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The Kew plant glossary [Second ed.]
 9781842466049, 1842466046

Table of contents :
Contents
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Bibliography and websites used
Glossary
Symbols
Suffixes
Prefixes
Abbreviations
Botanical terms (incorporating 716 blocks with over 730 images)
Grouped terms
Vegetation terms
Colour terms

Citation preview

The Kew

Plant Glossary

an illustrated dictionary of plant terms

Second Edition Henk Beentje

Illustrations by Juliet Williamson If language is incorrect, then what is said does not agree with what was meant;

if what is said does not agree with what was meant, Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

what is to be done cannot be completed . the analects of confucius circa

400 bc

© The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2016 Illustrations and photographs © the artists and photographers as stated in the captions The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher unless in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. Great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of the information contained in this work. However, neither the publisher nor the author can be held responsible for any consequences arising from use of the information contained herein. Second edition published in 2016 First published in 2010, revised edition 2012 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AB, UK www.kew.org Distributed on behalf of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in North America by the University of Chicago Press, 1427 East 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. ISBN 978-1-84246-604-9 eISBN 978-1-84246-605-6 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Project editor: Sharon Whitehead Typesetting and page layout: Nicola Thompson, Culver Design Cover design: Lyn Davies Design Printed in Spain by GraphyCems S.L

For information or to purchase all Kew titles please visit shop.kew.org/kewbooksonline or email [email protected] Kew’s mission is to be the global resource in plant and fungal knowledge, and the world’s leading botanic garden. Kew receives half of its running costs from Government through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). All other funding needed to support Kew’s vital work comes from members, foundations, donors and commercial activities including book sales.

Contents Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii Bibliography and websites used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1



Suffixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1



Prefixes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2



Abbreviations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3



Botanical terms (incorporating 716 blocks with over 730 images). . . . . . . . 5–144



Grouped terms



Three-dimensional shapes — plate 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145



Two-dimensional shapes — plates 2–4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146–148



Division and branching — plates 5–6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149–150



Arrangement and direction — plates 7–9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151–153



Surfaces — plates 10–12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154–156



Roots — plate 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157



Stems and roots — plate 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158



Position, direction, buds and growth — plate 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159



Stems: shoots, outgrowths — plate 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160



Leaves — plates 17–18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161–162



Inflorescences — plates 19–21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163–165



Flowers — plates 22–24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166–168



Fruits and seeds — plates 25–27. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169–171



Specialised terms for selected groups — plates 28–31. . . . . . . . . . . 172–175



Basic cladistic/phylogenetic concepts — plate 32. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175



The Raunkiaer system — plate 33. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176



Tree bark types — plate 34. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177



Vegetation terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178–179



Colour terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180–183 iii

Introduction Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach, and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few. I have, notwithstanding this discouragement, attempted yet another glossary of botanical terms. These two sentences (with a slightly altered ending) have of course been lifted from the famous lexicographer1 Samuel Johnson; just as this glossary has been compiled from other works, albeit with a personal touch. Why write yet another glossary? Because the one I find myself using most of all is my favourite edition of the old Jackson glossary of botanical terms (Jackson, 1928); but that is now a little out of date, and does not have pictures. I also enjoyed compiling, with my colleague Martin Cheek, the glossary for the Flora of Tropical East Africa (FTEA) (Beentje & Cheek, 2003; 2377 terms). I thought that slim volume was beginning to resemble my vision of an updated Jackson. But by its terms of reference, it was parochial: it had vegetation terms and geomorphological terms particular to East Africa, and included only terms that had been used in that flora. I have now gone through many more floras, monographs, revisions, other glossaries, text books and so on. This current glossary is still based on that original FTEA glossary, but it has been updated from comments made by users of that FTEA glossary; and it has been expanded by terms I have gleaned from a host of botanical works, as well as by specialist terms for various groups contributed by colleagues. It now has more than 4,905 entries; the definitions have been worded by Martin Cheek and me (for about 2000 terms in Beentje & Cheek, 2003) or by me, with the help of many colleagues and experts (for the additional 2250), but obviously based on the works listed in the bibliography. My goals have been clarity, ease of use and indicating where confusion may arise. Due to the popularity of the first edition, this second edition has been produced with additional content: over 650 terms have been added, as well as five page plates. A section on vegetation types has been included, and the colour section has been reorganised as a response to user feedback. More feedback is always appreciated! And so this glossary is what I would like to have on my desk when writing a flora or monographic work, and it is intended for people who work with plant descriptions, plant identification keys, floras, monographs, revisions and field guides. It does not include terms on habitat or vegetation types, geomorphology or soil science; it includes only a few terms relating to anatomy, palynology and nomenclature. For wider glossaries of such fields see, for instance: Cutler, Botha & Stevenson (2008) for anatomy, the Hoen website mentioned under ‘websites used’ for palynology, and McVaugh, Ross & Stafleu (1968) for nomenclatural terms. The format is as follows: The main glossary includes all descriptive terms used in floras, plant field guides, monographs and revisions, including vague or strange ones (but indicating them as such). It indicates which term is

1 Johnson defined a lexicographer as “a writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words”.

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introduction

preferred in cases where there are several terms for one definition; of course, these are personal opinions, but I have tried to base them on general usage. I also feel that a plurality of meanings for a single term is not a good thing, because it leads to confusion. The series of articles by Rickett in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club illustrates this point admirably (Rickett 1954, 1955, 1956). Rickett cites the example of his discovering a paper by the German author B. M. Schulze who used definitions for terms such as elliptic, ovate and oblong completely differently from Rickett himself. “Which raises the interesting question: to what extent are (Americans) able to understand current descriptions in German or by Germans?”. And, of course, vice versa. After the main glossary, I have included several treatments by subject, with full-page plates. The main text is complete in its own right, but these end pages combine terms within various categories, for ease of comparison and cross-reference. A much more thorough treatment of many more such morphological subject groups, beautifully illustrated, can be found in Bell (2008). I have omitted the following terms: • Terms that are both colloquial and very specific, such as acorn or rose-hip. • Many of the very specialised terms for fruit types of Spjut (1994), many of the very specialised terms for hair types and attributes used by Roe (1971) or Payne (1978) and many of the terms used in Ellis et al. (2009), much of the bark terminology of Junikka (1994) or tree architectural models of Hallé & Oldeman (1970) and Hallé et al. (1978). • The Greek or Latin roots of words; for these, one may refer to Radcliffe-Smith (1998). I indicate when a word is Latin in special nomenclatural terms such as nomen novum or auct., but not in Latinised terms such as archegonium. • Terms that are not in current use and have not been used in the past, say, 50 years; there are many older terms that are no longer used but that appear in old publications. I would advise the reader to use the admirable Jackson (1928) to research these terms. When there are multiple meanings for a single term, though, I do include older ones, as these might otherwise lead to confusion. It has been suggested to me that I should indicate which terms are ‘recommended terms’. That is not really for me to say! I have indicated which terms I think should not be used, because there are better and simpler terms for them (e.g. adenophorous, monoclinous), and I have omitted terms that I have found in other recent botanical dictionaries but that I thought were hardly ever used these days (e.g. machaerantheroid). The images, plus the block of image plates at the end of this glossary, come close to what I would call ‘recommended terms’ – but only a forum of botanists from many countries could draw up a list of properly agreed-on recommended terms. Some people hate ‘lanceolate’, because it can be ambiguous, others think it is a useful descriptive term; I have indicated and illustrated the different uses, and I indicate what is the current general use. It should be noted that for many terms, a precise definition is not really possible. This sounds exceedingly tiresome, and it is. However, plant variation forms a continuum, and in many cases, all we can do with our terms is to indicate reference points on this continuum. Intermediate forms exist, and the difference between, for instance, puberulous, pubescent and tomentose, is a gradual rather than an absolute one. This goes for indumentum terms, for leaf shapes, for many concepts in this book. It is not all hopeless, however; there is a real difference between puberulous and tomentose, and the fact that intermediates between such terms exist should not stop us from trying to be accurate! I hope this publication will be useful in such endeavours.

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Acknowledgements I am very grateful to my advisory panel for comments, suggestions, additions and many improvements: Loutfy Boulos (Cairo) for suggestions on new terms; Jeremy Bruhl (Armidale and RBG Kew) for his advice on Cyperaceae terminology; Aaron Davis (RBG Kew) for enlightening me on some Rubiaceae terms; Shahina Ghazanfar (RBG Kew) for additional entries and comments on existing ones; David Goyder (RBG Kew) for comments on specialist terms describing derived subfamilies of Apocynaceae; Nicholas Hind (RBG Kew) for additional entries and comments on Compositae/Asteraceae and general terms; James Kalema (Kampala) for helpful comments and suggestions for improvements; Gwilym Lewis (RBG Kew) for patiently, carefully and painstakingly reading through a draft and suggesting many additions, improvements, corrections and specialist Leguminosae/Fabaceae terms; David Mabberley (RBG Kew) for additional entries and comments on existing ones; France Rakotondrainibe (Paris) for helpful comments on fern terms, including additional entries; Hélène Ralimanana (Antananarivo) for conferring over meanings, and for pointing out vague explanations; Wolfgang Stuppy (RBG Kew) for comments and suggestions on fruit and seed terminology, which both improved and sharpened definitions; Mats Thulin (Uppsala) for additional entries and improvements on existing ones; Bernard Verdcourt (RBG Kew) for good ideas and general suggestions, including much literature; Juliet Williamson (Hampton and RBG Kew) for pinning me down on vague explanations of terms; Jeffrey Wood (RBG Kew) for many new terms and improvements to existing entries, especially for Orchidaceae terms; Daniella Zappi (RBG Kew) for additional entries and comments on existing ones. In addition to my advisory panel, I would like to thank my wife Juliet Williamson (Hampton and RBG Kew) for her illustrations, without which this would be just another boring little volume. I am also grateful to the team from the RBG Kew Publishing Department: Chris Beard, Lloyd Kirton and Sharon Whitehead, whose cheerful help and hard work have made this book a reality. For the second edition, I am grateful to Georgie Hills and others from the publishing department. For feedback on the original editions, changes and additions I would like to thank Marie Briggs, Clare Drinkell, George Gosline, Jonathan Timberlake and Dr Tim Utteridge of RBG Kew, Peter Edwards, Dr Mike Lock and Odile Weber formerly of RBG Kew, Chew Ming Yee of the Forest Research Institute Malaysia, Dr Kevyn Juneau from Michigan Technological University, Dr Jana Leong-Skornickova of Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dr Axel Poulsen of the Botanical Garden Oslo and Prof Braam van Wyk of the University of Pretoria. Steve Davis, formerly of RBG Kew suggested many new additions as well as several corrections, and proposed inclusion of the more important vegetation type terms; I have incorporated all of Steve’s proposals, many with his own definitions.

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Bibliography and websites used For explanation of botanical Latin terms, see the incomparable Stearn (1973 and later editions); for author abbreviations, see Brummitt & Powell (1992). Agestam, M. & Hultgård, U.-M. (2004). Botanical terms. In: B. Jonsell (ed.), Flora Nordica. General volume. Bergius Foundation, Stockholm. Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol.1. Government Printer, Wellington. Anonymous (2007). Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 6th edn, 2 vols, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Beentje, H. J. & Cheek, M. (2003). Flora of Tropical East Africa: Glossary. Balkema, Lisse. Bell, A. D. (2008). Plant Form: an Illustrated Guide to Flowering Plant Morphology. Timber Press, Portland. Berg, C. C. & Corner, E. J. H. (2005). Flora Malesiana series 1 volume 17 part 2, Moraceae (Ficus). Nationaal Herbarium Nederland, Leiden. Black, M., Bewley, J. D. & Halmer, P. (eds) (2006). The encyclopedia of seeds. CABI, Wallingford. Blakelock, R. A., Guest, E. R. & Townsend, C. C. (1966). Glossary of botanic and other technical terms. In: E. R. Guest (ed.), Flora of Iraq vol. 1. Ministry of Agriculture, Iraq. Bremer, K. (1994). Asteraceae: Cladistics and Classification. Timber Press, Portland. Brickell, C. D., Alexander, C., David, J. C., Hetterscheid, W. L. A., Leslie, A. C., Malecot, V., Xiaobai Jin & Cubey, J. J. (eds) (2009). International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants. Scripta Horticulturae (8th ed.) (International Society of Horticultural Science) 10: 1–184. Brown, R. W. (1956). Composition of Scientific Words. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. Brummitt, R. K. & Powell, C. E. (eds) (1992). Authors of Plant Names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Carr, D. J. & Carr, S. G. M. (1959). Developmental morphology of the floral organs of Eucalyptus. I. The inflorescence. Australian Journal of Botany 7(2) 109–141. Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L. (2010) The causes and functions of spirals, helices and vortices in nature. The Linnean 26 (1): 16–27. Corner, E. J. H. (1940). Wayside trees of Malaya. Government Printing Office, Singapore. Corner, E. J. H. (1951). Wayside trees of Malaya. Government Printer, Singapore. Cutler, D. F., Botha, T. & Stevenson, D. W. (2008). Plant Anatomy — an Applied Approach. Blackwell, Oxford. Davis, A. P. & Rakotonasolo, F. (2001). Three new species of Coffea L. (Rubiaceae) from NE Madagascar. Adansonia, sér. 3, 23: 137–146. De Candolle, A. P. (1813). Théorie Élémentaire de la Botanique; ou, Exposition des Principes de la Classification Naturelle de l’Art de Décrire et d’Étudier les Végétaux. Deterville, Paris. Diggs, G. M. jr & Lipscomb, B. L. (2014). The ferns and lycophytes of Texas. Botanical Research Institute of Texas Press, Fort Worth. Dransfield, J. (1986). Flora of Tropical East Africa: Palmae. Balkema, Rotterdam. Dransfield, J. & Beentje, H. J. (1996). Lexicon Palmarum, a Compendium of Botanical Terms in Five Languages. Editions Champflour, Marly-le-Roi.

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Dransfield, J., Uhl, N. W., Asmussen, C. B., Baker, W. J., Harley, M. M. & Lewis, C. E. (2008). Genera Palmarum, 2nd edn. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Dressler, R. L. (1993). Phylogeny and Classification of the Orchid Family. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Edgar, E. & Connor, H. E. (2000). Flora of New Zealand vol. 5. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln. Eggli, U. (1993). Glossary of Botanical Terms with Special Reference to Succulent Plants. British Cactus and Succulent Society, Richmond. Ellis, B., Daly, D. C., Hickey, L. J., Johnson, K. R., Mitchell, J. D., Wilf, P. & Wing, S. (2009). Manual of Leaf Architecture. CAB International, Wallingford. Esau, K. (1977). Anatomy of Seed Plants, 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Exell, A. W. & Wild, H. (1960). Flora Zambesiaca 1(1): 42–54. Crown Agents, London. Farjon, A. (2010). A handbook of the World’s conifers, volume II. Brill, Leiden-Boston. Featherly, H. I. (1954). Taxonomic Terminology of the Higher Plants. Iowa State College Press, Ames. Foster, A. S. & Gifford, E. M. (1974). Comparative Morphology of Vascular Plants, 2nd edn. W. H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco. Futák, J. (ed.) (1966). Flóra Slovenska 1. Veda, Bratislava. Goode, D. (1989). Cycads of Africa. Struik Winchester, Cape Town. Greenway, P. J. (1973). A classification of the vegetation of East Africa. Kirkia 9(1): 1–68. Hallé, F. & Oldeman, R. A. A. (1970). Essai sur l’Architecture et la dynamique de croissance des arbres tropicaux. Masson & Cie, Paris. Hallé, F., Oldeman, R. A. A. & Tomlinson P. B. (1978). Tropical trees and forests. An architectural analysis. New York: Springer-Verlag. Harris, J. G. & Woolf Harris, M. (2001). Plant Identification Terminology — an Illustrated Glossary, 2nd edn. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, Utah. Healy, A. J. & Edgar, E. (1980). Flora of New Zealand vol. 3. Government Printer, Wellington. Helms, J. (ed.) (1998). The dictionary of forestry. Society of American Foresters, Bethesda, Md, USA. Hewson, H. J. (1988). Plant Indumentum. A Handbook of Terminology. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. Hickey, L. J. (1979). A revised classification of the architecture of dicotyledonous leaves. In: C. R. Metcalfe & L. Chalk (eds). Anatomy of the Dicotyledones, 2nd edn., pp. 25–39. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Hickey, M. & King, C. (2000). The Cambridge Illustrated Glossary of Botanical Terms. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Hutchinson, J. & Dalziel, J. M. (1927). Flora of West Tropical Africa — Glossary, Vol. 1, part 1, pp. 13–23. Crown Agents, London. Hutchinson, J. & Dalziel, J. M. (1954). (revised by R. W. J. Keay ) Flora of West Tropical Africa — Glossary, Vol. 1, part 1, pp. 17–28. Crown Agents, London. Jackson, B. D. (1916 (1st edn)–1928 (4th edn)). A Glossary of Botanic Terms. Duckworth, London. Jeffrey, C. (1989). Biological Nomenclature, 3rd edn. Edward Arnold, London. Johnson, L. A. S. (1972). Evolution and classification in Eucalyptus. In: Proceedings Linn. Soc. NS Wales 97: 11–29 Johnson, L. A. S. & Briggs, B. G. (1983). Taxon 32, 1: 103–105. Judziewicz, E. J., Clark, L.G., London˘o, X. & Stern, M.J. (1999). American bamboos. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington-London.

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Junikka, L. (1994). Survey of English macroscopic bark terminology. IAWA/Hortus Botanicus, Leiden. Katinas, L. (1996). Revísion de las especies Sudamericanas del género Trixis (Asteraceae, Mutisieae). Darwiniana 34: 27–108. Keller, R. (2004). Identification of Tropical Woody Plants in the Absence of Flowers and Fruit: a Field Guide. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel. Kiger, R. W. & Porter, D. M. (2001). Categorical Glossary for the Flora of North America Project. Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh. Lawrence, G. H. M. (1951). Taxonomy of Vascular Plants. Macmillan, New York. Lellinger, D. B. (2002). A Modern Multilingual Glossary for Taxonomic Pteridology. American Fern Society, Inc. Lincoln, R., Boxshall, G. & Clark, P. (1998). A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Lindley, J. (1832 (1st edn)–1848 (4th edn)). An Introduction to Botany. Longman, London. Lindley, J. (1847). The Elements of Botany. Bradbury & Evans, London. Lindley, J. (1848). A Glossary of Technical Terms Used in Botany. Bradbury & Evans, London. Linnaeus, C. (1751). Philosophia Botanica. Kiesewetter, Stockholm. Mabberley, D. J. (2008). Mabberley’s Plant-Book, 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press. Mabberley, D. J. (2014) Flora of Peninsular Malaysia ser. 2, vol. 4: 48. Forest Research Institute, Malaysia. McClure, F. A. (1966). The bamboos: a fresh perspective. Harvard University Press, Cambridge. McCusker, A. (1999). Glossary. Flora of Australia 1, 2nd edn, pp. 585–636. ABRS/CSIRO, Melbourne. McNeill, J., Barrie, F. R., Burdet, H. M., Demoulin, V., Hawksworth, D. L., Marhold, K., Nicolson, D. H., Prado, J., Silva, P. C., Skog, J. E., Wiersema, J. H. & Turland, N. J. (eds). (2006). International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Gantner Verlag, Ruggell, Liechtenstein. McVaugh, R., Ross, R. & Stafleu, F. A. (1968). An Annotated Glossary of Botanical Nomenclature. IBPTN/IAPT, Utrecht. Melville, R. (1976). The terminology of leaf architecture. Taxon 25(5/6): 549–561. Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J. G. (1993). Wetlands (2nd ed.). Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York. Moore, L. B. & Edgar, E. (1970). Flora of New Zealand vol. 2. Government Printer, Wellington Payne, W. W. (1978). A glossary of plant hair terminology. Brittonia 30: 239–255. Phillips, S. (1995). Glossary. Flora of Ethiopia and Eritrea, vol. 7, pp. 369–374. National Herbarium, Addis Ababa. Poulsen, A. D. (2006). Etlingera of Borneo. Natural History Publications (Borneo). Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Punt, W., Hoen, P. P., Blackmore, S., Nilsson, S. & Le Thomas, A. (2007). Glossary of pollen and spore terminology. Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol., 143(1–2): 1–81. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1998). Three-language List of Botanical Name Components. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Radford, A. E., Dickison, W. C., Massey, J. R. & Bell, C. R. (1974). Vascular Plant Systematics. Harper & Row, New York. Raunkiaer, C. (1934). The Life Forms of Plants and Statistical Geography. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Raunkiaer, C. (1937). Plant Life Forms. Clarendon Press, Oxford. (Original Danish edition 1907.) Rickett, H. W. (1954). Materials for a dictionary of botanical terms — I. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 81(1): 1–15.

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Rickett, H. W. (1954). Materials for a dictionary of botanical terms — II. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 81(3): 188–198. Rickett, H. W. (1954). Materials for a dictionary of botanical terms — III. Inflorescences. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 82(6): 419–445. Rickett, H. W. (1954). Materials for a Dictionary of Botanical Terms — IV. Terms to describe apices. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 83(5): 342–354. Roe, K. E. (1971). Terminology of hairs in the genus Solanum. Taxon 20, 4: 501–508. Roque, N., Keil, D. J. & Susanna, A. (2009). Illustrated glossary of Compositae. In: Funk VA, Susanna A, Stuessy T & Bayer R. (eds), Systematics, evolution and biogeography of the Compositae pp 781—806. IAPT, Vienna. Schelpe, E. A. C. L. E. (1970). Flora Zambesiaca: Pteridophyta. Crown Agents, London. Schlittler, J. (1953). Blütenartikulation und Phyllokladien der Liliaceae organphylogenetisch betrachtet. 11. Die Phyllokladien der Asparageen als echte Blatter. Feddes Repertorium 55: 206–258. Shaffer-Fehre, M (ed.) (2006). A revised handbook to the Flora of Ceylon, vol. 15. Science Publishers, Enfield/Jersey/Plymouth. Simpson, J. A. & Weiner, E. S. C. (1989). The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edn. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Soerianegara, I. & Lemmens, R. H. M. J. (eds). (1993). Glossary. Plant Resources of South-East Asia 5(1): 548–562. PUDOC, Wageningen. Spjut, R. W. (1994). A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70: 1–182. Spjut, R. W. & Thieret J. (1989). Confusion between multiple and aggregate fruits. Bot. Rev. 55: 53–72. Sporne, K. R. (1974). The Morphology of Angiosperms. Hutchinson, London. Stannard, B. L. (ed.) (1995). Flora of the Pico das Almas. Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. Stearn, W. T. (1973). Botanical Latin, 2nd edn. David & Charles, Newton Abbot. Stone, B. C. (1975). Authorized translation of ‘An essay on the architecture and dynamics of growth of tropical trees” by F. Hallé & R. A. A. Oldeman. Penerbit University, Kuala Lumpur. Stuppy, W. & Kesseler, R. (2008). Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible. Papadakis, London. Stützel, T., Reck, U. & Müller-Doblies, D. (1991). Morphologische Studien zur Systematik der Convallariaceae. In: Wagenitz G. (ed.) 10th Symposium Morphologie, Anatomie und Systematik. Göttingen. Swartz, D. (1971). Collegiate Dictionary of Botany. Ronald Press Co., New York. Systematics Association Committee for Descriptive Biological Terminology. (1962). II. Terminology of simple symmetrical plane shapes (chart 1). Taxon 11(3): 145–156. Theobald, W. L., Krahulik, J. L. & Rollins, R. C. (1979). Trichome description and classification. In: C. R. Metcalfe & L. Chalk (eds), Anatomy of the Dicotyledones, 2nd edn, pp. 40–53. Clarendon Press, Oxford. Usher, G. (1966). A Dictionary of Botany. Constable, London. Vaucher, H. (2003). Tree bark – a color guide. Timber Press, Portland. Velenovsky, J. (1910). Vergleichende Morphologie der Pflanzen, Teil 3. Verlagsbuchhandlung, Prag. Verdcourt, B. (1979). A Manual of New Guinea Legumes. Office of Forests, Division of Botany, Lae. Voorhoeve, A. G. (1965). Liberian high forest trees. PUDOC, Wageningen. Weberling, F. (1992). Morphology of Flowers and Inflorescences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

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bibliography and websites used

Webb, C. J., Sykes, W. R. & Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988). Flora of New Zealand vol. 4. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. Webb, L. J. (1959). A physiognomic classification of Australian rain forests. J. Ecol. 47: 551–570. Weber, A. & Burtt, B. L. (1998) Remodelling of Didymocarpus and associated genera. Beiträge zur Biologie der Pflanzen 70(2-3): 293–363. Wherry, E. T. (1952). Isotypes and arithmotypes. Taxon 1: 32. White, F. (1983). The Vegetation of Africa; a Descriptive Memoir. Unesco, Paris. Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. Y. (eds) (2009). Flora of China, volume 2: Pteridophyta. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. Y. (eds) (2011). Flora of China, volume 20: Asteraceae. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St Louis. Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. Y. (eds) (2009). Flora of China, volume 25: Orchidaceae. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. Yaskievych, G. (1999). Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri vol. 1. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St Louis. Zhengyi, W., Raven, P. H. & Deyuan, H. (eds) (2006) Flora of China, volume 22: Poaceae. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis. http://www.fishbase.org/search.php global information system on fishes. Consulted December 2007. http://www.anbg.gov.au/glossary/webpubl/splitgls.htm Flora of Australia online glossary. Consulted June 2008. http://www.bio.uu.nl/~palaeo/glossary/glos-int.htm Peter Hoen’s glossary of palynology on the University of Utrecht’s website; encompasses many more terms than I have included here. This is based on the excellent Punt et al. (2007). Consulted July 2008. http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/categories-and-criteria, for definitions and criteria of the Red List categories.

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Glossary Symbols °

degrees



male, staminate; or sometimes biennial

'

feet

"

inches

×

hybrid

>

larger than



larger than or equal to

±

more or less

!

seen by author

<

smaller than



smaller than or equal to



tree



destroyed

§

section



female, pistillate

+

graft hybrid



∞ µ

hermaphrodite many, too many to be counted easily micrometre, = 0.001 millimetre; µm is now the official format

µm

micrometre, = 0.001 millimetre

① ②

annual



annual



biennial perennial

Suffixes -aceous, having the nature of; for example, herbaceous, having the nature of a herb

-jugate, (of leaflets) in pairs; 6-jugate, in six pairs

-ate, having a feature; for example, carinate, with a keel

-merous, the number of parts of a flower, for example, 5-merous: in which the parts are 5, or in 5s

-carpous, referring to carpels

-oid, resembling

-escent, becoming; for example, glabrescent, becoming glabrous

-ose, giving adjectival qualities to the noun stem to which it is attached

-ferous, bearing, producing

-partite, divided, usually to about halfway

-fid, split; bifid, split in two; trifid, split in three -foliolate, with a certain number of leaflets; trifoliolate, with three leaflets

-pinnate, the number of divisions; /2-pinnate, with the primary divisions themselves divided; tripinnate/3-pinnate, with the secondary divisions themselves divided

-form, meaning shaped like, as in dolabriform, shaped like a hatchet

-ploid, the number of chromosome sets: haploid, 1n; diploid, 2n; tetraploid, 4n

-gonal, with a certain number of angles; for example, hexagonal, with six angles

-sect, cut or divided to the axis, more deeply than -lobed, -fid or -partite

-gonous, -angled

-ulate, a diminutive of the root of the word, for example, mucronulate, bearing a minute mucro 1

Prefixes For more prefixes, see Stearn (1973); of course, terms with their prefixes included are arranged alphabetically in the main section of the glossary (Botanical terms). a-, away from

dia-, through

oct-, octo-, with eight…

ab-, away from

dodeca-, twelve-

pel, per-, through, very

abs-, away from

e-, without, missing

penta, with five...

ad-, towards, to, near

endo-, within

peri-, around

amb-, ambi-, around

epi-, upon, on, over

post-, after, behind

ana-, back, against

exo-, on the outside, beyond

prae-, before, in front

ante-, before

extra-, on the outside, beyond

quadri-, with four…

anti-, against

gamo-, united

quinque-, with five…

apo-, from, off, without,

haplo-, single-

re-, back

separate, away from

hemi-, half

retro-, back

bi-, with two…

hepta-, with seven…

semi-, half

brachy-, short

hexa-, with six…

sub-, below, under

cata-, downwards, outwards

hyper-, above

super-, above

circum-, around

hypo-, under, below

supra-, above, over

co-, col-, com-, con-, cor-,

infra-, below

syn-, together with

together with

inter-, between

ter-, with three...

contra-, against

intra-, within

tetra-, with four...

de-, downwards, outwards

meta-, after, behind

trans-, beyond

deca-, ten-

mono-, with one…

tri, with three...

di-, dis-, between, away from

multi-, many-

uni-, with one...

di-, two-

ob-, against

2

Abbreviations For author abbreviations after the species name, see Brummitt & Powell (1992). 2n, diploid generation

et al., (from the Latin et alii), and others

adnot., annotated on specimen sheet; or a mention of a species, but not as a main heading

f., (abbreviation in author citation) (from the Latin filius), son

aff., (from the Latin affinis), akin to, near to the named taxon; not the same, but clearly related

fil., (abbreviation in author citation) (from the Latin filius), son

APG, APG II, APG III (in plant taxonomy) abbreviation of Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, and now used to indicate the system of plant classification published in 2009 (APG III)

fl., flower, flowering

auct. (plural auctt.), (from the Latin auctorum), of the author; appended to a name used by a later author in a different sense from the one originally proposed. Auctt. indicates ‘according to various authors’ auct. non, phrase after a scientific name, meaning the name has been used by one author in the wrong sense, as opposed to ... (, non + original author of name should follow) C 3, C4, metabolic pathways for carbon dioxide fixation; C3 plants tend to do well in areas of moderate temperatures and plentiful water with high carbon dioxide concentration, whereas C4 plants have a competitive advantage under hot and arid conditions. See also CAM CaCo3, calcium carbonate; lime, chalk CAM, crassulacean acid metabolism, a metabolic pathway for carbon dioxide fixation; CAM plants fix carbon dioxide during the night, and CAM is especially common in plants of hot and arid areas. See also C3, C4 cf., used on determinavit slips: compare to, see also cm, centimetre

fr., fruit, fruiting ib., (from the Latin ibidem), the same ibid., (from the Latin ibidem), the same ICBN, International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants: set of rules on the naming of taxa ICNCP, International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants: set of rules on the naming of cultivated taxa, such as hybrids i.e., (from Latin id est), that is ined., (from Latin ineditus), not yet published iso., isotype ITS, the internal transcribed spacers of 18S to 26S nuclear ribosomal DNA, characterized by tandem repeat structure and high copy number; typically used in molecular systematics at the species level IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources km, kilometre l.c., (from the Latin loco citato), ‘in the place mentioned’ l.s., longitudinal section

comb. nov., (from the Latin combinatio nova), new combination, the specific epithet used with another genus name

leg., (from the Latin legit), collected by (to be followed by name of collector)

d.b.h., diameter at breast height, of a tree trunk

m, 1. metre; 2. mile

del., (from the Latin delineatus), ‘drawn’, illustrated by

mis., abbreviation for missus, ‘sent by’

e. descr., (from the Latin ex descriptione), from the description, according to the description

mm, millimetre MS, (from a) manuscript; unpublished 3

abbreviations

n, haploid generation nom., (from the Latin nomen), name nom. conf., (from the Latin nomen confusum), (in nomenclature) confused name; name based on discordant elements from which it is difficult to select a lectotype. The term was taken out of the Code (see I.C.B.N.) years ago, and is used less and less as such names are increasingly proposed for rejection (see nomen rejiciendum) nom. cons., (from the Latin nomen conservandum), (in nomenclature) a name, the use of which is officially permitted in spite of its contravention of one or more articles of the Code (see I.C.B.N.) nom. illeg., (from the Latin nomen illegitimum), (in nomenclature) illegal name; a name that was nomenclaturally superfluous when published (because the taxon and type had already been validly published under another name), or a later homonym of a previously published name nom. nov., (from the Latin nomen novum), (in nomenclature) name or epithet published as a replacement for an earlier name or epithet, for example, for one which, in a new combination, would not be valid nom. nud., (from the Latin nomen nudum), (in nomenclature) name or epithet published but without a description or diagnosis, or without a reference to any of these; invalidly published name or epithet nom. rejic., (from the Latin nomen rejiciendum), (in nomenclature) name or epithet to be rejected, because if applied, it would cause a disadvantageous nomenclatural change. Rejected names are listed in the Code (see I.C.B.N.) nom. superfl., (from the Latin nomen superfluum), (in nomenclature) superfluous name; a name that, when first validly published, was applied by its author to a taxon so circumscribed as to include the type of another name (which the author ought to have adopted)

4

n.v., (from the latin non vidi ), ‘I have not seen’; placed after a specimen citation in a publication, if the specimen has not been seen by the author p.p., (from the Latin pro parte) partly pH, measure of acidity or alkalinity q.v., (from the Latin quod vide), see there rbcL, a plastid gene used in phylogenetics to study relationships s.l., (from the Latin sensu lato), in the broad sense s.n., (from the Latin sine numero), without a number s.s., (from the Latin sensu stricto), in the narrow sense s.str. (from the Latin sensu stricto), in the narrow sense sine loc., from the Latin sine loco, ‘without a place’; used for a herbarium specimen without locality information sp., species (singular) sphalm., sphalmate, by mistake spp., species (plural) ssp., subspecies; subsp., is preferable subsp., subspecies syn., 1. syntype(s); 2. synonym t., (from Latin tabula), figure (usually full-page) t.s., transverse section var., (from the Latin varietas), variety X, placed after a genus name and before a specific epithet, indicating hybrid origin

Botanical terms A

acantha, prickle, thorn, spine [vague term, not recommended]

a-, prefix signifying lack of, as in achlorophyllose, lacking chlorophyl

acanthophyll, leaflet of a pinnate leaf modified in the form of a spine [specialist term used in Palmae, see Dransfield & Beentje, 1996]

abaxial, the side of an organ that faces away from the axis that bears it; for example, the lower surface of a leaf. Opposite: adaxial adaxial

abaxial

acarodomatia, small pockets in leaves, in the axils of the veins on the abaxial surface, theoretically harbouring mites (Acari); usually contracted to ‘domatia’

abbreviated, shortened aberrant, different from the normal abiotic, not involving living organisms

acarophytic, (of a plant) harbouring mites

abnormal, deviating from the rule for that particular taxon; for example, 5 stamens instead of the normal 4

acarpic, without fruit; the more common term is acarpous

abortion, termination, partway through their development, of parts that are usually present; usually of flowers or fruits

acarpous, without fruit acaulescent, without a stem (preferred term for this is acaulous; the ending -escent implies change)

abortive, imperfectly developed, not grown to its normal size or function

acaulous, without a stem, or without a visible stem

abrupt, suddenly, not gradually; the meaning ‘truncated’ given in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Anonymous, 2007) I have not seen used

accepted, in nomenclature, a name or epithet accepted by an author who adopts it as the correct one

abruptly pinnate, a pinnate leaf without an odd terminal leaflet; same as paripinnate (the latter preferred) abscission (also abscissing), (of leaves or leaflets, sometimes on flower or fruit stalks, rarely branches), detaching from the stems that bear them at a predetermined place, the abscission zone abscission joint, zone of articulation where a leaf or another organ (part) will break off; often swollen and with a constriction groove

accessory, 1. (of buds) additional to axillary buds, and assuming their function; 2. (of branches) secondary branches; 3. (of fruits) false fruits, conspicuous but without function other than attraction; 4. a fruit (or group of fruits) conspicuous by parts that are not part of the pistil; see also anthocarp; 5. (in fern anatomy) stellar perforation not linked to frond insertion accessory fruit, a fruit consisting of the ovary together with another plant part, e.g. the fruit of a prickly pear Opuntia ficus-indica, and the hips of Rosa spp. Also called false fruit or pseudocarp; the preferred term is anthocarpous fruit or anthocarp (Stuppy, pers. comm.) accrescent, increasing in length or thickness with age (for example, the calyx after flowering) 5

accumbent– acrostichoid

accumbent, lying against (for example, the cotyledons against the radicle)

radicle

acicular, needle-shaped; very narrow, stiff, and pointed (usually said of leaf tips); can be 2- or 3-dimensional

cotyledons

aciculate, of surface, with fine lines, as if scratched acephalous, 1. ‘without a head’, used for an ovary without a stigma; 2. also in general, when a head-like structure would be expected but is not present acerate, acicular, needle-shaped [unusual term] acerose, needle-shaped, thin-cylindrical with a sharp point; solid/3-dimensional shape, unlike acicular, which is either a plane (two-dimensional shape) or a solid (threedimensional shape)

acinaciform, scimitar-shaped, thin and curved with pointed apex [unusual term] acolyte, sterile male flower found with a fertile female flower as a flower pair in the inflorescence of Calamus (specialist term used in Palmae, see Dransfield, 1986) acquired, used of characters that arise during the lifetime of a plant as a result of environmental (not genetic) influences acrocidal, (of a capsule fruit) dehiscing through terminal fissures [obscure term]

acervulus (plural acervuli), 1. in chamaedoroid palms, a group of flowers borne in a line; 2. a small asexual fruiting body that erupts through the epidermis of host plants parasitised by mitosporic fungi of the form order Melanconiales acetabuliform, shaped like a shallow cup, saucershaped [unusual term] achene, a small dry thinwalled fruit, not splitting when ripe, and containing a single seed

acrodromous, with two or more main veins starting at the base of the leaf, running parallel to the leaf margin and meeting (or almost meeting) at the apex

acrogenic, growing only at the apex of the stem acrogenous, growing only at the apex of the stem acrogynous, with female flowers at the apex of the inflorescence. Opposite: basigynous acropetal(-ous), in the direction of the apex. Opposite: basipetal

achenetum, an aggregation of achenes [obscure term] achilary, without a lip [obscure term] achlamydeous, of flowers, without calyx or corolla acicula, acicle, a needle-like prickle

6

acrophyll, in climbing ferns, the mature fronds formed at some distance from the ground. Opposite: bathyphyll acroscopic, (in ferns) facing towards the apex of the frond acrospire, the first sprout of a germinating seed acrostichoid, (of sporangia) resembling the arrangement in Acrostichum, with the lower/ abaxial frond surface completely covered with sporangia

acrotonic–adventitious

acrotonic, 1. in branching, when the branches near the apex of the plant are the most developed; 2. with new organs developing on or near the apex of existing organs actinodromous, with three or more prominent veins from near the base of the leaf, running towards the margin (and sometimes reaching it)

acyclic, spiral, not in whorls adapical, towards the apex [unusual term in botany] adaptation, organism change that is successful in that it helps the organism cope better with its environment or with changing conditions adaxial, the side of an organ towards the axis on which it is inserted, (e.g. the upper surface of a leaf). Opposite: abaxial (see there for illustration, page 5) adenophorous, glandular [old-fashioned term, not recommended] adenose, glandular [old-fashioned term, not recommended]

actinomorphic, (of flowers) regular, radially symmetric. Opposite: zygomorphic

adherent, (of different organs) sticking to, attached but not fused adhesion, (of different organs) attachment (but not fusion) adjacent-ligular, germination type where the shoot is carried out of the seed within the very short ligule of the cotyledon (specialist term used in Palmae, see Dransfield, 1986)

actinostele, uninterrupted central vascular cylinder with radiating ribs actinostelic, with an uninterrupted central vascular cylinder with radiating ribs, and without pith active, in growing condition. Opposite: dormant aculeate, armed with prickles (as distinct from thorns)

admedial, (in leaf venation) towards the axis of symmetry of the leaf admissible, in nomenclature, a name or epithet allowed under the current rules adnate, attached to, surface to surface; usually said of different organs or structures (e.g. stamen adnate to a petal); see also connate, which is attached to, margin to margin, of similar organs or structures adnot., annotated on specimen sheet; or a mention of a species, but not as a main heading

aculei, sharp points, prickles acumen, a rather abruptly tapering point from an otherwise rounded or obtuse apex

acuminate, tapering to a long tip (usually of leaf tips)

adpressed, lying flat for its whole length (e.g. hairs on leaf surface); = appressed, which is preferred aduncate, twisted, hooked [obscure term, not recommended] adventitious, 1. (of buds) those produced elsewhere than normal (such as leaf axils, shoot apices) (e.g. those appearing with wounds); 2. (of roots) lateral roots coming from organs other than main root system, such as the stem adventitious buds

acute, sharp, sharply pointed, the margins near the tip being almost straight and forming an angle of