Glossary

The arrangement of leaves (or buds) where they are attached singly to the stem in a staggered pattern.

Plants that are dug from a nursery with soil around their roots, then covered in burlap and twine to hold root ball together until planted.

A plant that grows from seed to form a small plant the first year, and flowers and sets seed the following year

The time of year when plants are emerging from winter dormancy and buds will visibly be swelling.

The layer of cells responsible for development of new tissue (xylem, which conducts water and phloem, which conducts food) and that leads to an increase in girth for a woody plant.

The crown or top portion of a tree; or, in forested areas, the top layer of growth provided by a group of trees

An innovative plant introduction program between Chicago Botanic Garden; The Morton Arboretum; and the Ornamental Grower’s Association of Northern Illinois (OGA), to develop and promote the use of new plant cultivars that are well-adapted to the growing conditions of the Upper Midwest.

Roots of a plant that tend to circle around the base of the tree or other roots, eventually restricting the growth of the trunk or roots

A leaf divided into two or more leaflets. Can be palmate, pinnate, or bipinnate.

Plants that are grown or sold in plastic containers; they maintain a complete root system because they are not dug out of the ground. They are easier to transport.

Pinching or removing faded flowers to tidy a plant, stop seed production and promote future flowering.

Falling off of leaves

A progressive death of plant tissues

A plant that is able to resist a disease that interferes with the function and normal growth of a plant.

The area under the outer most edges of the branches on a tree

Plants smaller or shorter than the species

A plant trained on a trellis; branches generally extend horizontally in a fan shape or single plane. The process of training a woody plant against a flat surface such as a wall or trellis.

Bark that peel off in layers or shreds to reveal the inner bark layer

A narrow tree or shrub where the branches grow vertically (ascending) and close together

Leaves

In botanical classification, a group or related plants with many different species. Plants within a genus share some basic characteristics, but are separated into species by varying smaller characteristics. Genera is the plural form.

Physical strangulation of a branch, or the removal of bark on a branch, leading to a disruption in the flow of water or nutrients, causing dieback.

A general term to refer to a plant organ or tissue that secretes some substance (oil, nectar, etc.)

Usually a low-growing plant that spreads to fill in an area

The US Department of Agriculture has divided the country into regions based on the average low winter temperatures. Plants are then assigned to a hardiness zone based on the lowest temperature the plant can tolerate before cellular damage occurs.

The inner wood in a tree which supports the plant

A plant produced by cross pollinating two related plants.

A grouping of flowers arranged in a specific pattern (i.e. umbel or panicle)

An invasive plant is usually a non-native species, which competes with native species for water, nutrients and space, destroying the natural habitat and ecosystem of native species. (Different from aggressive; see definition for aggressive.)

One section of a compound leaf

A protruding/projecting part of a leaf margin.

Staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers are on the same plant, but in separate structures.

A point on a stem where leaf buds originate

A leaf shape that is longer than it is broad and having nearly parallel sides

Materials derived from living matter such as plants or animals

A compound leaf with leaflets originating from a center point and radiating out in a fan-like fashion

An organism capable of causing disease

The stalk on a leaf (synonymous with leafstalk)

Leaf blades arranged on opposite sides of a leaf midrib; feather-like

A fleshy fruit with a papery core surrounding the seeds in the center, such as apple or pear

A flower cluster (inflorescence) with a central stalk from which flowers arise; each flower has its own stalk (as opposed to a spike where each flower is connected directly to the central stalk)

An underground stem, typically horizontal

The fluid that moves through the vascular system of the plant; it carries water and nutrients as well as sugars produced by the plant.

1. The protective covering on a plant's bud.

2. A type of sucking insect that attacks numerous trees and shrubs. It has a protective outer "shell".

A leaf with a saw-toothed edge (margin); teeth point forward

A leaf with an undivided blade; not compound

A means that measures alkalinity or acidity of the soil, which influences the nutrient availablity and uptake for plant growth

In botanical classification, the level below genus; a group of naturally occurring plants that share the same physical characteristics and are capable of producing offspring with those same characterisitics

An above ground, horizontal stem, often rooting at the nodes

A plant/shrub that has slightly woody bark but often dies back to ground in winter and is treated more as a perennial

Not the accepted scientific name of a plant; may be an old name not currently used or an alternate

A dense growth of shrubs

To move a plant from one place and replant it in another

Immature trees growing under a mature tree canopy