B Flashcards
bacca
fleshy, indehiscent fruit with one too many seeds embedded in a pulpy mesocarp, endocarp not easily discernible;
e.g., blueberries (Vaccinium)
Synonym berry
baccate
fruit that looks like a berry but may or may not be a true berry; often applied to tropical and unusual berries; e.g., avocado (Persea americana)
back bulb
old orchid pseudobulb that no longer has leaves, often used for propagation
balausta
fleshy, indehiscent, many-seeded fruit with leathery exocarp, derived from a multicarpellate pistil; e.g., pomegranate (Punica granatum)
banner
flower petal typical of papilionoid legumes in the bean family (Fabaceae), usually the upper and largest petal; e.g., sweet peas (Lathyrus), lupines (Lupinus)
Synonym: standard, vexillum
barbed
with stiff, sharp, retrorse (or less commonly introrse) points
bare root
roots that would normally be surrounded by soil are exposed, plants are often shipped in this state to prevent the spread of soil-borne insects and pathogens
bark
the outer layer of woody stems, consists of living phloem, cork cambium, and cork (all tissues to the outside of the vascular cambium)
basal
at, attached to, or of the base, as with leaves attached to the base of a plant
basal placentation
ovule(s) attached at the base of the ovary in a simple pistil
basal plate
small stem portion of a bulb from which the roots grow downward and the leaves, inflorescence, and bracts grow upward
basal shoot
shoot growing from the base or roots of a tree or shrub, usually applied to those emerging from below ground
base
portion opposite the apex; closest to or at the point of attachment
Antonym: apex
basifixed
attached at the base, as with filaments attached to the base of anthers; see also dorsifixed, medifixed, versatile
basipetal
growing toward the base of the shoot or root
Antonym: acropetal
beak
an elongate tip or projection
bean
the seed of a legume; also sometimes used to refer to the whole fruit, in which case it is being used as a synonym of legume
beard
clump of hairs or fringe of tissue that appears fuzzy, as on the central portion of the three outer tepals of some irises (Iris)
bearing
having or producing; most commonly applied to plants that produce edible fruits
berry
fleshy, indehiscent fruit with one to many seeds embedded in a pulpy mesocarp, endocarp not easily discernible; often applied incorrectly to any small fleshy fruit; e.g., blueberry (Vaccinium) synonym : bacca
bi-
prefix meaning two
bicarpellate
having two carpels
bicolored
having two colors, usually applied to flowers
biconvex
shaped like a lentil, i.e., round and convex on both sides
Synonym: lenticular
bicrenate
two-tiered scalloped margin where larger scallops have smaller scallops on them
Synonym: doubly crenate
bidentate
having two teeth
biennial
plant whose entire life cycle occurs in two years: it grown from seed and produces leaves the first year, often as a basal rosette; it flowers, produces seeds, and dies the second year
biennial bearing
producing abundant fruit every other year, and minimal to no fruit in the alternating year
Synonym: alternate bearing
bifid
split in two, as in some leaf blades
bifoliate, bifoliolate
having two leaves or leaflets
bifurcate
split into two branches
bilabiate
having two lips, as with some flowers; e.g., mint family (Lamiaceae)
bilaterally symmetrical
having a single plane of symmetry such that only one line drawn through the middle produces two mirror-image halves
Synonym: irregular, zygomorphic
Antonym: actinomorphic, radially symmetrical, regular
bilobed
having two lobes
binomial
the two-part scientific name fro a species, consisting of a genus (e.g., Acer) and a specific epithet (e.g., rubrum)
bipinnate
leaf that is pinnately dissected twice, leaflets arising along rachillas that themselves arise along a rachis
bisected
divided into two parts
biseriate
in two series
biserrate
margin teeth having teeth of their own, all pointing up toward the apex
Synonym: doubly serrate
bisexual
having both female (egg) and male (sperm) reproductive cells in the same individual or reproductive structure
bitoned
having two tones of the same color, usually applied to flowers
black knot
large, dark, warty masses on the branches of Prunus spp. (especially cherry and plum) caused by the fungus Dibotryon morbosum
bladder
sac-like structure, often filled with air or liquid
blade
the usually broad and flattened part of a leaf or petal
Synonym: lamina
blind shoot
stem of a flowering plant that does not produce flowers, most commonly applied to roses (Rosa)
bloom
- a flower or inflorescence;
- gray-white waxy or powdery surface coating;
- rapid localized growth of algae
blossom
a flower or inflorescence
bole
main stem or axis of a tree, between the roots and where branches begin to form the crown
Synonym: trunk
bolt
grow rapidly, usually happens with seedlings or saplings and often occurs after a resource becomes newly available
bonsai
- a woody plant, most commonly a tree, that is substantially reduced in size, usually accomplished through intentional manipulation under cultivation, but may also occur naturally under challenging growing conditions;
- the Japanese art of growing dwarf woody plants
boot
remnant leaf base that remains attached to the trunk of some palm trees after the leaf dies
bough
a branch of a tree, usually applied to the larger branches
bourgeon, burgeon
a sprout or bud
brace root
adventitious root emerging from the lower part of a trunk and acting as structural support for a tree
Synonym; anchor root, prop root, stilt root
brachyblast
stem with highly compressed internodes that usually bears the leaves and reproductive structure; e.g., ginkgos (Ginkgo), apples (Malus)
Synonym: short shoot, spur
Antonym: long shoot
bract
leaf-like structure subtending a flower or inflorescence or occurring in the inflorescence
bracteate
having bracts
bracteose
having numerous or showy bracts; e.g., the inflorescence of dogwood (Cornus florida)
bramble
a prickly plant, usually specifically applied to raspberries and blackberries (Rubus), less commonly to their other relatives in the rose family (Rosaceae)
branch
- stem arising from another stem
- the divarication of one structure into smaller versions or segments of that structure
- the action of producing a divarication, as in branches of trees or veins in the leaves
branchlet
small branch
breaking
- opening, as with flower or leaf buds in the spring
2. ending, as with dormancy of a germinating seed
breastwood
new branches growing on an espaliered tree that usually must be pruned to keep the shape of the espalier
bristle
narrow, stiff hair
bud
immature flower, leaf, or stem still with its protective covering (bud scales, bracts, sepals, etc.)
bud scales
small leaf-like structures on the outside of the bud, protecting the developing flower, leaf, or stem
bulb
underground storage structure composed of buds attached to a small basal plate of stem tissue surrounded by fleshy leaf bases and bracts, majority of structure is leaf tissue; e.g., onions (Allium)
bulbil, bulbel
bud usually produced in leaf axils that can give rise to a new plant; e.g., plantlets on cycad trunks
Synonym: aerial bulb
bulblet
small bulb, often growing from the base of a artery bulb
bullate
having a surface covered in smooth, rounded bumps
bundle scar
mark within the leaf scar on the stem from where leaf’s vascular tissue was attached to the stem
bur, burr
seed dispersal unit (may be seed, fruit, carpel, etc.) that is armed for sticking to fur for dispersal
burgeon, bourgeon
to send forth new growth rapidly, as with a shoot bud
burl
woody knot in the trunk, branches, or roots of a tree, caused by something that has damaged the tree (infection, disease, or injury), prized for use in woodworking
bush
woody plant with multiple main stems, usually shorter than a tree
Synonym: shrub
buttress
widened base of tree trunk, most commonly associated with trees in wet areas; e.g., bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
