Displaying 41 - 70 out of 70 Object(s)
| Term | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Prop roots | Aerial, densely packed, adventitious roots that are circular in transverse section. Prop roots do not allow light to be seen through them whereas stilt roots do. |  |
| Prostrate | Creeping flat along the ground, usually referring to stems growing along the ground that produce roots at their nodes. Same as repent. |  |
| Pseudomonopodial | Referring to a plant having a primary stem with sympodial growth and secondary stems with monopodial growth. | |
| Repent | Creeping flat along the ground, usually referring to stems growing along the ground that produce roots at their nodes. Same as prostrate. |  |
| Rosette | An arrangement of leaves radiating from the base of the stem and usually placed close to the ground. |  |
| Rosulate | Referring to a cluster of leaves arranged in a rosette. | |
| Running buttress | A thick, rounded buttress that extends along the ground several meters or more from the trunk. Compare with flying buttress and plank buttress. |  |
| Sapling | A young tree. A tree ceases to be a sapling after it has flowered for the first time; however sometimes trees attain large sizes before they flower and a tree over several centimeters is usually not considered to be a sapling. | |
| Sarmentose | Referring to a plant that produces long, slender runners. | |
| Scandent | Climbing. | |
| Scape (scapose) | A leafless, often bracteate peduncle that arises from near the base of the plant; e.g., in Xyris (Xyridaceae) and many terrestrial Orchidaceae. |  |
| Shingle leaves | Broadly overlapping, simple, juvenile leaves that are markedly different from adult leaves of the same species; e.g., in certain species of Araceae and Marcgravia spp. (Marcgraviaceae). |  |
| Short shoot | A condensed branchlet bearing leaves at the apex. The shoots are usually covered aggregated scars. |  |
| Shrub | A woody plant that is branched at the base or unbranched but less than 2 meters tall. The difference between unbranched shrubs and treelets is sometimes unclear. Compare with treelet and tree. |  |
| Stilt roots | Aerial, woody, adventitious roots that are circular in transverse section. Stilt roots are not densely aggregated so light can be seen between the individual stilt roots; e.g., in |
 |
| Strangler | A plant that grows upon another plant in such a way that its roots surround the host and eventually cause it to die; e.g., in some species of Ficus (Moraceae). A strangler can become a free-standing tree after the host plant dies. |  |
| Subshrub | A plant that is intermediate between a herb and a shrub and slightly woody only at the base; a perennial plant woody only at the base. Same as suffrutex. | |
| Succulent | Fleshy and juicy, many species of Cactaceae and some species of Euphorbiaceae are succulent. |  |
| Suffrutescent | Adjectival form of suffrutex. | |
| Suffrutex (plural = suffrutices) | A plant that is intermediate between a herb and a shrub and slightly woody only at the base; a perennial plant woody only at the base. Same as subshrub. | |
| Sympodial growth | Referring to a branching pattern in which the terminal bud ceases to grow and growth is continued from a lateral bud; e.g., in most arborescent Combretaceae and some orchids. Sympodial growth often gives a zig-zag appearence to the stem or branches. |  |
| Tendril | Coiled or spring-like extensions of a stem, stipules, leaves, part of a leaf, inflorescence that assist in climbing into shrubs and trees. Common iin Bignoniaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Passifloraceae, Sapindaceae, Vitaceae, and other plant families. |  |
| Tendrillate | Bearing tendrils or tendril-like structures. | |
| Thallus (adj. = thalloid) | A generalized term used to describe the prostrate axis of a plant that is not differentiated into stem, leaf, and root. |  |
| Tree | An erect, usually single-stemmed, woody plant 5 centimeters or more dbh (diameter at breast height); some trees may have multiple trunks but at least some of the trunks are 5 centimeters or more in diameter. Compare with treelet. | |
| Treelet | An erect, single-stemmed, woody plant less than 5 centimeters dbh and more than 2 meters tall; differences between treelets and unbranched shrubs or trees are sometimes unclear. Compare with shrub and tree. | |
| Trunk | The main stem of a tree, including buttresses, prop roots, etc. Compare with bole. |  |
| Tussock | A dense clump or tuft of herbaceous stems formed by some species of grasses (Poaceae) and sedges (Cyperaceae). |  |
| Twig | A small branch of a tree to which the leaves are attached, i.e., the ultimate, leaf-bearing branch. |  |
| Vine | A nonwoody, climbing plant; some authors do not distinguish between liana and vine. Compare with liana. |