Word of the Week: Hilum
Hilum: The scar on a seed that marks the point at which it was attached to the plant.* Bean seeds have very obvious hilums. From left…
Author Archives: Weston Family Library
Word of the Week: Velamen
Velamen: The thick sponge-like covering of the roots of epiphytic orchids which helps prevent water loss and aids in absorption.* *Allikas, G. & Nash, N….
Word of the Week: Zygomorphic
Zygomorphic: Bilaterally symmetrical, so that a line drawn through the middle of the structure along only one plane will produce a mirror image on either…
Word of the Week: Lenticel
Lenticel: A pore in the stem of a woody plant, showing as a raised spot that may be filled with a powdery substance. The pore permits…
Word of the Week: Marcescent
Marcescent (mar-ses-ent): of parts of certain plants, remaining attached to the plant when withered.* Many oak (Quercus spp.) and beech (Fagus spp.) trees have marcescent leaves…
Word of the Week: Pectinate
Pectinate: Arranged like the teeth of a comb; usually two-sided with respect to leaves.* Fir trees (Abies sp.) often show pectinate arrangement of their needles. *Eckenwalder,…
Word of the Week: Equitant
Equitant: Of leaves, overlapping or straddling in two ranks, as the leaves of Iris.* This Phormium (New Zealand Flax plant) in the library shows equitant leaf…
Word of the Week: Bract
Bract: A leaflike organ subtending an inflorescence. Bracts are sometimes brightly coloured and petal-like, as in poinsettia (Eurphorbia pulcherrima)* Poinsettias are grown for their bright red…
Welcome to the Weston Family Library!
*COVID-19 CLOSURE* Our Weston Family Library will be CLOSED until April 6 at the earliest. If you have items checked out, please hang on to…
Word of the Week: Acerose
Acerose: Needle-shaped, as the leaves of pine or spruce.* *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification terminology: An illustrated glossary (2nd ed.). Spring Lake: Spring…