Practical guide
PLATE 1: STEM AND ROOT TYPES
Phytography is the description of plants. An extended terminology has developed
with which to accurately describe plants. In order to communicate scientifically about
plants it is important to know these terms. In addition, numerous plant dictionaries
can be consulted:
Radford, A.E. et al. 1974. Vascular Plant Systematics, Harper & Row, New York
Vaktaalburo, 1972, Plantkundige woorderboek, Tafelberg
W.T. Stearn, 1966, Botanical Latin, David & Charles Publishers, London
1. Habit
1. Herb: mostly low-growing and annual, above-ground parts herbaceous,
sometimes perennial, but then die back above ground annually
2. Suffutex, half-shrub, sub-shrub: perennial plant with only the below-ground parts
woody TREE SHRUB ASCENDING DECUMBENT
3. Shrub: a much-branched, woody and perennial plant, mostly without a single
main stem
4. Tree: a large, woody, perennial plant, mostly with a single main stem
5. Vine or liana: plant with a thin, weak, herbaceous or woody stem that reclines or
coils onto other plants, annual or perennial
2. Types of roots PROCUMBENT REPENT STOLONIFEROUS
1. Adventitious root: root that arises from any other organ than another root
2. Primary or tap root: root that develops from the radicle of the embryo, part of the
plant axis
3. Secondary or lateral roots: roots that develop from the pericycle of existing roots
STOLONIFEROUS RHIZOME RHIZOME
CORM FIBROUS TAP TUBEROUS
as published in Swink, F. and G. Wihelm. 1994, Plants ofthe Chicago region. 4th ed. Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science
3. Types of stems
Typical monocot leaf
1. Erect: grows vertically
2. Twining: Twists around some form of support, e.g. another plant
3. Climbing: grow up against other plants or supports with the aid or modified organs
such as tendrils or adventitious roots
4. Ascending: bends upwards
5. Stononiferous: develops suckers or stolons with adventitious roots at the nodes
6. Trailing: grows parallel to the ground surface, mostly with adventitious roots
7. Decumbent: grows parallel with the soil surfuce, with upturned ends
8. procumbent: rows parallel with the soil surfuce, without upturned ends or
adventitious roots
4. Foliar leaves
4.1 Parts of a foliar leaf Leaf arrangement
1. Leaf blade or lamina: flattened portion of a leaf
2. Petiole: mostly circular with a flattened or groved upper side
3. Leaf base: portion of leaf that attaches to the stem (sometimes thickened,
sometimes with stipules, sometimes with a pulvinus (articulation))
4. Stipules: outgrowths of the petiole, leaf-shaped, thorny, etc.
5. Leaflet: a separate leaf segment – forms a unit
6. Petiolule: stem of leaflet
7. Rachis: main axis of a pinnately compound leaf Alternate Opposite Whorled Decussate
8. Sheath: a more or less cylindrical portion of the leaf that is folded around the stem
(stem-claspint), e.g. maize
9. Ligula: outgrowth at the upper end of the leaf sheath
Typical dicot leaf
4.2 Foliar leaf types
lamina /
5. Paripinnately (even pinnately) compound: pinnately compound leaf without a
terminal leaflet
6. Imparipinnately (odd pinately) compound: pinnately compound leaf with a terminal
leaflet
1. Simple: leaf is not divided into leaflets
7. Unifoliolate: with a single leaflet – the petiolule is clearly distinguisable from the
petiole (visible as an articulation)
8. Bifoliolate: with two leaflets that arise from the same point
2. Compound: leaf is divided into two or more leaflets 9. Trifoliate: with three leaflets that arise from the same point
3. Pinnately compound: leaflets arranged opposite or alternate on the rachis of the
leaf
4. Palmately compound: leaflets all arise from a single point at the distal end of the
petiole
9. (cordiform/ cordate): 9. (spatulate)
10. (oblong): 11. (linear):
4.3 Shape of the lamina
1. (orbicular): 2. (orbicular):
3. (elliptic): 4. (reniform):
5. (ovate): 6. (obovate):
7. (lanceolate): 8. (oblanceolate):
4.4Leaf apex 4.5 Leaf base
1. (aristate): 2. (cuspidate): 1. (attenuate): 2. (cuneate):
3. (mucronate): 4. (acute): 3. (obtuse): 4. (truncate):
5. (cordate): 6. (saggitate):
5. (obtuse): 6. (truncate):
7. (hastate): 8. (peltate):
7. (retuse): 8. (emarginate):
5. (serrulate): 6. (dentate):
7. (denticulate): 8. (lobed or -lobate)
4.6 Leaf margins
9. (cleft or -fid) 10. (ciliate):
1. (entire): 2. (crenate):
4.7 Indumentum
3. (crenulate): 4. (serrate):
1. Aculeate: covered with rigid, often 2. Echinate: covered with many stiff hair
conical thorns (spikes) that are or straight spikes (spikes are
arranged unevenly cylindrical and not conical as in
aculeate).
3. Setose: covered with many stiff, rigid 4. Hispid: covered with long, stiff spiky
hair (hair harder and thicker as in hair (the hair are harder and thicker
hispid) as in hirsute)
5. Strigose: covered with adpressed, stiff 6. Hirsute: covered with long, stiff, 15. Plumose: covered with hairs that are 16. Ciliate: with thin, mostly equal length
hair with sharp apices straight hair (not spiky), the hair are in turn covered with hair, i.e. covered hair on edge of an organ (compare to
thinner as in hispid with feathery hair fimbriate where the hair are relatively
thick)
7. Hirtellous: like hirsute but hairs are 8. Villous: covered with long, soft,
shorter sometimes frissy hair that do not have
a matted appearance (not as dense 17. Fimbriate: with many long, relatively 18. Floccose: with dense, long hair that
as lanose) thick, tread-like protrutions on the soon fall off in clumps, and that can
margin of the organ (compare to be easily rubbed off
ciliate where the hair are relatively
thin)
9. Pilose: covered with thin, soft hair 10. Pubescent: covered with short, thin
(hair is longer as in pubescent hair
19. Glandular: covered with gladular hairs 20. Glabrous: without any hair or
protrusions
11. Lanose: covered with dense, long, 12. Tomentose: covered with dense,
interwoven hair (hair is longer than in interwoven, short hair resulting in a
tomentose and do not have a matted matted appearance
appearance)
21. Glabrate: becoming glabrous (naked)
with age
13. Velutinous: covered with very dense, 14. Sericeous: covered with fine, mostly
straight, short hair with a velvety adpressed, soft hair – feels silky
appearance
PLATE 6. SURFACE FEATURES 6. Flowers
6.1 Parts of a flower
1. Pedicel: stalk on which the flower is borne
2. Receptacle: upper part of the petiole on which the flower whorls are borne
ANTRORSE RETRORSE
BARBELLATE CANESCENT COMOSE ECHINAТЕ FARINACEOUS 3. Calyx: lower-most whorl of floral leaves, known as sepals
4. Calyx tube: sepals fused to form a tube
5. Corolla: whorl of petals above the sepals, known as petals
6. Perianth: collective term for sepals and petals or tepals
FLOCCOSE GLANDULAR HIRSUTE HIRTELLOUS HISPID
7. Perigone: floral leaves that are not differentiated into sepals and tepals, individual
leaves known as tepals
A 8. Androecium: all of the stamens in one or more whorls
9. Stamen: male part of a flower, comprises of a filament and anther
LANATE LEPIDOTE MURICAТE PANNATЕ PAPILLATE
10. Disc: mostly develops from floral base, often encircles ovary, associated with
nectar production
11. Pistel or gynoecium: upper-most, female whorl of a flower comprised of carpels
that are mostly fused to form an ovary, style and stigma
PILOSE PUBERULENT PULVERULENT RESINOUS SCABROUS 12. Carpel: female sporophyll, carries ovules
SCURFY SERICEOUS SETOSE STELLATE STRIGOSE
13. Gynophore: stalk on which the ovary is carried, develops through an elongation of
TOMENTOSE TUBERCULATE UNCINATE VELUTINOUS VILLOUS
the floral base – only present in some plants
as published in Swink, F. and G. Wihelm. 1994, Plants ofthe Chicago region. 4th ed, Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science
14. Androginofoor (androgynophore): steel of suil waarop die meeldrade en vrugblare
gedra word - slegs by sommige plante
15. Androphore: stalk on which the anthers are carried in some plants
16. Hypanthium: fused lower portion of various floral whorls such as the sepals,
petals and stamens, extends around the ovary
PLATE 10. COROLLA TYPES
6.2 Types of flowers
1. Actinomorphic: radially symmetrical – regular
sepal
petal upper lip
2. Zygomorphic: there is only one divisional plane through the centre of the flower
lower lip
that will result in two identical halves
SEPALS & PETALS TEPALS ROTATE BILABIATE CRUCIFORM
3. Unisexual: flowers with either only stamens or only a pistil
4. Bisexual: flowers with both stamens and a pistil
CORONAТЕ CAMPANULATE FUNNELFORM GALEATE GIBBOUS
5. Apetalous: flower without petals
6. Apopetalous: flower with separate, unfused petals horn
hood
7. Sympetalous: flower with fused petals
8. Asepalous: flowers without sepals
9. Synsepalous: flower with fused sepals
keel
HOOD & HORN LIGULATE PALATE PAPILIONACEOUS CARINATE
SACCATE SALVERFORM SPURRED TUBULAR URCEOLATE
modified from Swink, F. and G. Wilheim. 1994, Plants of the Chicago region. 4th ed. Indianapolis: Indiana Academyof Science
6.3 Androecium
4. Ovule: structure in locule of ovary
3. Syncarp: carpels grow together to
that develops into a seed after
form a unit (ovary, style and stigma)
1. Staminode: sterile stamen, can be 2. Monadelphous: all of the filaments are fertilization
modified to nectar glad or petal partially or completely fused to form a
tube
Staminode
3. Diadelphous: stamens are fused into 4. Syngenesious: anthers are fused (e.g.
two bundles sunflower)
6. Superior ovary: ovary positioned
5. Inferior ovary: ovary positioned
above the other floral whorls; such a
below the other flower whorls (calyx,
flower is hypogenous
corolla, and androecium) attached;
such a flower is epigynous
5. Basifixed: base of anther attached to 6. Dorsifixed: dorsal end (back) of
filament anther attached to filament
7. Half-inferior: base of flower is hollow
7. / Versatile anther: anthers attaced at or flattened to form a hypanthium;
back, but mobile the ovary is not fused with the
hypanthium, and the other floral
whorls are attached to the edge of
6.4 Gynoecium the hypanthium; such a flower is
perigynous
1. locule: cavity within ovary within
2. Apocarp: carpels separate, and thus
which ovules are borne
not fused to form one pistil; each
ovule carpel forms a separate pistil
locule
5 apocarpous
pistils
Placentatiion: way in which ovules are arranged in locules
Position of ovules in ovary
Inflorescences
A = pariatal
B = axial
C & D = free central
Determinate inflorescences: stem apex terminates in a flower or an inflorescence
In a cyme (and corymb) the main axis terminates in a flower, and in a cyme the
oldest flower is in the centre, with the flowers on the edge of the inflorescence being
the youngest, while the opposite is true in a corymb. In an umbel the oldest flowers
are on the edge of the inflorescence and the youngest flowers are in the centre, and
all flowers arise from a central point.
Unique inflorescences
Different types of cymes:
Compund cyme:
vrugbeginsel
Determinate inflorescences: stem apex does not terminate in a flower or
inflorescence
Kapitulum / blomhofie tipies
van die Asteraceae
General fruit terminology