vegetative terms Flashcards
annual
living for one year or less
biennial
living for two years, typically flowering and fruiting the second year
perennial
living for three years or more
caducous
applied to plant parts which fall off early or prematurely
deciduous
plants which shed all their leaves at the end of each growing season; also applied to plant parts never without some leaves
evergreen
remaining green during the dormant season, the plants never without some leaves
marescent
(leaves) withering or fading, but remaining attached
persistent
(leaves) remaining attached and unwithered
acaulescent
more or less stemless, the stem often subterranean
caulescent
aerial stem or stems evident
clambering
spreading over undergrowth or objects, usually without the aid of twining stems or tendrils
decumbent
stems lying upon the ground, but with their ends turned up
vine
herbaceous plant with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stems
liana
woody plant with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stems
prostrate (procumbent)
lying flat on the ground; typically without adventitious roots
shrubs
woody perennials with more than one principal stem arising from the ground
subshrub (suffruticose)
plants woody at the base, but herbaceous above
trees
woody perennials with a single main stem or trunk
adventitious
those roots which arise from any point other than as a portion of the primary root system
aerial roots
those roots occurring above ground
fibrous
a root system in which all of the roots are of about the same size so that none is clearly dominant, as in many monocots
subterranean
roots occurring below the ground
tap
a root system in which one root is clearly larger than the others, as in many dicots
tuberous
a tap root which is particularly large and fleshy; not clearly delimited from the tap root
stolon
an above-ground horizontal stem, often rooting at the nodes, which bears ordinary foliage leaves
tendril
a twining stem, either terminal or arising from the axil of a leaf; tendrils may also be of leaf origin
thorn
a sharp-pointed stem, either simple or branched
spine
modified stem (cactus)d
prickle
modified epidermis
bulb
an upright series of fleshy overlapping leaf bases attached to a small basal stem, as in the onion
corm
an upright, hard or fleshy stem surrounded by dry scaly leaves, as in the gladiolus “bulb”
rhizome
a subterranean horizontal stem with reduced scaly leaves, as in many grasses
tuber
an enlarged fleshy tip of an underground stem, as in the Irish potato
petiole
the stalk which supports the lamina; if missing, the leaf is sessiled
stipules
a pair of appendages located at the bade of the petiole where it joins the stem; often short-lived and seen only as stipule scars; if not formed, the leaf is exstipulate
fascicled
clustered
opposite
two leaves at one node
whorled
three or more leaves at one node
alternate
one leaf per node
parallel
parallel veins
pinnate
feathered veins
palmate
veins originate from the base of blade and branch out
