Plane

Title

Plane

Definition

Referring to a structure that is flat, even, or level with the surface of the structure in which it occurs; i.e., without projectiing above the surface of an organ.

Notes

In Lecythidaceae, usually referring to the veins of leaves or seeds. Differs from submerged in visibility; e.g., a submerged vein can not be seen whereas a plane vein is visible. The differences among salient, prominent, prominulous, plane, and submerged are based on the degree of elevation, e.g., between the top of a vein and the surface of the organ of which it is a part. These features grade into one another but generally speaking a salient vein is one that projects 0.5 to several millimeters above the surface, a prominent vein is one that is distinct and raises between 0.1 and 0.4 mm above the surface, and a prominulous vein is one that is raised so little that it is only perceived when a finger nail is run along the blade at a right angle across it. If nothing blocks the fingernail, the vein is plane and if a depression is perceived it is impressed. If a vein is not seen, it is said to be submerged in the tissue. In neotropical Lecthidaceae, this terminology is mostly applied to the the veins of leaves and seeds.

Related Terms

Submerged

Impressed

Prominent (diminuitive = prominulous)

Salient