Plant Characteristics

A list of specialist words which might be used in field guides ... more.

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C

Caducous :	(Stipule) falling soon, early deciduous. Caducous stipules are typically visible only on the apical bud.
Parent Term:	Attachment
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Calyx :	Collective term for the sepals, particularly when they are united to form a tube.
Parent Term:	Perianth
Plural:	Calyces
Child Terms:	Sepal
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Campanulate :	Bell-shaped.
Parent Term:	Shape__3d
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Campylodromous :	With several primary veins or their branches diverging at or close to a single point and running in strongly developed, basally recurved arches which converge toward the apex, reaching it or not.
Parent Term:	Leaf_venation_(hickey)
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Canaliculate :	With a longitudinal groove or channel.
Parent Term:	Shape__3d
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Canescent :	Covered with dense, fine greyish-white hairs like frost
Parent Term:	Hairs
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Capitate :	Head-like; of an inflorescence with unstalked flowers aggregated into a dense cluster; of a stigma or a gland, globose like the hea
Parent Term:	Inflorescence_type
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Capitulum :	An inflorescence with a dense cluster of sessile flowers borne on a flattened or domed receptacle, e.g. Asteraceae.
Parent Term:	Inflorescence_type
Plural:	Capitula
Child Terms:	Floret
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Capsule :	Type of dehiscent fruit which splits open along several lines or pores to release seeds, derived from two or more united carpels.
Parent Term:	Dehiscent
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Carpel :	Female part, around centre of flowers, including stigma, style and ovary developing into a fruit. In some species, several separate
Parent Term:	Gynoecium
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Cartilaginous :	Hard and tough but flexible.
Parent Term:	Texture
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Catkin :	A spike of more or less reduced flowers (often unisexual and without perianth); in the strict sense hanging and flexible.
Parent Term:	Inflorescence_type
Plural:	Catkins
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Caudate :	Having a long tail-like tip or appendage.
Parent Term:	Apex_of_leaf_blade
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Cauliflorous :	-
Parent Term:	Flower/fruit_position
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Cauliflory :	-
Parent Term:	Flower/fruit_position

Ceraceous :	Waxy.
Parent Term:	Surface_details
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Chaffy :	Like chaff (the residues when harvested grain is cleaned); small irregular flakes.
Parent Term:	Hairs
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Channelled :	(Nerve etc.) sunk below surface, leaving a rounded channel.
Parent Term:	Vein_prominence
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Chartaceous :	Having a papery consistency.
Parent Term:	Texture
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Ciliate :	With a fringe of hairs forming a line, especially along the margin e.g. of a leaf or petal. Like eyelashes, rather than bearded.
Parent Term:	Hairs
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Circinate :	Spirally coiled like the developing leaves of ferns
Parent Term:	Branchlet
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Cirrhose :	Tendrilled, ending in a slender appendage that is wavy or spirally rolled up.
Parent Term:	General_shape
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Cirrhous :	Coiled extension, e.g. of leaf; More than 10:1 l/w, coiled and flexuous.
Parent Term:	General_shape
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Cladodromous :	With a single primary vein, the secondary veins not terminating at the margin and freely ramified toward it.
Parent Term:	Leaf_venation_(hickey)
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Clasping :	Partly surrounding the stem.
Parent Term:	Attachment
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Clavate :	Club-shaped, slender at base and distally gradually thickened.
Parent Term:	Leaf_blade_shape
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Claw :	The narrow, stalk-like proximal part of a petal, sepal or bract.
Parent Term:	Shapes__3d
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Cleft :	Indentations or incisions cut 1/4-1/2 distance to midrib or midvein.
Parent Term:	Leaf_blade_shape
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Climber :	-
Parent Term:	Habit
Synonyms:	All types
Child Terms:	Liane Climber_(herbaceous) Root_climbers_/creepers Climbing_device Liane_(=liana)
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Climber (herbaceous) :	-
Parent Term:	Climber
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Climbers (all types) :	-
Parent Term:	Habit

Climbing device :	-
Parent Term:	Climber
Child Terms:	Tendril
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Clustered leaf :	-
Parent Term:	Leaf_arrangement
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Cochlear :	Of the arrangement of petals in a bud, a variant of imbricate where one petal, being larger than the others, and hollowed like a helmet, covers all the others.
Parent Term:	Shapes__3d
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Cochleate :	Snail-shaped.
Parent Term:	Shapes__3d
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Colleters :	Small linear structures like robust, flat hairs, believed to glandular or associated with protecting the apical bud.
Parent Term:	Hairs

Comose :	With a tuft of hairs, usually apical.
Parent Term:	Hairs
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Complanate :	Flattened
Parent Term:	Shape__3d
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Compound Leaf :	-
Parent Term:	Leaf_types
Child Terms:	Compound_leaf_types Leaflet_count_(/pinna) Compound_leaf__types
Difficulty Level:
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Compound leaf types :	-
Parent Term:	Compound_leaf

Compound leaf types :	Leaves with more than one axis ? several midribs; with 2 or more leaflets. Inflorescences, when a similar pattern of branching is repeated in distinct subunits
Parent Term:	Compound_leaf
Child Terms:	Pinnate_leaf Digitate Trifoliolate Bi-tripinnate Bipinnate,_tripinnate_or_mixed_orde
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Compressed :	Flattened; e.g. a mango, as the cross-section is elliptic not round.
Parent Term:	Shape__3d
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Connate :	Generally, with parts fused, as with sepals in calyx tube; or bases of opposite leaves etc. fused around the stem.
Parent Term:	Attachment
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Connivent :	Converging or coming into contact, but not actually fused or united.
Parent Term:	Attachment
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Contiguous :	Touching at the edges with no gap between.
Parent Term:	Attachment
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Contorted :	Spirally twisted; of floral parts in a bud, a form of imbricate arrangement in which each segment with one edge overlapping the adj
Parent Term:	Aestivation
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Contoured :	Pattern of curved parallel lines, especially layers of bark when cut, visible in the slash. See ripple marks,
Parent Term:	Bark
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Coppice :	Shoots arising from old wood when large woody plant is cut near ground
Parent Term:	Bole
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Cordate :	Leaf base which curves round towards petiole ? like the non-pointed end of a heart shape.
Parent Term:	Leaf_base
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Cordiform :	Shaped like a cartoon heart
Parent Term:	Shapes__3d
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Coriaceous :	Tough, like leather or firm card.
Parent Term:	Texture
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Cork :	Soft waterproof material (used in wine bottle tops) on the outside layer of some axes; often pale brown or white rather than green,
Parent Term:	Bark
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Corm :	A short, solid, swollen, usually underground stem or stem base.
Parent Term:	Underground_bulbs_etc
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Corolla :	Petals as a whole, especially when they are united to form a tube.
Parent Term:	Perianth
Plural:	Corollas
Child Terms:	Apetalous Petal
Difficulty Level:
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Corona :	A ring of tissue arising from the corolla, perianth or filaments of a flower.
Parent Term:	Flower_part
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Corymb :	A racemose inflorescence in which the lower flowers have longer pedicels than those of the flowers above, producing a flat-topped o
Parent Term:	Inflorescence_type
Plural:	Corymbs
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Cotyledon :	-
Parent Term:	Seed

Craspedodromous Mi :	-
Parent Term:	Leaf_venation_(hickey)
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Craspedodromous Si :	-
Parent Term:	Leaf_venation_(hickey)
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Creeper :	-
Parent Term:	Root_climbers_/creepers
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Crenate :	Round-toothed, or teeth obtuse (strictly, rounded teeth cut less than 1/8 way to midrib).
Parent Term:	Serrated_etc_(not_entire)
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Crenulate :	Diminutive of crenate (strictly, rounded teeth cut only to 1/16 of distance to midrib).
Parent Term:	Serrated
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Crispate :	Curly, wavy or crinkled. e.g. lettuce leaves are often crispate.
Parent Term:	Serrated
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Crown :	System of branches at top of tree supporting leaves.
Parent Term:	Tree_(any_size)
Difficulty Level:
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Crustaceous :	Hard, thin, and brittle.
Parent Term:	Texture
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Cuneate :	Leaf base wedge-shaped; becoming gradually thinner at base towards petiole.
Parent Term:	Leaf_base
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Cuspidate :	Abruptly tapering into a sharp, rigid acute point.
Parent Term:	Apex_of_leaf_blade
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Cyme :	Branched inflorescence without a single main axis, but where each flower ends an axis and subsequent flowers develop from branches
Parent Term:	Inflorescence_type
Plural:	Cymes
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Cystolith :	A crystalline outgrowth from the cell wall, encrusted with calcium carbonate (see also raphide). In practice, looking with a good l
Parent Term:	Surface_details
Plural:	Cystoliths
Difficulty Level:
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Cystoliths :	-
Parent Term:	Surface_details