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edu
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Botany Language Basics for Identification of Flowering Plants
To understand the form, function, habitat and essential needs of plants use all your senses
(vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) to observe plants. A collective understanding of
fundamental botanical terms helps us share and discuss our discoveries with each other.
Duration of vegetative parts
Annual: completes life cycle in one year
Biennial: completes life cycle in two years
Perennial: life cycle extends three or more years
Deciduous: plants that shed their leaves at the end of the season and become dormant
Evergreen: plants that are never without leaves attached (broadleaf evergreens
include all evergreens except conifers which have needle or scale-like leaves)
Plant appearance or habit
Herbs (Herbaceous plant): plants with non-woody stems
Shrub: woody perennial with more than one main stem
Tree: woody perennial with a single main stem
Vine: herbaceous plants with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stems
Liana: a woody vine
Leaf features
Blade: Flattened part of the leaf
Petiole: stalk supporting the blade
Leaf scar: a heart-shaped scar remains on the stem
where the petiole was attached
Bud: forms above leaf scar and contain the
beginnings of future growth; size, color, shape
and marking of the scales on buds offer ID characteristics
Leaf arrangements on plant stem
Node: area on stem from which one or more leaves develop
Alternate leaves Opposite leaves Whorled leaves Rosette leaves
1 per node 2 per node More than 2 per node Radiating cluster at base
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Simple Compound
Simple leaf is Pinnate compound leaf is Palmate compound leaf is
undivided though can feather-like with leaflets attached hand-like with three or more
be deeply lobed both sides of central axis leaflets radiating from one point
Look for a leaf scar and bud in area where the petiole was attached. No leaf scar or bud?
Leaflet: resembles a leaf but is attaches to the axis of a compound leaf not the stem
Leaf modifications
Bract: modified leaf often associated with a flower or inflorescence
Sheath: basal portion of leaf that surrounds the stem
Spine: sharp pointed leaf or portion of a leaf
Tendril: twining leaf or portion of a leaf
Leaf blade surface
Glabrous: without hairs
Glaucous: waxy coating
Pubescent:
hairy surface--there are many kinds of hairiness
Leaf blade venation
Net (Reticulate) Palmate veins Parallel veins extend Pinnate veins form a
veins form a complex radiate from a central in same direction major mid-vein with
network point at base beside each other branching side veins
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[email protected]Leaf blade margin
Ciliate Crenate Entire Lobate Undulate
Fine hairs Rounded teeth Smooth Indented/lobed Widely wavy
Dentate Denticulate Serrate Serrulate Sinuate
Symmetrical Fine teeth Coarse teeth Fine teeth Wave-like
angular teeth angular teeth curved forward curved forward indentations
Leaf blade shape
Cuneate Elliptical Lanceolate Oblanceolate Spatulate Rhomboid
Wedge Oval-shaped Pointed at Widest section Spoon Diamond
shaped with small or both ends; towards tip shaped shaped
no tapering base widest
Linear Oblong Obovate Ovate Obcordate Reniform
Thin; sides Wider; Egg shape; Egg shape; Heart Kidney
parallel parallel sides widest at tip widest at base shaped shaped
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[email protected]Leaf blade bases and tips (apex)
Acute Auriculate Cordate Hastate Sagittate Oblique Truncate
Less than Lobes of a Heart Triangular Arrowhead Asymmetrical Squared
90o angle human ear shaped lobes shaped off
Obtuse Acuminate Cuspidate Emarginate Mucronate
Greater than Curving inward; Long, thin, Notched Short abrupt
90o angle fine point sharp tip towards base point
Grass plant structures
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[email protected]Inflorescence type
Umbel flowers originating Corymb flowers along a central Cyme produce a flat-topped
from a common point with axis with floral stalks of unequal with oldest flowers at the end
floral stalks of equal length, all ending at the same of main axis
length height
Spike has flowers without Raceme has flowers with short Panicle is a branched or
stalks along a central axis floral stalks along a central axis compound raceme
Head produce a short Solitary is a single flower on a Catkin is a spike-like; often
dense arrangement ray flowering stalk attached to stem pendent and falling as a unit
and disk flowers
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Pistil consists of the ovary at the base
that contains the embryo seeds
or ovules. At the top is stigma that
Stamen is pollen
receives the pollen. Often the stigma is
producing part of a
on a stalk-like structure called the style.
flower, usually with a
A flower may have one or more pistils.
slender filament
supporting the anther.
Perfect flower: with "male" stamens and
"female" pistil Sepals are the outer parts of the
Imperfect flower: (unisexual) contain a flower (often green and leaf-like)
pistil or stamens, but not both that enclose a developing bud.
Monoecious species: with male on female Petals are parts of a flower that
flowers on same plant are often conspicuously colored.
Dioecious species: with male and female
flowers on separate male and female plants
Regular flower (actinomorphic): radially symmetrical; star-shaped
Irregular flower (zygomorphic): one dividing plane into two mirror-image halves
Complete flower: with all 4 main parts (sepal, petal, stamen and pistil)
Incomplete flower: lacking one or more of 4 main parts (sepal, petal, stamen, pistil)
Learn more: gardening.cornell.edu/polycultures
Published: March 2014 by Cornell Garden-Based Learning Program
Author: Lori J. Brewer, Department of Horticulture, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853
Line Drawing Illustrator: Rose Grosskopf
Building Strong and Vibrant New York Communities
Cornell Cooperative Extension provides equal program and employment opportunities.
