Deciduous- Refers to plants that lose their leaves annually at the end of the ac- tive growth period and produce new ones at the end of the rest period. The opposite to evergreen.

Dormancy- A temporary state of total inactivity. The term dormant is broadly in- terpreted by many botanists. In its narrowest sense, however, a plant is consid- ered to be not merely resting but dormant if its top growth has withered away (and sometimes, as with many bulbs, its roots as well). Compare active growth period and rest period.

Double bloom- Refers to a flower with at least two full layers of petals. Compare single and semi-double.

Drawn- Applied to plants with stems that have become elongated and spindly with small, often pallid leaves. Generally because of inadequate light or especially among young seedlings. Serious over-crowding.

Epiphyte- A plant that grows in the wild not rooted in soil but on the body of another plant or on rocks. An epiphyte clings to its support with aerial roots and gains its nourishment from the atmosphere or from the crevices in which it lodges. Epiphyte among which bromeliads and orchids are prominent, are not parastic.

Evergreen- Refers to plants that retain their leaves throughout the year. Even during the annual rest period, if any. The opposite of deciduous.

Eye- A word with two different horticultural meanings. An eye is an undeveloped growth bud, as on a stem or tuber. And an eye is also the center of a flower, especially when the flower is circular and the color of the center contrasts with the rest.

Filament- Any threadlike organ, but most commonly used in reference to the stalk of an anther-carrying stamen in a flower.

Floret- A very small flower, especially one that is part of a large inflorescence composed of numerous such florets, as in the daisy family

Flower- The plant organ specialized for sexual reproduction, in which pollen from the male part (stamen) is transferred to the ovaries of the female part (pistil) so that fertilization occurs and seeds can be developed.

Forcing- The process of bringing plants into growth and flower before their natural time by artificial means, most often with gentle heat.

Frond- Used mainly as an alternative term for fern leaves (whether simple or compound), but is also frequently applied to the compound leaves of such plants as palms. See also compound, pinnate, rachis

Glochid- A tiny, barbed, bristly hair found in tufts in certain cacti (for instance, opuntias) in place of-or in addition to woody spines. Like woody spines, glochids are borne by the areoles.

Growing point- The extremity or tip of a stem, where extension growth is likely to occur.

Hardy- Refers to plants that can survive in the open throughout the year at a given latitude, usually where there is an annual period of frost. The opposite of tender.

Heel- A strip at bark and wood torn away train a main stein when a sideshoot is removed with a downward pull. Many plants root most readily tram cuttings with a heel attached (called heel cuttings).

Herbaceous- Refers to plants with soft, non-woody growth. Though the term is most often applied to those perennials that lose all their top growth and die down completely in winter, any type of plant that never makes woody stems may be characterized as herbaceous.

Hybrid- A plant arising from the cross-fertilization of two dissimilar parents (which can be different varieties, subspecies, or species of a single genus. or even different forms of closely related genera). Crossing is not possible between plants of different families. Compare cultivar, variety. See also bigeneric, intergeneric.

Inflorescence- A general term for the flowering part of a plant. Although it ap- plies technically to any flower on any stem, the term is most commonly used in reference to a head, cluster, spike, or similar collection of small flowers grouped together on one main stem. See also floret.

Intergeneric- Refers to a hybrid plant derived from the multiple crossing of parents belonging to more than two distinct genera. Hybrids with only two parents are sometimes called intergeneric, but they are more correctly categorized as bigeneric.

Keel- A V-shaped ridge like the keel of a boat, formed on one side of a leaf or petal by a channel in the other surface.

Latex- The milky sap produced by such plants as the euphorbias and some ficuses. Sometimes poisonous.

Leaf- The organ in which the energy-producing process of photosynthesis is normally carried out by the unique green compound, chlorophyll. A few plants do not bear leaves (e.g. cacti).

Leaflet- Any segment of a compound leaf. See also pinna.

Lip- A lobe of the corolla that is distinct from the other segments and usually forms the lowest segment of a flower The lip is a universal feature of orchids.

Lobe- Any single projection (generally, though not always, rounded) of an organ, such as a leaf or petal, that is partly but not entirely divided in to separate parts.

Margin- The edge or boundary line of any plant organ. Margin is most often used to describe the border area of a leaf.

Midrib- The central rib of a leaf, which generally juts out from the leaf surface, runs its length, and divides it into equal halves. See also rachis.

Monopodial- Refers to a stem that continues to grow indefinitely from a single growing point, very seldom branching. Most often used to describe orchids. Compare sympodial.

Mouth- Refers to the open end of the corolla of any bell-, trumpet-, or tube- shaped flower. Compare throat.