Glossary

• Alternate
  Occurring singly at each node; (compare opposite)


• Annual
  A plant that germinates, flowers, sets seeds, and dies within one year
• Axil
  The upper angle between a leaf or branch and the stem from which it arises
• Bract
  A leaflike structure at the base of a flower
• Bunch grass
  Any of various grasses that grow in clumps
• Catkin
  A scaly, nodding spike consisting of flowers of a single sex
• Collar
  The area on the outside of a grass leaf where the blade joins the sheath
• Compound leaf
  A leaf blade that is separated into two or more distinct leaflets


• Dioecious
  Bearing male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on separate plants
• Drupe
  A fleshy fruit containing a single, stony seed (pit)
• Ecotype
  Individuals that are adapted to a specific environment
• Forb
  Herbaceous plant other than a grass or sedge
• Glade
  Rocky, open barrens within a woodland landscape characterized by the absence of trees, shallow soils and exposed bedrock; often dominated by drought-adapted forbs and warm-season grasses
• Inflorescence
  The flowering part of a plant


• Lanceolate
  Lance-shaped; much longer than wide and narrower at the tip than at the base


• Legume
  A plant belonging to the bean family (Fabaceae). Typically produces seeds in pods. Legumes capture and store nitrogen in their roots through a mutually beneficial relationship with certain bacteria.
• Lenticel
  A slightly raised, somewhat corky, lens-shaped area on the surface of a stem
• Lignin
  A chemical polymer that functions as a natural binder and support for cellulose fibers. Lignin stiffens leaves, stalks and stems.
• Ligule
  A membranous appendage arising from the inner surface of the leaf junction with the leaf sheath
• Lodge
  To flatten under the pressure of snow cover or heavy rain
• Mesic
  In reference to habitats, moderately moist; in reference to plants, requiring moderate moisture
• Naturalized
  Introduced plants that have become established and are naturally reproducing
• Node
  The position on the stem where leaves or branches originate
• Opposite
  Occurring across from each other at the same node; (compare alternate)


• Palmate
  Lobes radiating out from the center like fingers from the palm of a hand
• Panicle
  Branched flowers that mature from the bottom up
• Perennial
  A plant that lives for three or more years
• Petiole
  A leaf stalk (see simple leaf)
• Pinnately compound
  A compound leaf with leaflets arranged on opposite sides of an elongated axis; (see compound leaf)
• Procumbent
  Trailing along the ground without becoming rooted
• Savanna
  Grasslands interspersed with open-grown, widely spaced trees
• Scalloped edges
  Curved projections forming an ornamental border
• Serrated
  Sawlike, toothed along the margin with the teeth pointing forward
• Simple leaf
  A leaf blade that is not separated into leaflets


• Stamen
  The male flower part that produces pollen
• Stipule
  One of a pair of leaflike appendages found at the base of the petiole in some leaves
• Style
  The narrow portion of the female reproductive portion of a flower
• Tendrils
  A slender, twining stem used to grasp support for climbing
• Venation
  The arrangement of veins in a leaf


• Whorled
  A leaf arrangement with three or more leaves arising from a single node