acidic
Having a low pH, opposite of basic or alkaline.
adnate
Fusion of unlike parts, e.g. stamens fused to petals.
adventive
A plant that grows in the wild in New Zealand but which was introduced to the country by humans.
agglutinated
Stuck together.
allelopath
An organism that releases compounds that are toxic to other species.
allelopathy
The release by an organism of compounds that are toxic to other species.
alveolate
Honeycombed with ridged partitions.
anamorph
Asexual fruiting stage, usually of an ascomycete fungus.
annual
A plant that completes its complete life cycle within the space of a year.
annual evergreen
Plants that lose their over-wintering leaves rapidly in the first half of the growing season. Annual evergreens never present a leafless appearance, but are closer in a functional sense to a deciduous plant than they are to multi-annual evergreens.
anterior
Towards the front.
antheridium
Male reproductive organ formed on the prothallus of a fern.
apex
Tip; the point furthest from the point of attachment.
apices
Plural of apex. Tip, the point furthest from the point of attachment.
apiculus
A small, slender point.
aquatic
Growing, or living in, or frequenting water. Applied to plants and animals and their habitats. Opposite of terrestrial (land living).
archegonium
Female reproductive organ of a fern formed on the prothallus.
artificial thinning
Selectively removing vegetation to create gaps to facilitate natural invasion of native plants, or to plant later successional plants.
ascending
Growing obliquely upward.
asexual
Vegetative reproduction, lacking sexual involvement by sperm or egg cells.
auricle
A small, ear-shaped appendage.
autogamous
Self-fertilising flowers.
axis
The longitudinal supporting structure around which organs are borne, e.g., a stem bearing leaves.
autotrophic
Of or relating to organisms (as green plants) that can make complex organic nutritive compounds from simple inorganic sources by photosynthesis.