An aggressive plant has the potential to spread quickly in a location in which it is not wanted. (Different from invasive; see definition for invasive.)
Plants that are dug from a nursery with soil around their roots, then covered in burlap and twine to hold the root ball together until they are planted.
The swollen area at the base of a branch where it attaches to the trunk of a tree. Pruning cuts should be made on the outside of the branch collar so they heal properly.
Applies to Chicago area native plants; C-values are from Swink & Wilheim's Plant of the Chicago Region (used for natural areas). They represent whether a plant is likely to occur in a remnant natural plant community. A value of 0 indicates little confidence that it came from a remnant natural plant community. A value of 10 indicates high probability that it did come from one.
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.
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.
The yellowing or loss of green pigment in a leaf; interveinal chlorosis refers to a yellow leaf with green veins often due to iron or maganese deficiency.
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.
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.
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.
A process used to propogate new plants; a shoot, twig, or bud of one plant is inserted into a slit of a stem/trunk of another plant and allowed to grow.
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.
A point of poor attachment that occurs where two branches or a branch and main trunk compress against each other causing bark to roll inward; and produce weak wood.
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.)
A layer of material, such as woodchips or compost, that is applied on the soil surface to retain soil moisture and moderate soil temperature extremes; if organic, will break down to improve soil structure and fertility.
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).
The arrangement of individual soil particles and pore space into units (aggregates); soil structure affects the amount of air and water held in a soil.
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
