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Science & Tech > Botany > Classification


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


acanthine of, pertaining to, or resembling, the plant acanthus.
aerophyte a plant obtaining all its nourishment from the air; an epiphyte.
agrestal growing wild in cultivated ground (esp of weeds).
agrestial growing wild in cultivated ground (esp of weeds).
alpine related to mountains (noun) an alpine plant
alpinely (Adv.) ALPINE, related to mountains.
araceous of or like the arum plant.
autophyte an autotrophic plant, as any green plant.
calcicole a plant thriving on limy soil.
calcifuge a plant that will not tolerate limy soil.
cryophyte an organism esp an alga or moss that grows on snow or ice.
cryptogam a plant reproducing by spores and not seeds, eg ferns, mosses, fungi etc.
cultigen a plant known only in cultivation, apparently originating under domestication.
cultivar a distinct true-breeding race or form, established in cultivation.
cybrid a cell, plant etc. possessing the nuclear genome of one plant with at least some part of the chloroplastal or mitochondrial genome of the other.
deciduous losing leaves in autumn.
dictyogen a monocotyledon with net-veined leaves.
ecad a plant assumed to have adapted to its environment.
endogen any plant, including the monocotyledons, regarded as growing from within.
endophyte an endoparasitic plant.
epiphytal pertaining to an epiphyte, a plant which grows upon another plant.
epiphyte a plant which grows upon another plant, using it for structural support.
epiphytic of or like an epiphyte.
equisetic of or relating to plants of the genus Equisetum, horsetails.
evergreen a tree or shrub that is green throughout the year.
fabaceous beanlike.
fagaceous belonging to the beech family of trees.
flora (Lat.) the plant life of a region.
floristic relating to flora.
florula the flora of a single small environment.
florule the flora of a single small environment.
fluvial of or relating to a river or stream.
frutex (Lat.) a shrub.
geophyte a plant that survives the winter by having subterranean buds eg bulbs, corms or rhizomes.
glareal growing on dry exposed ground.
glareous growing on gravel; (arch.) slimy, viscous.
halophile a plant that is adapted to survive in salty soil.
halophobe a plant that cannot survive in salty soil.
halophyte a plant found growing in salt marshes, or in the sea.
helophyte any perennial marsh plant that bears its overwintering buds in the mud below the surface.
herb a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season.
herborise to search for plants, or new species of plants, with a view to classifying them.
herborize to search for plants, or new species of plants, with a view to classifying them.
holophyte a plant maintained entirely by its own organs.
humicole any plant that thrives on humus.
hygrophil moisture-loving; living where there is much moisture.
hylophyte a woodland plant.
irideal belonging to the Iridaceae family, irises.
megaflora large plants.
mesarch originating in a moderately moist habitat.
mesophyte a land plant growing in an environment with moderate moisture.
monocarp a plant that fruits only once.
monocot (Short for) a monocotyledon, a plant having a single cotyledon.
monocotyl a plant having a single cotyledon.
moraceous relating to the mulberry genus.
musaceous of, pertaining to, or resembling bananas or plantains.
nonhardy not hardy (of a plant).
nonlegume a plant that is not a legume.
oleaceous of or pertaining to the family Oleaceae, which includes olive, jasmine, lilac, privet, ash, and other trees and shrubs.
ombrophil a plant flourishing in extremely rainy conditions.
oophytic of or pertaining to an oophyte, a division of plants.
oxyphilic thriving in an acid environment.
pascual growing on land used for grazing; (noun) a plant that grows in pasture.
phaenogam (Greek) any plant of the class Phaenogamia, flowering plants.
phenogam (Greek) any plant of the class Phaenogamia, flowering plants.
phytoid plantlike.
pinaceous relating to the Pinaceae, a family of conifers including pines, firs, spruces and larch.
pleuston organisms living in the thin surface layer of fresh water.
poaceous belonging to the meadow-grass family.
polybrid a type of hybrid plant.
pomaceous of or relating to apples.
rosaceous of or pertaining to the Rosaceae or rose family.
ruderal growing in wasteland or among rubbish; (noun) a ruderal plant.
rutaceous of or pertaining to the rue family.
sative (Obs.) cultivated.
saxatile rock-dwelling.
saxicole rock-dwelling.
sciophyte any plant that grows best in the shade.
segetal growing in fields of grain.
semidwarf a plant that is half dwarf.
sexualist one who classifies plants by the sexual method of Linnaeus.
subshrub a low shrub.
succulent juicy, sappy (noun) a plant, such as a cactus, that stores water in its stem and leaves
taxaceous pertaining to yew trees.
theaceous relating to the tea genus of evergreen plants.
ulmaceous of or like elms.
vegetal of or pertaining to vegetables, or the vegetable kingdom (noun) a plant or vegetable
vegetally (Adv.) VEGETAL, like a plant or vegetable.
vegetive having the nature of a plant; (noun, Shakesp.) a plant.
xerarch growing in dry places.
xeric adapted to life with only a small amount of moisture.
xerically (Adv.) XERIC, characterized by or requiring only a small amount of moisture.
xeromorph a plant thriving in desert conditions, a xerophyte.
xerophile adapted to dry conditions; (noun) a plant adapted to dry conditions.
xerophily adaptation to very dry conditions.
xerophyte a plant thriving in desert conditions.
zygophyte a plant that reproduces by the union of two similar cells.