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A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
A
- Adventitious
plant
- plantlets
that develop asexually from a parent
plant: a rooted plantlet forming on a
part of the mother plant
- Alkaline
earths
- earth metals,
calcium, magnesium, barrium, strontium,
and their mineral salts
- Alternate
- single leaves
placed alternately on either side of the
stalk
- Amphibious
- able to exist
either on land or in the water
- Anaerobic
- occurring in
an environment that lacks oxygen
- Angiosperm
- a group of
plants whose seeds are borne within a
matured ovary
- Aquatic
- growing in
water
- Asexual
reproduction
- any form of
reproduction that does not require the
union of male and female reproductive
material
- Axil
- the junction
of the leaf or petiole and the stem
- Axillary
- arising from
the above junction
B
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beginning
- Biogenic
decalcification
- When there is
a carbon dioxide deficiencey in the
water, plants can derive CO2 from the
hardening constituents of the carbonate
hardness. First they split the hydrogen
carbonates into CO2 and carbonates. This
causes the pH to rise about one step and
the largely insoluable carbonates
precipitate and form rough deposits on
the leaves and substrate. Some plants
such as Vallisneria can even destroy the
carbonates and obtain CO2 from them.
This raises the pH again by another
step. Biogenic decalcification thus
causes the water to be 10 to 100 times
more alkaline than it was previous. In
the dark, the process reverses and the
pH drops considerably. Thus these
continous large pH swings can pose a
significant risk to the well being of
fish and animals. The solution is to add
enough CO2 to the water and have a
significant carbonate level to act as a
buffer.
- Bipinnate
- leaf formed
of several leaflets set on either side
of the petiole
- Bract
- specialized
scale-like leaf found at the base of a
flower
- Bullate
- blistered,
bubbled or puckered in appearance
- Bulb
- tightly
packed fleshy leaves used as a storage
organ. Onions and tulips both have bulbs
C
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beginning
- Cation
Exchange Capacity (CEC)
- Quantifies
the ability of media to provide a
nutrient reserve for plant uptake. It is
the sum of exchangeable cations, or
positively charged ions, media can
adsorb per unit weight or volume. It is
usually measured in milligram
equivalents per 100 g or 100 cm3
(meq/100 g or meq/100 cm3,
respectively). A high CEC value
characterizes media with a high
nutrient-holding capacity that can
retain nutrients for plant uptake
between applications of fertilizer.
Media characterized by a high CEC
retains nutrients from leaching. In
addition, a high CEC provides a buffer
from abrupt fluctuations in media
salinity and pH. Important cations in
the cation exchange complex in order of
adsorption strength include calcium
(Ca2+) > magnesium (Mg2+) >
potassium (K+) > ammonium (NH4+), and
sodium (Na+). Micronutrients which also
are adsorbed to media particles include
iron (Fe2+ and Fe3+), manganese (Mn2+),
zinc (Zn2+), and copper (Cu2+). The
cations bind loosely to negatively
charged sites on media particles until
they are released into the liquid phase
of the media. Once they are released
into the media solution, cations are
absorbed by plant roots or exchanged for
other cations held on the media
particles. Anion exchange capacity Some
media retains small quantities of
anions, negatively charged ions, in
addition to cations. However, anion
exchange capacities are usually
negligible, allowing anions such as
nitrate (NO3-), chloride (Cl-), sulphate
(SO4-), and phosphate (H2PO4-) to leach
from the media.
- Chelators
- synthetic
organic acids that bind with various
trace elements to keep them available in
a form that is usable by the plants
- Chlorophyll
- the pigment
that makes plants green. One of the
pigments necessary for photosynthesis
- Chlorosis
- loss of
chlorophyll, often a sign of
insufficient amounts of iron
- Compound leaf
- a leaf that
is divided into several distinct
leaflets
- Cordate
- heart shaped
- Cosmopolitan
- found
worldwide
- Crenate
- edged with
rounded teeth
- Crispate
- with wave
margins
- Cultivar
- a man-made
(cultivated) variety
- Cuticle
- the thin skin
of the plant. This is thicker and waxy
to maintain moisture in emersed growth
- Cutting
- a fragment of
plant material that is capable of
growing to become another complete,
individual plant
D
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beginning
- Decussate
- opposite
pairs of shoots set at right angles to
the pairs above and below
- Denticulate
- serrated,
edged with small teeth
- Distichous
- leaves
arranged in two rows on either side of
the stem
- Division
- a method of
propagation in which the rhizome or
vegetative cone is cut into pieces, each
of which is capable of becoming a
complete new plant
E
back to the
beginning
- Emersed
- grown so that
the roots and bottom portion of the
plant are underwater, rest of the plant
grows above the water
- Epiphytic
- a plant that
grows on another plant but is not
parasitic
- Endemic
- a species
found only in one specific location
- Eutrophic
- rich in
dissolved nutrients, often caused by
pollution
F
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beginning
- Filiform
- thread like
- Frond
- the
"leaf" of a fern
G
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beginning
H
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beginning
- Hastate
- with two
out-turned lobes at the base
- Herbivore
- plant eater
- Hybrid
- the offspring
of two parents of different species or
varieties
I
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beginning
- Inflorence
- flower
cluster
- Internode
- the area
between two nodes on a plant stem
J
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beginning
K
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beginning
L
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beginning
- Laminae
- broad part of
the leaf usually attached to the stalk
by the petiole. Also called the blade
- Lanceolate
- spear shaped
- Laterite
- an
iron-bearing red soil found in tropical
areas. Formed by centuries of heat and
rain.
- Leaflet
- one part of a
compound leaf
- Linear
- long, narrow,
grass-like or strap-like leaf
M
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beginning
- Macronutrients
- Nutrients
used by plants in relatively large
amounts. They are nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), calcium
(Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K).
- Micronutrients
- Nutrients
used by plants in small amounts. They
are iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper
(Cu), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), cobalt
(Co), and boron (B).
- Monoculture
- a large group
of a single species of plant
- Multipinnate
- leaf divided
into several sub-groups of leaflets
N
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beginning
- Neotropical
- from the
tropical areas of the new world (South
or Central America)
- Node
- the point on
a plant stem from which the leaves
and/or roots appear
O
back to the
beginning
- Offset
- young plant
growing along a stolon from the parent
plant
- Oligotrophic
- deficient in
nutrients needed for plant growth
- Ovate
- egg shaped
P
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beginning
- Paludal
- from a marshy
or swampy environment
- Pectinate
- comb like
- Pedicel
- the stem of
an individual flower
- Petiole
- the
"stalk" attaching the leaf to
the stem
- Photosynthesis
- the
conversion of light energy into chemical
energy:carbohydrates, (sugar and
starch), are produced from carbon
dioxide and water through the action of
light on the chlorophyll of green
plants. Oxgen is released in the process
- Pinnate
- divided
- Plumiform
- feather
shaped
- Polymorphous
- having
multiple shapes
Q
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beginning
R
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beginning
- Raceme
- a group of
flowers similar to a spike, but with
each individual flower on its own stem
- Reniform
- kidney shaped
- Rhizome
- creeping
stalk from which stalks and roots grow
- Rosette
- a plant that
rises from a distinct crown
S
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beginning
- Sessile
- a leaf that
is directly attached to the plant stem
with no petiole
- Shaft
- flower-bearing
stalk
- Spathe
- modified leaf
surrounding the flower
- Spike
- a group of
flowers arranged closely at the end of a
shaft, and attached directly to the
shaft
- Sporangium
- the
reproductive organ of primitive plants
like ferns and mosses
- Spore
- the
reproductive unit of primitive plants
- Stolon
- creeping
offshoot or "runner" from
which young plants arise
- Submersed
- growing
completly underwater
T
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beginning
- Terrestrial
- growing on
land
- Tuber
- a swelling of
root or underground stalk that functions
as a storage organ as in a potato
- Tissue
culture
- the
production of new plants from small
amounts of plant tissue under carefully
controlled laboratory conditions
U
back to the
beginning
V
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beginning
- Vegetative
cone
- growing tip
of the plant. On a stem plant, it is the
tip of the stem. On a rosette plant, it
arises from the very center of the
rosette
- Vegetative
reproduction
- reproduction
via means other than sexual. Unless a
mutation occurs, each generation of new
plants is identical to the parent plant
genetically
W
back to the
beginning
- Whorl
- a number of
leaves evenly spaced around the stem
X
back to the
beginning
Y
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beginning
Z
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beginning
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