Word of the Week

Raceme: An inflorescence with pedicellate flowers borne on an unbranched elongated central axis.* The racemes of this wisteria are pendulous, hanging down through their supports. Each flower is attached to …

Umbel: A mass of inflorescence borne upon pedicels of nearly equal length springing from a common centre.* The garden is full of alliums (flowering onions) this week. Their spherical umbels are …

Fornix (pl. fornices): One of a set of small crests or scales in the throat of a corolla, as in many of the Boraginaceae.* This Brunnera has pale yellow fornices …

Cotyledon: A seed leaf; a food storage structure in seeds.* Cotyledons provide nutrients to the developing plant as it grows its first true leaves. The cotyledons on these bean seedlings (the pair …

Anther: The terminal portion of a stamen of a flowering plant. The pollen sacs containing pollen are borne on the anther.* In this image, the tulip’s six anthers are purple. …

Nectary: A tissue or organ which produces nectar.* The nectaries of this Fritillaria imperialis can be seen at the inner base of the petals. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant …

Bryophyte: One of the Bryophyta, a group of plants comprising the liverworts and mosses.* Bryophytes don’t have vascular tissue to transport water around the plant. This is why they are usually …

Ruderal: Of a plant: growing on waste ground or among rubbish, esp. as a pioneer.* The grass on this construction site has been scraped away, leaving bare soil and debris. Unsurprisingly, …

Falls: The sepals of an iris.* The falls are the three downward hanging parts of the iris flower. These Iris reticulata ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ at TBG have bright yellow signals on their …

Catkin: A pendulous spike, usually of simple, unisexual flowers.* Pussy willows, a common name which can refer to several different plants, are one of the first signs of spring. They …