Plant Vocabulary

Frequently being updated in connection with the UHM Plant Project, gathering more and more words from the field of flora, biology, plants etc. that are not necessarily part of a person’s vocabulary who learns English.

Last update January 31, 2016

genus, noun, [ˈjēnəs] a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name, e.g., Leo. “The identification of two named genera in a single organism presents a taxonomic dilemma.” synonyms: subdivision, division, group, subfamily

heartwood, noun, [ˈhärtˌwo͝od] the dense inner part of a tree trunk, yielding the hardest timber. “In the inner heartwood , these bodies were rarefying and cell walls became impregnated by a brown colour.”

lignin, noun, [ˈlignin] a complex organic polymer deposited in the cell walls of many plants, making them rigid and woody. “Callose, lignin and suberin are polymers that can be elicited as plant defences that reinforce cell walls of some species.”

pod, noun, [päd] an elongated seed vessel of a leguminous plant such as the pea, splitting open on both sides when ripe. “Late in the season, just as the seedpods begin to split, open a pod and gather the seeds.” synonyms: shell, husk, hull, case, shuck, pericarp, capsule

sapwood, noun, [ˈsapˌwo͝od] the soft outer layers of recently formed wood between the heartwood and the bark, containing the functioning vascular tissue. “The beetles lay their eggs in trees and the resulting larvae bore into the wood, feeding on the tree’s cambium, sapwood , and heartwood and impeding the movement of water and nutrients through the tree.”

Definitions from Google Translate unless indicated otherwise.