Botanical Nerd Word: Geminate
Geminate: In equal pairs like twins.* These berries of Lonicera tatarica (Tartarian honeysuckle) grow in pairs, slightly united at their base. L. tatarica is native to…
Author Archives: Weston Family Library
Botanical Nerd Word: Lanate
Lanate: Clothed with woolly and intergrown hairs.* From Latin lana = wool. Check out the young Salvia argentea plants growing in the garden! *Jackson, B….
Botanical Nerd Word: Sympetalous
Sympetalous: With the petals united, at least near the base.* Plants such as petunias (Petunia spp.), Calibrachoa, morning glories (Ipomoea spp.), flowering tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), and…
Botanical Nerd Word: Connate-perfoliate
Connate-perfoliate: With the bases of opposite leaves fused around the stem.* Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), and boneset, (Eupatorium perfoliatum), are both native plants in this…
Botanical Nerd Word: Capreolate
Capreolate: With tendrils.* Many vining plants have tendrils. These peas use their tendrils to grasp and coil around supports. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification…
Botanical Nerd Word: Cruciate
Cruciate (cruciform): Cross-shaped, used especially of the flowers of the Brassicaceae family.* The 4-petalled flowers of Brassicaceae (mustard family) plants, such as this dame’s rocket (Hesperis…
Botanical Nerd Word: Calcar
Calcar: A spur or spur-like appendage.* The petals of columbines (Aquilegia spp.), such as this A. canadensis, form spurs out the back of the blooms….
Botanical Nerd Word: Convolute
Convolute (from Latin convolutus): Rolled up, as leaves before unfurling.* Hosta leaves exhibit graceful spirals as they open in the spring thanks to their convolute…
Botanical Nerd Word: Cauliflorous
Cauliflorous: Developing flowers directly on a stem or trunk.* From Latin caulis = stem or stalk. Redbud trees, Cercis canadensis, are cauliflorous plants. They are able to produce…
Botanical Nerd Word: Vernation
Vernation: The pattern of folding and rolling of leaves in a bud.* Different plants use different folding patterns to pack their leaves into the bud. These beech…