Glossary of Botanical Terms

Botanical science is a comprehensive field that studies the many different aspects of plant life. Key aspects of botanical science include taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, ecology, genetics, biochemistry, paleobotany, economic botany, ethnobotany, and pathology. Botanical science is essential for advancing our knowledge of the natural world and addressing global challenges, including environmental conservation, agriculture, climate change, and the development of medicines. When studying botanical science, it is important to have a foundational knowledge of key terms that are commonplace in the field.

Adaptation: A trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment. Adaptations can be structural, physiological, or behavioral.

Annual: A plant that completes its life cycle in one growing season, from germination to seed production. Annual plants do not come back every year; new seeds must be planted.

Biennial: A plant that requires two growing seasons to complete its life cycle, typically producing leaves the first year and flowers and seeds the second year

Blade: The broad, flat part of a leaf

Bulb: A short stem that includes fleshy leaves or leaf bases that store food during dormancy

Cambium: A layer of tissue capable of producing new plant cells and contributing to secondary growth

Chlorophyll: The green pigment in plants that is capable of absorbing light energy that is needed for photosynthesis

Compound Leaf: A leaf comprised of multiple leaflets joined to a single stem

Corm: A short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ

Deciduous: Plants that shed their leaves annually, typically in the fall

Dormancy: A time period during which plant growth, development, and activity slows or stops, allowing the plant to endure adverse environmental conditions

Ecology: The study of how organisms, including plants, interact with each other and the surrounding environment

Evergreen: Plants that retain their leaves all throughout the year. They are always green. Pine trees are an example of evergreen trees.

Fertilization: A process essential for the reproduction of plants, fertilization is the joining of the male and female gametes, or sex cells, to produce a zygote that eventually becomes a new plant.

Fruit: The mature ovary of a flower that contains seeds

Germination: The process by which seeds develop into new plants. The process begins with imbibition, after which the enzymes in the seed are activated and nutrients are absorbed. The seed then absorbs oxygen, which is critical to efficient energy production. Then come the first visible signs of germination: The embryonic root emerges. That root anchors the seedling and continues to absorb water and nutrients. As the process progresses, the plumule surfaces, and true leaves grow to carry out the process of photosynthesis.

Hydroponic: A soilless method of growing plants that uses nutrient-rich water-based solutions to provide essential nutrients directly to the roots. Hydroponics offers several advantages, including faster growth, higher yields, and greater water efficiency. It is a popular growing method choice for commercial agriculture, urban farming, and home gardening.

Imbibition: The first step in the germination process, by which dry seeds absorb water. This water absorption is necessary for the seed to transition from a dormant state to a stage of active growth.

Internode: The segment of a plant stem between two nodes

Meristem: Found at the growing tips of roots and shoots, this is plant tissue responsible for primary growth.

Node: The part of a plant stem where leaves or branches are attached. Plant nodes can be propagated hydroponically to establish new roots.

Perennial: A plant that lives for more than two years, often growing and blooming over the spring and summer, dying back every autumn and winter, and then returning in the spring

Petals: The parts of a flower that are often conspicuously colored. Their primary function is to attract pollinators to the flower. Petals also protect the plant's reproductive organs, including the stamens and pistils.

Petiole: The stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem

Phloem: The vascular tissue in plants that moves sugars and other metabolic products downward from the leaves

Photosynthesis: The process by which green plants use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water

Pistil: The female reproductive part of a flower, consisting of the ovary, style, and stigma

Plumule: Part of a seed embryo that includes embryonic leaves and the shoot apex and develops into the plant's shoot system. It eventually develops into the above-ground plant parts, including the leaves and stem.

Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the male anther to the female stigma

Propagate: To create a new plant from seed or vegetative parts. Propagation can be sexual or asexual and is fundamental for plant reproduction, cultivation, and conservation. Various propagation methods are used in agriculture, horticulture, and conservation to produce healthy, desirable, and genetically diverse plants.

Rhizome: A horizontal underground stem that produces new plants at its nodes

Seed: A plant's reproductive unit, capable of developing into another such plant

Sepal: The outer parts of the flower, often green, that enclose and protect a developing bud

Simple Leaf: A leaf that is not divided into parts

Stamen: The male reproductive part of a flower, consisting of an anther and a filament

Stolon: A horizontal above-ground stem that takes root at various intervals to form new plants

Tuber: A thickened, underground part of a stem or rhizome that stores nutrients and can produce new plants

Xylem: The vascular tissue in plants that conducts water and dissolved nutrients upward from the roots

Additional Resources

• Plant Parts
• Plant Life Cycles
• Germinating Seeds
• A Quick Guide to Fertilizing Plants
• Hydroponics: A Guide to Growing Food Without Soil
• Photosynthesis
• Pollination
• Plants Adapt to Climate Change, but There's a Catch
• Classification and Naming of Plants
• Flower Delivery
• Plants: A Basic Resource