Word of the Week

Stipe: 1. In ferns, the stalk of the frond, equivalent to the petiole of seed plants; 2. In orchids, the stalk-like connection between the viscidium and the pollinia.* This potted, …

Schizocarp: A dry fruit which splits into separate one-seeded segments (carpels) at maturity.* The image shows the various stages of development of fennel from flowers through to seeds. What is …

Pericarp: The fruit wall, derived from the ovary wall and consisting of up to three layers: exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp.* Peaches are a type of fruit called a drupe. In …

Endocarp: The inner layer of the pericarp of a fruit.* For example, the hard, stony shell at the centre of a peach which contains the peach seed. *Harris, J.G., Harris, …

Mesocarp: The middle layer of the pericarp of a fruit.* The mesocarp is often the delicious fleshy part of the fruit, such as the edible portion of an avocado or …

Exocarp (syn. Epicarp): Outermost layer of the fruit wall (pericarp)* For example, the outer skin of a peach or plum. *Pell, S.K., Angell, B. (2016). A botanist’s vocabulary: 1300 terms …

Cone: A dense cluster of sporophylls on an axis; a strobilus.*   *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification terminology: An illustrated glossary (2nd ed.). Spring Lake: Spring Lake Publishing.

Complanate: Flattened* For example, the complanate fruit pods of eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification terminology: An illustrated glossary (2nd ed.). Spring Lake: Spring Lake …

Strobile: A cone or an inflorescence resembling a cone, as in hops.* Hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) gets its common name because it’s fruits look just like hops. They are both …

Hebecarpous: With pubescent fruit.* The red, fuzzy fruits of sumac are hebecarpous. Another common example are kiwis. *Harris, J.G., Harris, M.W. (2001). Plant identification terminology: An illustrated glossary (2nd ed.). …