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Druse
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A mace-shaped mass of calcium carbonate that forms in some plant cells. |
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Drying frames
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Referring to wood or metal frames upon which a plant press is placed. The heat source can be propane gas, light bulbs, heating strips, or hot plates. The opening in the top of the frame should be covered by a wire mesh to make sure that nothing falls onto the heat source and catches fire. The size of the frame depends upon the number of specimens collected each day and the distance from the plant press to the heat source is determined by the intensity of the heat source. For more information about plant collecting see Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Filed to the Internet. This book can be purchased at: http://tecceditora.com/ or Amazon.com. |
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Duplicate collection
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Referring to a collection number that is represented by more than one specimen. For example, a collector working out of a host herbarium should collect at least three collections of plants they are not able to identify 1) the first stays at the host herbarium, 2) the second is sent to a specialist, and 3) the third is archived in the herbarium of the collector. Two duplicates can be made if the collector is able to identify the collection to species and more are usually made if the collection is of special interest. For more information about plant collecting see Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Filed to the Internet. This book can be purchased at: http://tecceditora.com/ or Amazon.com. |
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Dysozoochorous
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A type of secondary seed dispersal in which some of the diaspores are carried away and intentionally buried or stored (cached) by scatter-hording animals such as agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.) while the other diaspores are eaten and digested, e.g., the dispersal of Brazil nut seeds by agoutis. Same as scatter-hoarding. |
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E-
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A prefix meaning “without.” |
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Ecarinate
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Lacking a keel. See carinate. |
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Echinate
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Covered with prickles. |
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Ecology
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Dome-like granitic outcrops common on the Guayanan Shield of northeastern South america. Inselbergs are sparsely covered by vegetation which often occurs as clumps here-and-there and separated by bare rocks. Low gnarled trees of species of Clusia are often dominant in this vegetation type. Most inselbergs occur below 1000 meters altitude. |
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Ectoaperture
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The external part of the opening into a pollen grain. Compare with endoaperture. |
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Edaphic
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Of or relating to soil. |
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Effuse
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Widely spreading. |
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Egg
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The female reproductive part of a plant. In the flowering plants (angiosperms), the egg is located at the micropylar end of the megagameophyte flanked on each side by a synergid cell. After fertilization the ege develops into the embryo and the embryo develops into the adult plant. |
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Ektexine
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The outermost layer of the wall of a pollen grain. |
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Elaiophore
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An outgrowth of the flower that secretes oils collected by pollinators. |
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Elaiosome
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A fleshy, oily outgrowth of the seed coat that often attracts ants for dispersing the seeds. Compare with aril and sarcotesta. |
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Elaiosome
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A fleshy, oily outgrowth of the seed coat that is eaten by ants. In the process, the ants often disperse the seeds away from the mother plant. |
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Electronic key
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An electronic key takes advantage of a database to facilitate the identification of an unknown plant to family, genus, or species. Electronic keys generally consist of four boxes as follows: (1) characters and character states upper left hand box), (2) taxa included in the keys, e.g., all of the genera, species, and infraspecific taxa in a plant family or all of the taxa in a Flora (upper right hand box). As choices are made species that do not have given characters are eliminated and appear in the lower right hand box, 3) all of the characters and character states that have been used while progressing through the key (lower left hand box), and 4) all of the taxa that have been rejected as a possible determination (lower right hand box). The advantages of electronic keys are 1) the key can entered no matter what characters are present in the plant being identified, 2) links can be made to electronic glossarys so the meaning of the characters can be understood by consulting their definations and seeing illustrations of them, 3) links can be made to family, generic, and species pages to confirm or reject determinatiions, and 4) a determination is always reached which ideally is a single taxon but if more than one taxon, the possibilities can be accepted or rejected based on viewing the taxon pages. |
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Eleosoma
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Estructura carnosa, aceitosa que cubre a la semilla, a menudo atrae hormigas para dispersión de la semillas. Comparar con arilo y sarcotesta |
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Elíptica
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Se refiere a la forma de estructuras de dos dimensiones como láminas de hojas, brácteas, pétalos y sépalos, cuando la parte medial es más ancha que las partes apical y basal |
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Ellipsoid
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A solid (three-dimensional) structure or organ with an elliptical outline in longitudinal section. |
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Elliptic
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Referring to the outline of essentially two-dimensional structures, such as leaves, bracts, petals, and sepals, which are widest at or near the middle. Elliptic shapes are divided based on their length/width ratios. An elliptic shape has a length to width ration from 2:1 to less than 3:1. |
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Emarginate
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Markedly notched, such as the apex of a leaf or other structure. |
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Embryo
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The young sporophytic plant found inside of the seed. |
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Embryo
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A young seed plant found within the seed, a dicotyledon embryo consists of the hypocotyle, cotyledons (usually two), and the epicotyl. |
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Embryo air chamber
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Referring to an embryo with a chamber inside of the seed caused by bowed cotyledons. |
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