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Living for one year or less
Annual
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Living for two years, typically flowering and fruiting in the second year
Biennial
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Applied to plant parts which fall off early or prematurely
Caducous
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Plants which shed all their leaves at the end of each growing season; also applied to parts of a plant that fall off
Deciduous
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Remaining green during the dormant season, plants never without some leaves
Evergreen
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Withering away or falling off very early
Fugaceous
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Withering or fading, but remaining attached
Marescent
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Living for three years or more
Perennial
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Remaining attached and unwithered
Persistent
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The general appearance/form of plants
Habit
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More or less stemless, the stem often subterranean
Acaulescent
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Tree-like, the main trunk relatively short
Aborescent
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Trees, the trunk well-developed
Aboreous
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Growing in tufts, mats, or clumps
Caespitose
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Aerial stem or stems evident
Caulescent
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Spreading over the undergrowth or objects, usually without the aid of twining stems or tendrils
Clambering
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Ascending upon other plants or objects by means of special structures, such as stems with disc-like tips
Climbing
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Stems lying upon the ground, but with their ends turned up
Decumbent
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Extremely divergent, more or less at a right angle
Divaricate
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Broadly spreading
Divergent
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Shrubby, with more than one major stem
Fruticose
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Bent sharply, as at the knee
Geniculate
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Plants with non-woody aerial stems that die back into the ground each year
Herbs
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Woody plants with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stems
Lianas
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Lying flat on the ground, typically without adventitious roots
Prostate/Procumbent
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Stems prostrate, often creeping or crawling and rooting at the node
Repent/Trailing
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Inverted because of a 180-degree twist in a petiole or pedicel
Resupinate
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Bearing a flower or inflorescence on a leafless flowering stem
Scapose
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Woody perennials with more than one principle stem rising from the ground
Shrubs
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Oriented outward and more or less diverting from the point of origin
Spreading
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Plants woody at the base, but herbaceous above
Suffriticose/Suffrutescent
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Woody perennials with a single main stem or trunk
Trees
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Coiling around objects or plants as a means of support
Twines
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Herbaceous plant with elongate, flexible, non-self-supporting stems
Vines
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Those roots which arise at any point other than as a portion of the primary root system
Adventitious
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Those roots occurring above the ground
Aerial
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A root system in which all the roots are relatively the same size so that none is clearly dominant, such as in a monocot
Fibrous
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Roots occurring below the ground
Subterranean
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A root system in which one root is clearly larger than the others, as in many dicots
Tap
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A tap root which is particularly large and fleshy, not entirely delimited from the tap root
Tuberous
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A flattened leaf-like stem
Cladophyll/Phylloclad
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A horizontal stem, often rooting at the nodes, which bears ordinary foliage leaves
Runner/Stolon
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A twining stem, either terminal or arising from the axil of a leaf; may also be of leaf origin
Tendrils
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A sharp-pointed stem, either simple or branched; also see spine and prickle
Thorn
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An upright series of fleshy, overlapping leaf bases attached to a small basal stem, as in the onion
Bulb
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An upright, hard or fleshy stem surrounded by dry scaly leaves, as in the gladiolus "bulb"
Corm
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A horizontal stem with reduced scaly leaves, as in many grasses
Rhizome
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An enlarged fleshy tip of the underground stem, as in an Irish potato
Tuber
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A swollen scaly offshoot of a rhizome
Turion
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The flattened expanded portion of a leaf; a few leaves lack these
Blade
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The point at which the leaf is inserted on the stem
Node
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The region between two successive nodes
Internode
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The stalk which supports the lamina; if missing, the leaf is sessile
Petiole
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A leaf that has no petiole and is directly attached to the node
Sessile
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A pair of appendages located at the base of the petiole where it attaches to the stem; often short lived and only evidenced by scars
Stipules
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A leaf without a pair of stipules at the base of the petiole
Exstipulate
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Arrangement of leaves
Phyllotaxy
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One leaf at a node
Alternate
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At the base of the plant, the internodes being much reduced
Basal
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The leaves of a well-developed stem, as opposed to basal leaves
Cauline
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Opposite leaves which alternate at right angles at successive nodes, thereby forming four rows of leaves
Decussate
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Two ranked on opposing sides of the stem and in the same plane
Distichous
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Leaves folded about one another in two ranks, as in many members of the Iridaceae
Equitant
-
-
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Two leaves at a node
Opposite
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A vertical row of leaves (or flowers)
Rank
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A radiating leaf cluster near the base of a plant
Rosette
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Three or more leaves at a node
Verticillate/Whorled
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Term used to describe whether the leaf is represented by a single segment or divided into two or more discrete segments
Composition
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The leaf is made up of one section
Simple
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The leaf is made up of two or more discrete sections
Compound
-
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Indented about one-fourth to almost half way to the midrib or the base of the blade
Lobed
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Indented about halfway to midrib or base of the blade
Cleft
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Indented nearly all the way to the midrib or the base of the leaf
Parted
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Indented to the midrib or the base of the blade
Divided
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Separate segments of a compound leaf
Leaflets
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The stalk of a leaflet
Petiolule
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Central axis of a compound leaf
Rachis
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The blade divided only once into first order leaflets, arranged along a rachis
Once-pinnately compound
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A once-pinnately compound leaf with a terminal leaflet
Odd-pinnate
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A once-pinnately compound leaf with no terminal leaflet
Even-pinnate
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The blade divided twice so that the first order of leaflets is split into a second order of leaflets
Twice-pinnately compount/Bipinnate
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The blade divided thrice so that the first-, second-, and third-orders of leaflets are present
Thrice-pinnately compound/Tripinnate
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A compound leaf that is at lead twice-pinnately compound; used to describe when the leaf is divided into many segments of leaflets
Decompound
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The blade divided into leaflets that radiate from the apex of the petiole; no rachis is present
Palmately/Digitately compound
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A palmately compound leaf with three leaflets
Ternate
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A ternate leaf in which the first order leaflets are themselves ternately compound
Biternate
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A compound leaf with three leaflets, these either pinnately or palmately disposed depending upon the relative lengths of the petioles; not to be confused with trifoliate plants
Trifoliolate
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Plants with three leaves
Trifoliate
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Needle-shaped leaf
Acicular
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The shape of a stylized heart, with the petiole between the basal lobes
Cordate
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The leaf shape of an equilateral triangle
Deltoid
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Oval leaf shape, the ends rounded and widest at the middle
Elliptic
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Sickle-shaped leaf
Falcate
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Thread-like leaf
Filiform
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More or less arrowhead-shaped, but with the basal lobes divergent
Hastate
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Lance-shaped leaf, the blade several times longer than it is wide, often widest beneath the middle
Lanceolate
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Leaf shape that is several times longer than it is wide, the sides more or less parallel
Linear
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Leaf shape with a series of pinnate lobes and a longer terminal lobe
Lyrate
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Leaf shape like the cordate, but with the petiole attached to the point of the stylized heart
Obcordate
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Leaf shape like the lanceolate, but with the petiole attached to the narrow pointed end of the leaf
Oblanceolate
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About two or three times longer than broad; rectangle with rounded corners
Oblong
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Leaf shaped like the longitudinal section of a chicken's egg, with the petiole attached to the broad end
Ovate
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Leaf shape like the ovate, but with the petiole attached to the narrow end
Obovate
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Circular (or nearly so) leaf shape
Orbicular/rotund
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Broadly elliptic leaf shape, with the length less than twice the width
Oval
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Kidney or bean-shaped leaf
Reniform
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Coarsely-toothed with the teeth pointing toward the base of the leaf, as with the sunflower
Runcinate
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Arrowhead-shaped leaf
Sagittate
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Spoon-shaped leaf
Spatulate/Spathulate
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Slender and tapered to a point, as with an awl (a tool used to put holes in leather)
Subulate
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Fine hairs on the leaf margin
Ciliate
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The leaf margin is scalloped with blunt teeth
Crenate
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Leaf margin has course teeth which potrude at right angles
Dentate
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Finely-dentate leaf margin
Denticulate
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The margin has coarse, saw-like teeth that point forward
Serrate
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The serrations on the margin of the leaf are themselves serrate
Doubly-serrate/Biserrate
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The leaf margin is whole and unindented
Entire
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The leaf margin appears as if chewed upon
Erose
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The leaf margin is fringed, the hairs coarser than in ciliate
Fimbriate
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The margin is deeply and sharply cut
Incised
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The leaf margin is slashed into narrow pointed segments
Lacinate
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The leaf margin is rolled toward the lower side of the blade
Revolute
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The leaf margin is finely serrated
Serrulate
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The leaf margin is wavy in and out on the plane of the blade
Sinuate
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The leaf margin is wavy in and out perpendicular to the blade
Undulate/Crisped
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The principle pattern of the veins on the blade
Venation
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Several veins of the same size, though the midrib is typically more conspicuous, all running parallel to each other, as in many monocots
Parallel
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The main vein of the leaf is prominent, with several veins branching from it at 30-45-degree angles along its length
Pinnate
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Complex venation pattern of major and minor veins which form a network or reticulum
Net
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The major veins radiate from a common point at the base of the blade, as in maples
Palmate
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Uncommmon pattern in which the veins curl gently upward
Arcuate
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Leaf apex formed by two straight margins meeting at an angle less than 90 degrees
Acute
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Apex that is acute but whose sides are concave and taper into a fine point
Acuminate
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Leaf apex terminating to a sharp, fine, flexible point
Apiculate
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Leaf apex leads to an abrupt, hard, bristle-like point
Aristate
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Leaf apex is drawn out to a gradual taper
Attenuate
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The leaf apex is tail-like
Caudate
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The apex is shaped by concave edges tapering abruptly to a sharp point
Cuspidate
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An apex with a shallow notch
Emarginate
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The apex forms a hard, short, abrupt point
Mucronate
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The apex is formed by two lines which meet at an angle greater than 90-degrees
Obtuse
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The apex is gently curved
Rounded
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The apex has a spine at the tip
Spinose
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The apex appears chopped off
Truncate
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A leaf base with rounded lobes that somewhat appear like the human ear
Auriculate
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The base partially-completely surrounds the stem
Clasping
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The base is wedge-shaped
Cuneate
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The base is asymmetrical; unequal-sided
Oblique
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The condition of a sessile leaf when the base completely encloses the stem
Perfoliate
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A leaf much reduced in size, particularly if associated with a flower or influorescence
Bract
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A leaflike petiole of a bladeless leaf, as in some Acadia
Phyllode/Phyllodium
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The basal portion of the leaf that surrounds the stem
Sheath
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A leaf or portion of a leaf that is sharp-pointed, not to be confused with thorns (which are pointed stems) or prickles (outgrowths of the epidermis)
Spine
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A twining leaf or portion of a leaf; can also be a portion of stem
Tendril
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Resembling the surface of a honeycomb
Alveolate
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Not shining, lacking lustre
Dull
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Hairy at first, but then glabrous
Glabrate
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Smooth, without hairs
Glabrous
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Covered with a whitish waxy bloom
Glaucous
-
-
A surface with pimple-like protrustions
Papillate/Papillose
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Surface covered in small cavities
Pitted
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Dotted with pinpoint impressions or translucent dots
Punctate
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Netted with regular, slightly elevated lines
Reticulate
-
-
Covered with minute scales
Scurfy
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Marked with longitudinal lines
Striated
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Furrowed with longitudinal channels
Sulcate
-
Warty
Tuberculate/Verrucose
-
-
A coating of hairs on the surface of a leaf
Vestiture/Vesture
-
Hairs with barbs down the sides
Barbellate
-
Hairs barbed at the tip only
Glochidate
-
-
Hairs along the margins only
Ciliate
-
With a tuft of hairs at the apex of the seed or the base of a floret in a grass spikelet
Comose
-
Coarser, longer ciliate
Fimbriate
-
Slender, white, loosely-tangled hairs; cob-webby
Arachnoid
-
With tufts of soft hair that come off easily
Floccose
-
-
Densely and softly matted
Tomentose
-
With a dense mat of gray-white hairs
Canescent/Hoary
-
With straight, often comparatively large prickle-like hairs
Echinate
-
Hairs with swollen tips; gland-bearing
Glandular
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With rough or coarse, more or less erect hairs
Hirsute
-
Having minute rough, coarse, more or less erect hairs
Hirtellous
-
With long, rigid, bristly hairs
Hispid
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Swollen hairs which collectively form a covering that resembles a cooking meal
Mealy/Farinaceous/Farinose
-
Hairs that are pimple-like
Papillate/Papillose
-
Soft, slender, sparse hairs
Pilose
-
A minute cluster of dense, matted, gray-white hair
Puberulent
-
Downy; the hairs are short, soft and erect
Pubescent
-
Rough to the touch due to coarse, stiff, ascending hairs
Scabrous
-
Sily; the hairs are long, fine, and appressed
Sericeous
-
-
Hairs sharp, appressed, rigid, and often swollen at the base
Strigose
-
Velvety; the hairs are dense, firm, and straight
Velutinous
-
Shaggy; the hairs are soft, slender, long, but not matted
Villous
-
Forked hairs attached at the middle, as with a miner's pick
Malphigiaceous/Dolabriform
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With a few branches or "arms" that arise from a common point; may be sessile or stalked
Stellate
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