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Flora of North America Glossary

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Term Synonyms Category Limitation Definition
lanulose pubescence Finely lanate.
late-maturing = serotinous maturation structure Maturing late in the growing season, or late relative to the developmental progress of its context.
lateral insertion To, toward, at, or upon a side, not apical or basal.
lateral position To, toward, at, or upon a side, not apical or basal.
lateral vein >< costa, primary vein, rib; > secondary vein STRUCTURE A longitudinal primary vein (costa, rib) that runs to one side of the midline, or a secondary vein that runs toward the lateral margin. See also tertiary vein, veinlet.
latex pl. latices, latexes SUBSTANCE A moderately viscous and sticky exudate, often milky, sometimes otherwise colored or clear. Overlaps conceptually with gum.
laticiferous exudation Producing and exuding latex.
latrorse dehiscence anther Opening laterally, on the tangential sides. See also extrorse, introrse.
latticed = cancellate, clathrate architecture foliaceous structure Having portions of the blade naturally devoid of any but vascular tissue, which forms an open lattice in those areas.
lax = loose architecture Having equivalent constituent parts disposed distant from one another.
leaf 1 pl. leaves = frond, macrophyll (not recommended), megaphyll; > frond, needle STRUCTURE A principal, vegetative shoot organ borne laterally from a stem node; its vascular tissues, if any, continuous with those of the stem; undergoing no significant secondary growth; usually more or less bilaterally symmetrical; comprising a distal, usually laminar blade and/or a proximal stalk (petiole) or sheath; usually a primary site of photosynthesis.
leaf 2 pl. leaves = microphyll STRUCTURE A small, lateral, leaf-like enation that, evolutionarily, is not a true leaf, i.e., whose vasculature, if any, consists of only a single median strand not ontogenetically integral with the vasculature of the bearing stem and not associated with leaf gaps in the stele of the stem; in Psilotophyta, Lycopodiophyta, Equisetophyta.
leaf-bearing = foliate architecture plant, axis Bearing leaves.
leafless = aphyllous architecture plant, axis Not bearing leaves.
leaflet > pinna, pinnule STRUCTURE One of the one or more distinct, leaf-like, first- or higher-order divisions of a compound leaf blade; stalked (petiolulate) or sessile; borne upon a rachis or rachilla.
…leafleted = …foliolate architecture foliaceous structure Compound with one order of the number of leaflets indicated by the prefix, arranged either pinnately or palmately; as in five-leafleted. See also conjugate, one-leafleted (single-leafleted, unifoliolate), unijugate.
leaf-like = foliaceous architecture structure Resembling a leaf in shape, texture and color.
leaf-opposed insertion Nodal and directly opposite the leaf.
leaf-opposed position Nodal and directly opposite the leaf.
leaf scar FEATURE A scar on a twig or stem due to abscission of a megaphyll; having an outline like that of a transverse section through the base of the petiole, sheath, or blade that was inserted there.
leathery = coriaceous texture Moderately thick, tough, and very pliable.
…leaved = …foliate architecture plant, axis Having (only) the number of leaves indicated by the prefix; as in two-leaved.
leftward = sinistrorse orientation Directed to the left, relative to the direction of growth along an explicit or implicit axis of reference. See also rightward (dextrorse).
legume nominative fruit Dry, septicidal, one-loculed and derived from a single, superior, simple ovary; dehiscing along two sutures, one abaxial, one adaxial; in Fabaceae (Leguminosae). See also loment.
lemma pl. lemmata, lemmas STRUCTURE The proximal bract of the (usually) two that immediately subtend the flower in a grass (Poaceae) floret; the other is the palea.
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