Word of the Week: Fascicle
Fascicle: Bundle or tuft, usually bound at the base by a tight clustering of thin scales; needles of pines, uniquely among conifers, are arranged in fascicles. * This Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine) …
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Word of the Week: Dehiscent
Dehiscent: (De-his-cent) Bursting or splitting open at maturity. Usually used of a fruit that bursts open to release its seeds (e.g. pea pod).* The pods of dog-strangling vine are dehiscent fruits, …
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Word of the Week: Follicle
Follicle: A dry, dehiscent fruit composed of a single carpel and opening along a single side, as a milkweed pod.* *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification terminology: An illustrated …
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Word of the Week: Abscission
Abscission: (ab-ˈsi-zhən) The controlled separation of leaves, flowers, and fruit from plants.* In autumn, leaves detach at the abscission zone, a layer of cells at the base of a leaf …
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Word of the Week: Torose
Torose: Cylindrical with alternate swellings and contractions.* The Japanese pagoda trees (Sophora japonica) in the garden are covered with their characteristic torose pods. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification …
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Word of the Week: Anthocyanic
Anthocyanic: Containing anthocyanin pigments.* Anthocyanins give plants their purple, blue, and scarlet colours. They are responsible for the vibrant reds and purples we see in some autumn leaves. Plants such …
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