Glossary of Horticulture Terms
A, B, C, D, E-G, H-L, M-O, P, Q-R, S, T, U-Z
|
| Samara |
A dry indehiscent fruit bearing a wing (Maple,
Ash). |
| Scabrous |
Rough or gritty to the touch; rough-pubescent. |
| Scale |
A small and usually dry bract or vestigial
leaf or a structure resembling such. |
| Scandent |
Climbing, usually without tendrils. |
| Scape |
A leafless peduncle arising from the basal
rosette of a few or not basal leaves; sometimes a few
scale-like leaves or bracts may be borne on it; a scape
may be one or many-flowered. |
| Schizocarp |
A dry dehiscent fruit that splits into two
halves. |
| Scrambler |
A plant that climbs without twining or grasping
in some way. |
| Scurfy |
Describes a surface covered with bran-like
particles. |
| Secund |
One sided. |
| Seed |
A fertilized ripened ovule that contains
an embryo. |
| Sepal |
Modified leaves forming the outer floral
envelope. |
| Serrate |
Saw-toothed, the teeth pointing forward. |
| Serrulate |
Minutely serrate. |
| Sessile |
Without a stalk. |
| Setaceous |
Bristle-like, very narrow. |
| Sheath |
Any elongated, more or less tubular sructure
enveloping an organ or plant part. |
| Shrubby |
Applied to woody plants which at maturity
are less than 20 ft. high, have more than one stem, and
no definite crown shape (a purely arbitrary definition);
See also "Arborescent". |
| Simple |
Said of a leaf when not compound, or of
an inflorescence when unbranched. |
| Sinuate |
With a strongly wavy margin. |
| Sinus |
The space between two lobes, segments, or
divisions; as of leaves or flower parts. |
| Solitary |
Single, one. |
| Spatulate |
Spoon shaped. |
| Species |
A natural group of plants composed of similar
individuals which can produce similar offspring; usually
including several minor variations. |
| Spicate |
With spikes. |
| Spike |
A usually unbranched, elongated, simple,
indeterminate inflorescence whose flowers are sessile. |
| Spines |
Sharp outgrowths of the twig, sometimes
but not always paired at the nodes. Similar to "Prickle". |
| Spinose |
Beset with spines. |
| Spongy |
Irregularly interrupted by small, sometimes
scarcely distinguishable cavities; porous. |
| Spore |
A minute reproductive body comprised of
a single gametophytic (sexual) cell. |
| Sporocarp |
A body containing sporangia or spores. |
| Sporophyll |
A spore bearing leaf. |
| Spreading |
Growing outward or horizontally. |
| Spur shoots |
Short stubby branches with greatly crowded
leaf scars and very slow growth, often bearing flower
buds. Also called spurs. |
| Stalk |
A supporting structure of a leaf, flower
or fruit. |
| Stalked |
Said of buds with scales elongated perceptibly
below the lowest scales (alder). |
| Stamen |
The male part of a flower composed of the
anther and filament; the pollen bearing organ of a seed
plant. |
| Staminate |
An imperfect flower with stamens or pollen
producing structures, but with no pistil, or seed producing
structure. |
| Standard |
1. A small tree commonly produced by grafting
a weeping or dwarf form on a trunk of the desired height.
2. The erect petals of an iris flower, as opposed to the
broader and often drooping falls petals. 3. The upper,
more or less erect petals of a pea-like flower which consists
of three types of petals: standard, wings and keel. |
| Stellate |
Star-like; with several arms radiating from
a center. Often said of hairs that are once or twice forked. |
| Stem |
The trunk and its branches; one of the three
fundamental parts of a higher plants- root, stem and leaf. |
| Sterile |
Barren, not able to produce seed. |
| Stigma |
Usually the distal end of a pistil that
receives the pollen. |
| Stipel |
A stipule of a leaflet. |
| Stipellate |
Having stipules at the base of the leaflets. |
| Stipular |
Having stipules at the base of the leaves. |
| Stipules |
Small leaf-like organs occurring in pairs
on either side of the leaves; occasionally each one extends
half way around the twig, respectively. |
| Stipule scars |
A pair of marks left after the stipules
fall off, to either side of the leaf scar. |
| Stolon |
A horizontal stem that roots at its tip
and there gives rise to a new plant. |
| Stoloniferous |
Producing stolons. |
| Stomata |
A minute pore in the epidermis, especially
in the lower surface on the leaf. The "breathing pores"
of a leaf. |
| Stratified |
Arranged in horizontal layers. |
| Striate |
With fine longitudinal lines, channels or
ridges. |
| Style |
The more or less elongated part of a pistil
between the stigma and the ovary. |
| Sub- |
A prefix often used to mean nearly, as in
subacute, subsessile, etc. |
| Subcontinuous pith |
With occasional but not regular gaps in
the pith. |
| Submerged bud |
A bud hidden by the petiole or embedded
in the callus of the leaf scar. |
| Subopposite |
Said of paired leaf scars that are close,
but not at exactly the same height on the twig (staggered). |
| Subtending |
Standing below. |
| Succulent |
Thickened, juicy, fleshy tissues that are
more or less soft in texture. |
| Sucker |
A shoot arising from the roots or from beneath
the surface of the ground; also the adhering discs of
a vine. |
| Suffrutescent |
A plant with stems that are woody at the
base, usually dying back to the woody stems or even back
to the ground after severe winters. Half- or sub-shrub. |
| Superficial |
On the surface, not connected to inner tissues. |
| Superposed |
Said of extra buds that appear above the
true axillary buds; usually flower buds. |
| Supine |
Lying flat, face upwards. |
| Suture |
A line of dehiscence or groove marking a
face of union. |
| Syncarp |
A fleshy aggregate fruit. |
