Alternate leaf– One leaf grows from each node of the stem.
Apex – The tip of a leaf (apices is the plural form).
Axil – The angle between a stem or twig and an attached leaf.
Base (basal) – The bottom of a tree or a leaf.
Berry – A fleshy fruit in which the seeds are embedded (example – the Stoppers)
Catkin – A spike of flowers that may be upright or hang from the twig (example – Oaks).
Compound leaf – A hardwood leaf with smaller leaflets that share a common axis from the rachis (pinnate) or that share a common point of origin (palmate).
Once-compound leaf – Single leaflets grow from the rachis.
Twice-compound leaf – Double leaflets grow from the rachis.
Crownshaft – A green cylinder of leaf bases at the top of the trunk in some palms (examples – Royal Palm; Manila Palm).
Cultivars – Different forms of the same species that have been developed by plant breeders, often focusing on the fruits (examples – Avocado, Mango, and many others).
Dioecious – Meaning two houses – when a species has male and female flowers held on separate trees (i.e., trees are either male or female; see Monoecious).
Drupe – A fruit with a fleshy outer portion and a hard inner portion that holds the seed(s) (example – Tallowwood).
Epiphyte – A plant that grows on the branches or bark of another plant but is not a parasite (example – Spanish Moss growing on Live Oak).
Elliptic – Describing a leaf that is widest in the middle and pointed at both ends, shaped like a football in outline.
Invasive species – A plant (or animal) species that is not native, but has become established in a particular habitat, and tends to out-compete native species, often to a great degree (Melaleuca, Australian Pine, and Brazilian Pepper are examples).
Fissured – A description of bark that is characterized by raised vertical ridges alternating with depressions.
Lanceolate – A leaf shaped like a lance, narrow, wider at the base and pointed toward the apex (see oblanceolate).
Leaflets – The several blades of a once-compound or twice-compound hardwood leaf.
Leaf scars – Marks on the twigs and branches of a hardwood where a leaf was formerly attached.
Lenticel – A pore for gas exchange; usually on narrow trunks and branches.
Midrib – The middle vein of a leaf.
Monoecious – Meaning one house – when a tree species has flowers with male and female parts on the same tree (see Dioecious).
Naturalized – Said of a cultivated or non-native plant that becomes established in the wild without human help.
Nut – A dry, single-seeded fruit, consisting of a kernel within a woody shell (example – Oaks).
Oblanceolate – A leaf shaped like a lance, but narrower toward the base and wider toward the apex (see lanceolate).
Oblong – A leaf longer than broad, with the two longer margins parallel – similar to a rectangle – but with a rounded base and apex.
Obovate – A leaf that has its widest portion towards the pointed apex (see ovate).
Opposite leaves – Two leaves grow from each node of the stem.
Oval – A leaf that is widest in the middle, with a rounded base and apex.
Ovate – A leaf that has its widest portion towards the base and has a pointed apex (see obovate).
Palmate leaf – A compound leaf in which the leaflets share a common central point of origin, as in fingers projecting from a palm.
Petal – Usually the leaf-like colored part of a flower; some flowers lack petals.
Petiole – The stem of a leaf that attaches it to the twig.
Pinnate leaf – A compound leaf in which the leaflets originate from a central axis (rachis), feather-like.
Pistil – The female part of a flower that produces the seeds.
Prickles – Short, sharp projections that grow from the epidermis of a plant.
Prop roots – Aerial roots that arch out from the main trunk and act to provide extra stability to the tree (example – Red Mangrove).
Prostrate – Lying flat on the ground – used to describe the trunk of a tree (examples include Saw Palmetto and Buttonwood).
Rachis – The central axis of a pinnate compound leaf.
Ring scars – Obvious marks on the trunk of a palm where a leaf was formerly attached.
Segment – Referring to the leaflets of a palm.
Sessile – Describes flowers and fruits attached directly to the branch, without a stalk.
Simple leaf – A leaf with a single blade.
Spines – Sharp projections in the leaf axils that are derived from stipules.
Spur twigs – Short twigs held at a 90-degree angle from a branch that often end in a point and typically have strongly clustered leaves (see Saffron Plum as an example).
Stamen – The male part of a flower that produces pollen.
Stipule – A tiny leaf located where the leaf petiole meets the stem.
Terminal – At the very end of a twig or branch.
Thorns – Sharp twigs, usually held at right angles to the stem.
Whorled leaves – More than two leaves grow from each node of the stem, typically three or four leaves at each node (see Buttonbush as an example).
