Botanical Nerd Word: Hydrophobic
Hydrophobic: Tending to repel, or not to absorb, water.* Impatiens capensis, commonly known as jewelweed or touch-me-not, has hydrophobic leaves. Water drops bead on the surface after…
Author Archives: Weston Family Library
Botanical Nerd Word: Secund
Secund: Arranged on one side of the axis only.* The individuals flowers of goldenrod grow along the top side of the stems. *Harris, J.G., Harris,…
Botanical Nerd Word: Trichome
Trichome: A hair or hair-like outgrowth of the epidermis.* The leaves of Tillandsias (air plants) are covered in trichomes. The tiny hairs absorb water directly into…
Botanical Nerd Word: Silique
Silique: A dry, dehiscent fruit of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) typically more than twice as long as wide, with two valves separating from the persistent placentae and…
Botanical Nerd Word: Involucre
Involucre: A whorl of bracts below an inflorescence.* The green cup at the base of thistle flowers is a classic involucre. *Allaby, M. (2006). A…
Botanical Nerd Word: Floret
Floret: One of the individual small flowers of a clustered inflorescence, e.g. sunflower.* Coneflowers, Echinacea purpurea, are in the Asteraceae (sunflower/daisy family). Like all members of…
Botanical Nerd Word: Petrichor
Petrichor: A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.* The rain smell we enjoy is actually the smell…
Botanical Nerd Word: Stigma
Stigma: The portion of the pistil (female reproductive part of a flower) which is receptive to pollen.* Looking at the bloom on the right side…
Botanical Nerd Word: Salverform
Salverform: (Of flower shape) a narrow tube with petals bent abruptly outward at right angles. This blue star creeper, Isotoma axillaris, growing in a container,…
Botanical Nerd Word: Aestivation
Aestivation: The arrangement of sepals and petals in a flower bud before opening.* There are several different types of aestivation patterns. This Hibiscus bloom reveals…