Botany Vocab & Terms

Question 1

What does ‘Aromatic’ refer to in plant leaves?

Answer 1

Leaf contains oils that make it smell, not necessarily pleasant

Aromatic leaves can be used for flavoring or in perfumes.

Question 2

Define ‘Concolorous’.

Answer 2

Same colour both sides, indicates the leaf is isobilateral

This characteristic can affect light absorption.

Question 3

What does ‘Coriaceous’ describe?

Answer 3

Having a tough, leathery texture

Coriaceous leaves are often more resistant to environmental stress.

Question 4

What are ‘Domatia’?

Answer 4

Small structures on the lower surface of a leaf in some woody dicotyledons

Located in the axils of the primary veins, they can house beneficial organisms.

Question 5

What does ‘Discolorous’ mean?

Answer 5

One side of the leaf is a different colour to the other side, indicates leaf is dorsiventral

This can be important for photosynthesis and plant orientation.

Question 6

Define ‘Glabrous’.

Answer 6

Smooth, without hairs

Glabrous leaves can reduce water loss.

Question 7

What does ‘Glaucous’ refer to?

Answer 7

Blue green to grey green

This coloration can help in water retention.

Question 8

What does ‘Hirsute’ mean?

Answer 8

Covered by coarse and stiff hairs

Hirsute leaves can deter herbivores.

Question 9

Define ‘Hispid’.

Answer 9

Covered with stiff bristle-like hairs

Hispid surfaces can provide protection against pests.

Question 10

What does ‘Lustrous’ describe in leaves?

Answer 10

Glossy, gleaming bright

Lustrous leaves can reflect light, influencing photosynthesis.

Question 11

What does ‘Pubescent’ mean?

Answer 11

Downy, having short, soft hairs

Pubescent leaves might help in moisture retention.

Question 12

What does ‘Rufous’ describe?

Answer 12

Of brownish-red colour, applied mainly to hairs and bristles

Rufous coloration can be a form of camouflage.

Question 13

Define ‘Rugose’.

Answer 13

Having a wrinkled surface

Rugose leaves may enhance water retention.

Question 14

What does ‘Scabrous’ refer to?

Answer 14

A surface roughened by minute protuberances

Scabrous leaves can deter herbivores.

Question 15

What does ‘Sclerophyllous’ mean?

Answer 15

Hard leaves, usually with an abundance of sclerenchyma

E.g., Eucalyptus spp. are known for their sclerophyllous leaves.

Question 16

What does ‘Scurfy’ describe?

Answer 16

Covered with small, dry scales

Scurfy leaves can reduce water loss.

Question 17

Define ‘Strigose’.

Answer 17

With short stiff hairs lying closely and in one direction

Strigose leaves may have adaptations for wind resistance.

Question 18

What does ‘Tomentose’ mean?

Answer 18

Short dense hairs usually matted together to form a felt-like surface

Tomentose surfaces can help trap moisture.

Question 19

What does ‘Variegated’ refer to in leaves?

Answer 19

Leaves with more than one colour present

Variegation can affect photosynthesis and aesthetic appeal.

Question 20

Define ‘Villous’.

Answer 20

Having long, soft hairs

Villous leaves can enhance moisture retention.

Question 21

What are bracts?

Answer 21

Modified leaves associated with flowers, often colorful to attract pollinators.

Example: The red parts of poinsettias.

Question 22

What are bud scales?

Answer 22

Modified leaves that protect dormant buds during winter, typically thick and tough.

Question 23

What are cotyledons?

Answer 23

Seed leaves that provide nutrients to the embryo during germination.

Question 24

What are floral leaves?

Answer 24

Modified leaves that form part of the flower structure.

Question 25

What are insectivorous leaves?

Answer 25

Specialized leaves adapted to trap and digest insects. ## Footnote Example: Venus flytraps.

Question 26

What is a phyllode?

Answer 26

A flattened leaf-like petiole that functions as a leaf. ## Footnote Common in Australian Acacia species.

Question 27

What are scale leaves?

Answer 27

Small, reduced leaves that protect buds or reduce water loss.

Question 28

What is a spathe?

Answer 28

Large, often colorful bract that surrounds a spadix inflorescence. ## Footnote Example: Peace lilies.

Question 29

What is a spine?

Answer 29

Modified leaf reduced to a sharp rigid point for protection and to reduce water loss.

Question 30

What is a stipular spine?

Answer 30

Modified stipules (leaf base structures) that develop into spines for protection.

Question 31

What are succulent or storage leaves?

Answer 31

Thick, fleshy leaves that store water. ## Footnote Example: Aloe vera.

Question 32

What is a tendril?

Answer 32

Slender, coiling leaf modification that helps climbing plants attach to supports.

Question 33

What is a bulb?

Answer 33

Underground storage stem with fleshy leaf bases. ## Footnote Example: Onions.

Question 34

What is cauliflory?

Answer 34

Condition where flowers grow directly from the trunk or branches.

Question 35

What is a cladode?

Answer 35

Flattened, photosynthetic stem that functions like a leaf.

Question 36

What is a corm?

Answer 36

Solid, underground storage stem. ## Footnote Example: Gladiolus.

Question 37

What are epicormic buds?

Answer 37

Dormant buds beneath bark that sprout after damage or stress.

Question 38

What are hooks?

Answer 38

Modified stems with curved tips for climbing or attaching to supports.

Question 39

What is a lignotuber?

Answer 39

Woody swelling at stem base containing buds that regrow after fire or damage.

Question 40

What are prickles?

Answer 40

Sharp outgrowths from the epidermis (surface layer) of stems.

Question 41

What is a rhizome?

Answer 41

Horizontal underground stem that produces roots and shoots along its length.

Question 42

What are stems with air sacs?

Answer 42

Stems containing air spaces to aid buoyancy in aquatic plants.

Question 43

What is a stolon?

Answer 43

Horizontal stem that grows above ground and roots at nodes (runners).

Question 44

What are succulent stems?

Answer 44

Water-storing stems found in drought-adapted plants. ## Footnote Example: Cacti.

Question 45

What is a thorn?

Answer 45

Sharp, rigid modified stem that protects the plant.

Question 46

What is a tuber?

Answer 46

Swollen underground stem used for storage. ## Footnote Example: Potato.

Question 47

What is a twiner?

Answer 47

Stems that spiral around supports to climb upward.

Question 48

What is a buttress?

Answer 48

Wide, flattened roots extending from tree trunks for support.

Question 49

What are climbing roots?

Answer 49

Roots that attach to surfaces, enabling plants to climb.

Question 50

What are contractile roots?

Answer 50

Roots that can contract to pull bulbs deeper into soil.

Question 51

What are epiphytic roots?

Answer 51

Aerial roots of plants that grow on other plants without parasitizing them.

Question 52

What are parasitic roots?

Answer 52

Roots that penetrate host plants to extract nutrients and water.

Question 53

What is a pneumatophore?

Answer 53

Aerial roots that grow upward from waterlogged soil for gas exchange.

Question 54

What are prop roots?

Answer 54

Adventitious roots growing from stems or branches to support the plant.

Question 55

What are proteoid roots?

Answer 55

Dense clusters of rootlets that enhance nutrient uptake in poor soils.

Question 56

What are roots without root hairs?

Answer 56

Modified roots adapted to specific environmental conditions.

Question 57

What are stilt roots?

Answer 57

Adventitious roots growing from lower stem nodes for additional support.

Question 58

What is a tuber in roots?

Answer 58

Swollen storage roots. ## Footnote Example: Sweet potato.