nodulose |
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solid shape |
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Diminutively nodose; esp. roots of Fabaceae (Leguminosae), the nodules harboring nitrogen-fixing bacteria. |
pollinium pl. pollinia |
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STRUCTURE |
|
A mass of coherent pollen grains disseminated as a unit by adhering to a pollinating insect, representing the entire content of a single theca or of fused thecae; often distally attenuate to a sterile caudicle (translator arm), which may attach to a viscidium, either directly or through an intervening stipe; esp. in Asclepiadaceae, Orchidaceae. |
square |
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plane shape |
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Equilaterally rectangular. |
dehiscent |
|
dehiscence |
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Splitting or forming one or more apertures at maturity, the contents thereby released for dispersal. |
lineolate 1 |
|
coloration |
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Finely lineate, the lines short and often irregularly oriented. |
prismatic |
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solid shape |
|
Uniformly polygonal in transverse section, basally and apically truncate, all faces essentially plane. |
sterile |
|
reproduction |
plant, reproductive structure |
Not producing functional spores, gametes, pollen, ovules, seeds, or other propagules. |
barbellulate |
|
architecture |
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Bearing one or more barbellules (barbellulae). |
didynamous |
|
architecture |
flower, androecium |
Diadelphous with two stamens in each set. See also tetradynamous. |
biennial 2 |
|
nominative |
plant |
Of biennial duration. |
fluted |
|
solid shape |
|
Having rounded to angular longitudinal grooves. |
striped |
|
coloration |
|
Having one or more elongate, relatively narrow and, when multiple, more or less parallel, areas of contrasting hue and/or intensity. |
inferior 2 |
|
position |
ovary |
Wholly enclosed by a floral tube casing, the distal portions of the perianth and/or androecium thus arising from its apex. |
parietal |
|
placentation |
|
Upon the inner wall surface of a unilocular ovary, thus peripheral within the locule. |
alternate 2 |
|
arrangement |
structures in multiple whorls |
Having those of each whorl staggered radially in relation to those of the adjacent whorl(s). |
rachis 2 var. rhachis |
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STRUCTURE |
|
A main or first-order axis of an inflorescence. |
subtending |
|
insertion |
|
Arising from the axis just below and very near to the base of some other specified lateral structure. This term is meaningless if the structure that is subtended is not indicated. |
connivent |
|
arrangement |
|
Converging and distally contiguous; esp. arcuate stamens with anthers contiguous. |
intricate |
|
arrangement |
|
Entangled; irregularly intertwined and not readily disentangled. |
perennial 1 |
|
duration |
plant |
Normally living more than two years, with no definite limit to its life span. |
veinlet |
|
STRUCTURE |
|
A strand belonging to the ultimate (least in diameter) order of vasculature in a leaf or other basically laminar structure when that order consists of strands ending freely within areoles and/or connecting distally by pairs across areoles; absent in some taxa. See also costa (rib), lateral vein, midvein (midnerve, midrib), primary vein, secondary vein, tertiary vein, vein (nerve). |
embryotega pl. embryotegae, embryotegas |
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STRUCTURE |
|
A small, hardened, lid-like portion of the testa (seed coat) at the micropyle of some seeds, detaching at germination. |
suprabasal |
|
position |
|
Just above the base of the structure in point. |
cap cell |
|
STRUCTURE |
|
The single cell, or one of the several cells, forming the uppermost (distal) portion of an antheridial wall. |
knee root |
|
STRUCTURE |
|
A specialized secondary root of a wetland tree, a portion of which projects above mean water level and appears to bend as a leg does at the knee, its distalmost portion being anchored in the substrate beneath the water. The knee of the root is commonly regarded as a conduit for gas exchange between root interior and atmosphere, a function whose need is posited on the basis of the highly anaerobic and saturated conditions prevailing in wetland substrates. |