Glossary

The terms listed here are just a drop in the bucket. See the links page for more info on botanical terms.

Flower shape

While there are many different flower shapes, for simplicity I use the 5 basic shapes from my field guide.

• Regular flowers are basically round with 3 or more petals, lacking a disc-like center.
• Irregular flowers are not round but uniquely shaped, usually with fused petals.
• Bell flowers have fused petals and hang down.
• Tube (or funnel-shaped) flowers are proportionately longer and narrower than Bell types and point up instead of down.
• Composite flowers are round compact clusters of tiny flowers that appear as one large flower. Composite flowers are made up of center disc flowers and/or ray flowers (petals).

Cluster type

A cluster is a tightly formed group of flowers. 4 basic shapes are used at this site (not counting composite flowers, which are also technically clusters):

• Flat
• Round
• Spike
• Raceme

Leaf attachment

Leaves are attached to the main stem in a number of different ways and some plants will have more than one type of attachment. For simplicity, I use just the following:

• Alternate has leaves attached to the stem in an alternating pattern. There may or may not be a leaf stem.
• Opposite has 2 leaves opposite each other. There may or may not be a leaf stem.
• Whorl has 3 or more leaves attached at the same point around the stem.
• Basal leaves surround the base of the main stem, usually in a rosette pattern.

Leaf type

There are many leaf shapes, but only 2 basic types:

• Compound leaves have 2 or more distinct small leaves (leaflets) that arise from a single stalk. When 3 or more leaves arise from a central point, it is palmately compound
• Simple leaves are not divided into multiple leaflets, though on some plants individual leaves may be divided or lobed .