Some aspects of my descriptions
My journal posts have all used botanical terms, so it would only make sense to have a glossary of botanical terms. Along with that, finding plant descriptions are generally quite difficult and is something that should be more publicly available than as of current. When I do a google search along the lines of "[plant name] description" or "[plant name] morphology", I usually get results which are far from what a dedicated botanist would like, and results more resemble a horticulturalist's dream e.g. gardening pages galore. Sometimes those pages can be of slight help but more often than not they are nothing shy of useless for getting accurate descriptions.
For the above reason, it's why I have started creating descriptions of my own on iNaturalist. Not only for my own gain but for publicly available good quality plant descriptions which a botanist would ideally wide-eyed drool to. The main goal of my descriptions are to create a point of reference for myself and others to refer to when contemplating if the ID they have allocated a plant is correct. It can often be tricky to differentiate two species and hence the descriptions I make will hopefully help out on that. Each description will likely always be a work in progress as new information can always be added.
In terms of the future for my descriptions I will hopefully complete the Shetland list, even if I don't have observations of the plants myself. Please note that not all submissions for the galleries in my descriptions will be added.
Botanical Term Glossary
I have attempt to break down concepts in the glossary as much as possible so that the information contained is available for a wide audience. Learning terms can be a nightmare, especially for beginners. For some terms other sections of the glossary will have to be referred to. The glossary is by no means complete. Terms which are more or less self explanatory are excluded e.g. Hairs, veins.
Most sources for terms come from various sites I find from a quick google search and from the 2nd edition Collin's Wild Flower Guide book. For googling, Sometimes I'll jump straight to images, sometimes I'll choose Wikipedia, and other times I have to locate other sites. I will be adding sites/Wikipedia articles as I go while citing them wherever possible.
If you are using a keyboard, I recommend trying the F3 key on your keyboard to search for specific words in the glossary. You may have to use the "Function" key on your keyboard along with the F3 key for it to work i.e. fn+f3.
Included categories:
Misc
General
Flowers
Leaves
Stem
Fruits
Misc terms
I am defining "misc terms" as ones which are used to describe a feature e.g. symbols
±: More or less. May be used when a feature closely resembles what is described.
General terms
I am defining "general terms" as ones which cannot be applied to just one part of the plant, or terms which are applied to the whole plant.
Apex: The tip of a feature e.g. leaf apex (tip of leaf).
Base: The bottom of a plant or feature. "Basal" can be used to describe features at the base of a plant e.g. Basal leaves.
Bulb: Dense subterranean leaf structure which stores energy for the plant in following years. Typically found in monocots.
Creeping: Plants which don't grow high but instead trail across the ground, on top of other vegetation or up obstacles e.g. rocks.
Erect: Describes upright/vertical growth, not growing horizontally. See: Prostrate
Fused: Describes parts which were previously individuals and have joined together to become one. Typically used to describe corollas (petals fused together) or calyces (sepals fused together).
Glabrous: Lacking hairs.
Inconspicuous: Barely or not noticed.
Minute: Small. Details which are hard to see with the human eye.
Notched: An indent- as if a slice was taken out.
Pubescent: Fine hairs.
Prostrate: Describes horizontal growth. Often associated with creeping plants. See: Erect
Variegation: Changes in colouration on parts to provide patterns. Garden and house plants usually have this on the leaves and flowerheads.
Flowers
Terms under this section apply to those only found on the flower head.
Buds: An unopened developing/developed flowerhead.
Calyx: The collective term for the sepals. See: Sepals, Tepals
Carpel: The collective term for the female reproductive part of a flower. See: Ovary, locule
Corolla: Collective term for the petals. See: Tepals
Heterostylous: Where either the stigma or the anthers are further in front of one another on each specimen e.g. Primula vulgaris. This method of reproduction increases the chances of better cross-pollination.
Locule: Sections within an ovary. Ovaries can be described as monolocular, dilocular, trilocular, etc.
Ovary: Part of the female reproductive part of the flower, where the ova (eggs) are located. Can be described as inferior or superior. Superior is where the ovary is generally further out in the open than other parts of the plant, inferior is the opposite.
Petals: Brightly coloured appendage on the flowerhead which attracts pollinators.
Raceme: Inflorescence which has alternative pedicels on a main stalk.
Receptacle: Vegetative parts close to or enclosing the flowerhead.
Sepals: Leaf-like structures directly beneath the flowerhead. Like a hand holding the rest of the flowerhead. See: Calyx, Bracts, Tepals
Tepals: Term used to describe parts which can't be described as either petals or sepals e.g. the Tepals on Scilla Verna.
Throat: Typically used on flowers with an inferior ovary, the inner area of the corolla.
Leaves
Terms under this section apply to those only found with association to the leaves of the plant.
Leaf descriptions can be a bit all over the place and can be awkward to navigate. This section has been split into subcategories, some may have images to create visual demonstrations.
Blade: The flat surface of the leaf. syns: Lamina
Bract: Leaves located below the flowerhead on the pedicel or node of the pedicel.
Lamina: The flat surface of the leaf. syns: Blade
Margin: The edge of a leaf blade.
Midrib: Also called "midvein". The central vein(s) of the leaf from which secondary veins emerge from.
Revolute: Margin rolled under the leaf.
Rosette: Multiple leaves which spread outward from a central point. Usually basal.
Teeth: Sharp outgrowths on the margin.
Leaf Apices
British Northern Hawkweeds (BSBI Handbook 15) pg. 12 Figure 19, Walter Scott & Tim Rich. BSBI, 2011.
A. Acuminate, margin curves inwards to create a fine tip. B. Long-Acute, thinning of apex to a fine tip. C. Acute, where angle created within the apex is <90 degrees. D. Obtuse, still retains pointed tip but angle is >90 degrees. E. Rounded, where the apex does not have a pointed tip. F. Mucronulate, apex rounded but ends in a large point. G. Apiculate, ends in a small pointed tip.
Leaf Margins
Toothing
British Northern Hawkweeds (BSBI Handbook 15) pg. 13 Figure 21, Walter Scott & Tim Rich. BSBI, 2011.
A. Entire, no teeth or waviness- smooth. B. Remotely denticulate, small and distant teeth. C. Denticulate, regular small teeth. D. Dentate, large, regular teeth at ±90 degree angle to margin. E. Serrate, large, regular teeth pointing towards apex.
Leaf Shape
British Northern Hawkweeds (BSBI Handbook 15) pg. 12 Figure 18, Walter Scott & Tim Rich. BSBI, 2011.
A. Narrowly Elliptical. B. Elliptical. C. Broadly Elliptical. D. Rotund. E. Linear. F. Narrowly Oblong. G. Oblong. H. Lanceolate. I. Ovate. J. Obovate. K. Rhomboidal
Stem
Terms under this section apply to those only found with association to the stem of the plant.
Node: Part of a stem which leaves and branches attach to.
Pedicel: Stems which a flowerhead sits on.
Fruits
Terms under this section apply to those only found with association to the fruits of the plant.
Nothing yet!
Extra resources
As mentioned, finding resources can be quite a challenge. Here are my top recommended resources for the UK:
Wild Flower ID Guide: https://wildflowerfinder.org.uk. Has lots of flowers listed. Not much on the leaves, however lots of information on everything else! One of my go-to sites for confirming my identifications. Also has a few glossaries listed.
Botanical Term Glossary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_botanical_terms#R. Has the vast majority of botanical terms listed and described. I've cross referenced some of my descriptions with this glossary.
NatureGate: https://luontoportti.com/en. Very modern looking site which is based in Finland. Not all UK plants are listed but a good few are. Intuitive site to use for identifications, very beginner friendly.
BSBI's Plant Crib: https://bsbi.org/plant-crib. Has notes, ID guides and descriptions for various genera. Bit of a hit-or-miss as you don't know what level of detail you will get going into each genus. Some genera, especially Taraxacum are well documented. Some will practically tell you to buy their handbooks!
Wild Flower Web: http://www.wildflowerweb.co.uk. Good for getting non-botanical informative descriptions that are able to be understood by general public.
Kew Garden's Plants of the World Online: https://powo.science.kew.org. Near to no information on plant descriptions, however lots of information on studies and subspecies. Also may have images for some species.
Flora of North America: http://www.efloras.org/flora_page.aspx?flora_id=1. Good for botanical plant descriptions. Of course since it's based in North America it won't have all taxa from the UK.
Afterword
Very much a work in progress at the moment. Still need to do leaf bases and a few margins, along with a couple extra definitions on top of that. I'm no artist, recreating the drawings in BSBI handbook 15 took quite longer than I had anticipated.
