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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 air to reach tissues below …

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 that persist well into the …

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, J.E. (2009). Conifers of the …

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 growth. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. …

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 bracts which surround their small …

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 Lake Publishing.

Glabrous: Smooth; lacking hairs.* The leaves of this holly (Ilex) are glossy because they are smooth and hairless. *Allaby, M. (2006). A dictionary of plant sciences (Revised ed.). Oxford: Oxford …

Vernalization: In some species, flowers are formed in spring as a result of the plant […] being given a cold treatment, close to or at freezing temperatures, for several weeks. The …