A number of descriptive and botanical terms have been used on this website. The following glossary provides the meaning of them.
Anther: The apex of the stamen producing the pollen
Bract: Small, usually leaf-like organs, on the pedicel
Bud-bloomer: A term given to forms of Calluna in which the flowers never develop beyond the bud stage but as a result keep their colour for a long period. There are three forms,
clistanthes where most of the parts of the flower are normal but the style is stunted and the flowers never open fully
diplocalyx, the commonest, has twice the usual number of sepals, eight instead of four, but there are no petals or stamens
polysepala is a more extreme form of the latter with more than eight sepals and usually a deformed style
Calyx: Collective name for sepals
Ciliate: Edged with hairs
Clone: A group of identical plants produced by vegetative propagation
Corolla: Collective name for the petals
Cultivar: Cultivated variety
Decussate: Opposite leaves with each successive pair at right angles to the other
Eglandular: Without glands
Glabrous: Without hairs
Glands: Secreting organs
Lateral: Sideshoot or projection from main stem
Multi-bracteate: Racemose inflorescence with a single terminal flower supported by many pairs of decussate and densely-packed bracts
Ovary: Lowest part of the pistil, containing the ovules (seed)
Pedicel: Flower stalk
Petals: The inner whorl of the flower, see corolla.
Pistil: The entire female organ of the flower consisting of an ovary, style and stigma
Pubescent: With short hairs, downy
Raceme: A cluster of stalked flowers all radiating from a single unbranched axis
Reversion: A plant or part of it returning to its original form. Opposite of a sport.
Schizopetalous: When a corolla, normally composed of fused petals is divided into separate petals but usually not in a regular manner.
Sepals: The whorl immediately below the corolla, see calyx
Sport: A part of the plant which behaves in a different manner to the rest of the plant. e.g. a sport may have yellow foliage whereas the rest of the plant may have green leaves. However, be sure it is part of the same plant
Stellate: Star-like, but used here to indicate an inflorescence where the flowers are arranged in a star-like fashion.
Stigma: The apex of the pistil that receives the pollen
Style: The stalk of a pistil
Subspecies (subsp): When a species occurs in two or more widely separated areas and the plants from these separate areas differ markedly
Umbel: A flowerhead where the pedicels all arise from one point on the stalk like the spokes of an umbrella
© The Heather Society, 27 July 2001