involving little or no physical activity |
| Seed, seedling | A structure that develops following fertilization of an ovule |
| Segments | Subdivision of an animals 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. See also Tepal |
| Serrulate, serrated | Having very small saw like projections on the margin. See dentate, and crenate and toothed |
| Sessile | Without a stalk |
| Seta, Setae | Derived from the Latin word for “bristle”, referring to a number of different bristle or hair like structures |
| 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 5m (16 feet) |
| Silique | A seed capsule formed of two fused carpels, with a length of more than three times the width. Common in Brassicaceae (mustard family). On maturing the seedpod splits into its compartments or valves. See also Legume |
| Siphunculi | Paired protruding organs near the end of the abdomen of Aphidoidea insects through which a sugary secretion (Honey Dew) is extruded |
| Sinuate | In Mycology, having wavy indentation on its border or edge, attachment of the gills to the stipe |
| Soredia | In Lichens a small specialised outgrowth of of a lichen containing a loose aggregation of algal cells surrounded by a few fungal filaments which then detaches to be distributed by the breeze or animals to a new location |
| Sori | A spore bearing cluster in ferns, fungi and lichens |
| Sororia | Sisterly |
| Spadix | A type of spike inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem |
| Spathe | A large bract that forms a sheath to enclose the flower cluster of certain plants such as palms and arums |
| 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 spike |
| Spikes | A type of inflorescence or cluster of fruits with a narrow, finger like shape. The individual flowers or fruits either do not have separate stalks, or very short ones |
| Spinosa | Spiny or deeply divided leaves |
| Spiracle | Respiratory openings on the surface of some animals, caterpillars, and larvae |
| 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 mushrooms spores, these vary widely in colour and are made by placing a mushroom cap on a piece of paper |
| Sport | Part of a woody plant that shows morphological differences from the rest of the plant. Often propagated to derive new cultivars |
| 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 |
| Stellate | Arranged in a star like radiating pattern |
| Stem | Main axis of plant growth above ground, bearing the buds, leaves, and flowers |
| Stigma | The sticky tip of a flower pistil which receives pollen during fertilisation. Coloured markings, E.g. spots or stripes on butterfly and moth wings |
| Stipe | Mycology – the stem or stalk–like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom Botany – a stalk that supports some other structure, the meaning differs within taxonomic groups |
| 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 shoot growing from an axillary bud near the base of the plant. Often called runners, they root from nodes on their length forming new plants. Plants connected by stolons form a single genetic individual |
| 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 |
| Striate, striated | Marked with slender longitudinal grooves or stripes |
| Strictus | Erect or upright |
| Stridulation | Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts, mostly associated with insects |
| Strobilus, strobili | A tightly clustered group of sporophylls (spore–bearing structures) arranged on a central stalk, commonly termed a “cone” or “flower” |
| Style | The narrow stalk of the pistil, located above the ovary but below the stigma |
| Suaveolens | Sweetly scented |
| Subapical | The next inner wingtip area of a Butterfly or moth. See Apical |
| Sucker | Plant growth that develops from the rootstock of a plant, it does not originate from a seed but grows from the base or the rootstock of the plant at a distance away from the plant |
| Sylvestris | Of the woods, woodland species |
| Symbiosis | Is a close long–term interaction between two or more different biological species, usually providing some form of benefit for those species |
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| Tadpole | The larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some features that are more associated with fish and may not be found in the adult such as a lateral line, gills, and tails |
| Tardiflora | Late flowering |
| Tarsus, tarsi | End part of an insects leg beyond the tibia. The distal part of the leg of an insect, usually subdivided in the adult into two to five segments |
| Tectora | Growing on roofs |
| Tendril | Clasping, twining, slender outgrowth of a vine's stem used to grasp other plants or supporting structures to enable the plant to climb |
| Teneral | An insect that has recently moulted and where its exoskeleton is yet to harden and develop its full colouration |
| Tenui | Slender or thin |
| Tepal | When the sepals and petals of a flower are indistinguishable. See also Sepal |
| Terrestrial | On or relating to the earth, of or on dry land |
| Tergite | The hardened dorsal abdominal plate of an insect |
| Terminal | Growing at the end of a stem or branch |
| Termen | In moths the outer edge of the wing between the tip and the trailing corner |
| Tetraploid | A plant with twice the normal number of chromosomes can be larger or have more blooms than normal plants. See also Diploid |
| Thalloid | Plants which have no roots, stems, or leaves, E.g. Liverworts and Hornworts |
| Thallus | The non–vascular plant body of algae, fungi, and other lower organisms showing no clear distinction of roots, stem, or leaves |
| Thorn | Sharp, woody outgrowth of the stem |
| Thorax | A division of an animals body that lies between the head and the abdomen |
| 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, tomentum | Hairy, a dense matted layer of tiny hairs |
| Toothed | Generic term to include serrulate, dentate, and crenate, describing different types of indentations or cuts to the edge of a surface E.g. leaves |
| Tornal, tornus | The posterior corner of the wing |
| Transpiration | The process of water movement through a plant and its evaporation from its parts, such as leaves but also from stems and flowers |
| Tree | Woody plant, usually with a single trunk or stem, which generally grows more than 6m (20 feet) tall. Any tall plant including many conifers and flowering plants |
| Trichome | Fine outgrowths or appendages on plants with diverse structures and functions. Examples are hairs, scales, and papillae |
| Trifid | Split into three parts. See also Bifid |
| Trifoliate | Trifoliolate or ternate leaves are a leaf shape characterised as divided into three leaflets |
| Tripinnate | From pinnate, an arrangement of feather–like or divided features arising from both sides of a common axis, in this case sub–divided three times. |
| Trunk | The main stem of a tree |
| Tuber | An underground stem which has been modified for storage of nutrients |
| Tubercle, tubercule | An enlarged modified specialized leaf base or petiole. A small rounded protuberance on the body of caterpillars |
| 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 |
| Turion | A specialised over–wintering bud produced by aquatic plants |
| 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 |
| Umbilicus | A depression or hole at the centre of the shell of gastropods and molluscs |
| Umbo, umbonate | The raised area in the center of a mushroom cap. Ranging from sharply pointed (acute), rounded (broadly umbonate), elongate (cuspidate), sharply delineated but not elongated (mammilate or papillate) |
| Univoltine | A term often applied to insects referring to organisms having one brood or generation per year. See also Bivoltine |
| Uvaria | Flowers like a bunch of grapes |
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| Valve | A portion of an organ that fragments or splits open. The portions of a pericarp in a split (dehisced) capsule or pod when ripe. See also |
| Variegated | A plant, animal, or fungi which has two or more colours in patches or stripes |
| 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 insects wing |
| Velutinus | Velvety |
| Venusta | Charming |
| Vernalis | Blooms or 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 |
| Vertebrate | Having an internal skeleton. See also exoskeleton and invertebrate |
| Vestigial | Degenerate, rudimentary or atrophied parts of the body, having become functionless through evolution |
| Verticillata | Whorled |
| Villosus | Covered in soft hair |
| Vine | A climbing plant which climbs by using tendrils or suckers. See also Bine |
| Virens | Green |
| Virgatus | Twiggy looking or wand like |
| Virid | Green |
| Viscosus | Sticky |
| Vitamin | An organic compound and an essential nutrient that an organism requires in limited amounts for normal growth and health |
| Viviparous | Giving birth to live young |
| 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 |
| Zygomorphic | Capable of being cut in one plane so that the two halves are mirror images |
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