Word of the Week

Petrichor: A pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.* The rain smell we enjoy is actually the smell of certain plant oils present …

Stigma: The portion of the pistil (female reproductive part of a flower) which is receptive to pollen.* Looking at the bloom on the right side of the image, the stigma …

Salverform: (Of flower shape) a narrow tube with petals bent abruptly outward at right angles. This blue star creeper, Isotoma axillaris, growing in a container, has salverform blooms. Some other …

Aestivation: The arrangement of sepals and petals in a flower bud before opening.* There are several different types of aestivation patterns. This Hibiscus bloom reveals a typical ‘twisted’ aestivation pattern …

Lanate: Clothed with woolly and intergrown hairs.* From Latin lana = wool. Check out the young Salvia argentea plants growing in the garden! *Jackson, B. Daydon. (1928). A glossary of …

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 terminology: An illustrated glossary (2nd …

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 matronalis) are characteristically arranged in …

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. The genus name, Aquilegia, comes …

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 flowers from the old wood …

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 leaves (Fagus spp.) for example, …