Displaying 1851 - 1925 out of 3058 Object(s)

Term Definition
Monad Referring to pollen grains that occur singly, i.e., they separate immediately after meiosis. Monad
Monadelphous Referring to stamens united by their filaments into a single group. Monadelphous
Moniliform Cylindric but constricted at regular intervals and, thus, appearing like a string of beads; e.g., the staminal hairs of Commelinaceae.
Mono- A prefix meaning one.
Monocarp A unit of the fruit of apocarpous Annonaceae (e.g., Guatteria spp. and Unonopsis spp.), Menispermaceae, Monimiaceae, Ochnaceae, and Simaroubaceae.. Monocarp
Monocarpy (monocarpic or monocarpous) Referring to plants that die after a single episode of flowering and fruiting; e.g., many bambusoid Poaceae and Tachigali (Fabaceae). Same as hapaxanthic and semelparic and opposite of iteroparic, pleionanthic, or polycarpic. Monocarpy (monocarpic or monocarpous)
Monochlamydeous Referring to a flower with a single whorl of perianth parts; same as a uniseriate perianth. Compare with heterochlamydeous.
Monocliny (monoclinous) A species with functionally bisexual flowers; there is only one kind of monoclinous species. Same as homoecioius. Compare with dicliny. Monocliny (monoclinous)
Monocolpate A pollen grain with a single colpus.
Monocotyledon (monocot) One of the two classes of angiosperms usually characterized by having one cotyledon, parallel-veined leaves, and flower parts most often in threes. In the classification of Cronquist (1981), this class is called Liliopsida. In the APG classification it is not a monophyletic group. Palms and grasses are examples of economically important monnocots. Monocotyledon (monocot)
Monoecy (monoecious) Referring to the sexual condition of a species of plant that bears male (staminate) and (female) pistillate flowers on the same plant. This is also an example of one of the two kinds of monoclinous species. Compare with dioecious. Monoecy (monoecious)
Monogeneric Referring to a plant family with a single genus.
Monograph A scientific publication that includes all information known about a group of plants throughout its geographic range; e.g., Flora Neotropica Monographs. Monograph
Monographer A botanist who prepares a monograph.
Monomorphic Referring to structures or organs within a species or individual that do not differ distinctly in form or size. Compare with dimorphic and heteromorphic.
Monophyletic A group derived from the same ancestral taxon. Monophyletic
Monopodial Referring to plants with indeterminate growth along one axis. Monopodial stems and branches appear straight. Monopodial
Monopodial growth Referring to plants with indeterminate growth along one axis; i.e., the stem grows from the apex and the growth appears straight.
Monospecific Referring to a higher taxonomic unit, such as a genus or family, composed of a single species.
Monosulcate pollen Referring to a pollen grain with one groove or furrow.
Monosymmetric flower A flower capable of being divided into only two equal parts (mirror images) by a line passing through the middle of a flower, i.e., other lines passing the middle of the flower will not give mirror images of one another; same as zygomorphic, bilaterally symmetrical, and irregular flowers and opposite of actinomorphic, monosymmetric, radially symmetrical, and regular flowers. This term can refer to other plant parts as well. Monosymmetric  flower
Monothecous Referring to an anther with a single theca.
Monotypic Referring to a genus with a single species.
Morichal A Spanish name referring to a palm swamp dominated by moriche palms Mauritia flexuosa. Same as aguajal also in Spanish and burital in Portuguese. Morichal
Morph A phenotypic or genetic variant.
Morphology Referring to the study of the form and structure of organisms.
Moss life cycle Alternation of generations of a moss . The conspicuous, green, represents the gametophyte generation which is everything between the spore and the embryo in this illustration whereas the sporophyte is consists of the stalk and capsule elevated above the green gametophyte generation. Moss life cycle
Mucilage A sticky, viscous liquid; e.g., that present among the leaf bases of Rapateaceae or in canals penetrating the ovary and sepals of some Lecythidaceae. Mucilage
Mucilage ducts (= mucilaginous ducts) Longitudinally oriented ducts that penetrate the ovary and sepals of some species of Lecythis. These ducts produce a mucilage that is hypothesized as a way to protect the fruits from predation, i.e., insects and other animals get their mouth parts gummed up if they try to penetrate the fruit wall. Mucilage ducts (= mucilaginous ducts)
Mucro (mucronate) A sharp point at the apex of a leaf or a similar structure, e.g., a bract. Mucro (mucronate)
Muellerian bodies (also spelled Müllerian bodies) Glycogen-rich food bodies located on fuzzy pads (trichilia) at the base of the petiole of some species of Cecropia (Cecropiaceae). Compare with pearl bodies. Muellerian bodies (also spelled Müllerian bodies)
Multiple big bang phenology A flowering strategy in which abundant flowers are produced each day for a few days at several different times of the year. Multiple big bang phenology
Multiple fruit A fruit formed from the ovaries of more than one flower, e.g., the pineapple fruit which consists of the fusion of the ovaries of the flowers of an inflorescence as the fruits develop. Multiple fruit
Multiseriado Se refiere a una estructura con más de dos verticilos o hileras, como el perianto. Comparar con uniseriado.
Multiseriate Referring to a structure, such as a perianth, with more than two whorls or rows. Compare with uniseriate.
Muricate Rough because of the presence of short, often stiff, protuberances.
Muticous Blunt, without a point.
Mutualism A symbiotic relationship between two organisms that benefits both; examples are the relationship of Azteca ants with species of Cecropia (the ants receive food and shelter and the plant is protected from preditors by the ants) and the relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and plants (the fungus receives carbohydrates and the plant receives nutrients). Mutualism
Mycelium (plural = mycelia) The totality of hyphae that comprise the above and below ground parts of a fungus. Mycelium (plural = mycelia)
Mycoheterotroph (adj.= mycoheterotrophic) Unable to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic substrates, i.e., this kind of plant does not photosynethesize and is not green in color because it lacks chlorophyll. It is called a mycoheterotroph because it receives photosynthate from other plants through fungal ( = mycorrhizal) connections. Mycoheterotroph (adj.= mycoheterotrophic)
Mycoheterotroph (mycoheterotrophic) A heterotrophic plant that is without chlorophyll, lives on decayed plant material, and depends on a symbiotic relationship with a fungus to obtain food. Mycoheterotroph (mycoheterotrophic)
Mycorrhiza (plural = mycorrhizae) A mutualistic symbiotic relationship between certain fungi and the roots of many species of vascular plants. Both the fungus and the vascular plant benefit---the fungus receives carbohydrates from the plant and the plant receives receives mineral nutrients from the fungus. In order to facilitate the transfer of carbohydrate and minerals the hyphae of the fungus penetrate the roots of the vascular plant hosts.
Myrcioid embryo A type of embryo found in the Myrtaceae in which the cotyledons are normally thin, leafy, and folded, and the narrow, cylindrical hypocotyl is about the same length as the cotyledons and encircling them. Compare with eugenioid embryo and myrtoid embryo. Myrcioid embryo
Myristicaceous branching A growth form found in the plant family Myristicaceae in which the main trunk is orthotropous and with spiral phyllotaxy, and the branches are plagiotropous with distichous phyllotaxy.
Myrmecochory Dispersal of seeds by ants.
Myrmecophory Referring to ants that carry away diaspores from parent plants. The ants are usually attracted to fleshy structures associated with seeds. Same as ant dispersal. Myrmecophory
Myrmecophyte Referring to a plant with a symbiotic relationship with ants; in the Orchidaceae, this normally refers to a plant which has a specific species of ant inhabiting the roots or other structure such as the pseudobulb, e.g. in Calaurthron billamelatum, the pseudobulb is hollow and inhabitated by ants; in Tococa guianensis (Melastomataceae), the bases of the leaves have domatia which are inhabited by ants. Myrmecophyte
Myrtoid embryo A variable type of embryo found in the Myrtaceae in which the hypocotyl is the same length or much longer than the cotyledons; in genera with hard seed coats, the embryo is C-shaped; in genera with membranous or submembranous seed coats, the hypocotyl often is greatly swollen, and sometimes the whole embryo forms a spiral. Compare with eugenioid embryo and myrcioid embryo. Myrtoid embryo
Myxocarpy The production of mucilage by fruits or seeds which may aid in seed dispersal by facilitating the attachment of the diaspores to dispersal agents. Same as myxodiasporic.
Myxodiaspory (myxodiasporic) The production of mucilage by fruits or seeds which may aid in seed dispersal by facilitating the attachment of the diaspores to to dispersal agents. Same as myxodiasporic. Do not confuse with mucilage ducts in fruit walls which are thought to produce mucilage that protects the seeds from predation by insects and other animals.
Naked Referring to a situation in which a part that is usually present is absent, for example, the the translation of gymnosperm is "naked seed" because the ovules and subsequent seeds are not enclosed in an ovary. Naked
Napiform Turnip-shaped.
Narrowly elliptic Referring to a two-dimensional shape with the widest point at the middle and a length to width ratio 3:1 to less than 6:1. Narrowly elliptic
Narrowly oblanceolate Narrowly oblanceolate refers to a leaf, sepal, petal, or other flat structure that is wider above the midpoint and has a length-to-width ratio of greater than 6:1. Narrowly oblanceolate
Narrowly oblong Referring to a two dimensional shape in which the greatest width extends throughout a middle zone at least one-third the length of the blade (in this zone the margins are more-or-less parallel) and the length to width ratio is 3:1 to less than 6:1. Narrowly oblong
Narrowly obovate Narrowly obovate refers to a leaf, sepal, petal, or other flat structure that is wider above the midpoint and has a length-to-width ratio of 2:1 to less than 3:1. Narrowly obovate
Narrowly ovate Narrowly ovate refers to a leaf, sepal, petal, or other flat structure that is wider at the base than at the midpoint, tapers toward the apex, and has a length-to-width ratio of 2:1 to less than 3:1. Narrowly ovate
Nastic Referring to plant movement in response to a stimulus.
Naturalized Referring to an organism that is established and reproducing in areas outside of its native range, e.g., the African tulip tree (Spathodea campanulata) which is native to Africa but naturalized in the Caribbean and elsewhere. Naturalized
Navicular, naviculiform Boat-shaped.
Nectar A sugar solution of varied composition produced by nectaries within flowers to attract pollinators or by extrafloral nectaries to attract insects that protect the plant from predation. Nectar
Nectar chamber A chamber at the apex of the coils of zygomorphic-flowered species or at the base of the staminal tube of most Old World species and in some actinomorphic-flowered genera in the New World, e.g., for example of species of Grias. The nectar that accumulates in the nectar chambers serves as the reward that attracts pollinators to the flowers. Nectar chamber
Nectar guide Markings on a flower that apparently serve to guide pollinators to the nectar. Some are visible to humans, but others are apparent to humans only through ultraviolet photography. Same as honey guide, a term not recommended because bees, not plants, produce honey. Nectar guide
Nectar guide Markings on a flower that apparently serve to guide pollinators to the nectar source which is the reward they receive for visiting the flower. Some are visible to humans, but others are apparent to humans only through ultraviolet photography. Same as honey guide, a term not recommended because bees, not plants, produce honey. Nectar guide
Nectar ring In some Passifloraceae, a low narrow ring situated below the operculum.
Nectar spur A tubular-like projection from the sepals or petals that produce and retain nectar as a reward for pollinators; in many orchids nectar spurs are hollow, tubular projections formed at the base of the lip which contain nectar rewards for pollinators. Nectar spur
Nectariferous disc A more or less fleshy and elevated part of the receptacle, situated between the perianth and the stamens or between the stamens and the gynoecium, which functions in the production of nectar. Also referred to simply as a disc. Nectariferous disc
Nectario Tejido o estructura de las flores que produce néctar
Nectario extrafloral Estructura que secreta néctar, localizada en alguna otra parte de la planta que no son las flores; por ejemplo, las glándulas que están en los peciolos de muchas Mimosoideae
Nectary A tissue or structure of flowers that produces nectar. Nectary
Nectary (pl. = nectaries) A nectar-producing structure within the flowers of some genera of neotropical Lecythidaceae. Nectary (pl. = nectaries)
Nectary scale A appendage (bracteole-like) located between the flowers of some Capparidaceae upon which the nectary gland (= nectary) is located. Nectary scale
Neighborhood Score 0-5.2 scale of how continuity with surrounding habitat and degree of disturbance
Neotropics (adj.= neotropical) Referring to that part of the earth in the New World between the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees 27 minutes N and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23 degress 27 minutes S. These are the northern and southern latitudes at which the sun can be directly overhead at some time during the year. Same as New World tropics. Neotropics (adj.= neotropical)
Nervadura broquidódroma Se refiere al tipo de disposición de los nervios en una hoja en la que los nervios secundarios no terminan en el margen, sino que se unen para formar una serie de arcos promimentes a manera de un nervio submarginal. Por ejemplo, en muchas Myrtaceae. Comparar con nervadura eucamptódroma.