Glossary - general
[ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z ]
Vaginate – sheathed
Valleculae – the interstices between the ribs of Apiaceae fruits, where are often to be found the vittae
Valvate aestivation – the adjacent sepals/petals meet exactly and touch each other at the margins without overlapping or turning in one direction or another
Valve – one of the parts produced by the splitting of a capsule or pod when ripe
Valvicidal anther dehiscence – valvate opening of anthers; the thecae of the anthers open by flaps
Valvule – (Poaceae) the upper bract in each grass floret; palea
Variable – not constant in appearance
Variation – minor difference
Variegated leaf – irregularly coloured with two or more colours
Varnished surface – shiny
Vascular – referring to the xylem and/or phloem
Vascular bundle – aggregations of phloem and xylem, sometimes with associated transfusion tissue and with a variety of sheaths; in closed vascular bundles a cambium does not develop; in open vascular bundles a cambium develops
Vascular tissue – conducting tissues made up of xylem and phloem and surrounded by the cortex and surrounding the pith
Vasicentric parenchyma – axial parenchyma distributed adjacent to a vessel or group of vessels, the cells being of about equal abundance on all sides of the vessel; parenchyma cells forming a complete sheath of parenchyma around a solitary vessel or vessel multiple
Vasicentric scanty parenchyma – an incomplete sheath of axial parenchymatic cells surrounding a vessel or group of vessels; a vasicentric abundant parenchyma (sensu Carlquist) is a sheath at least two cells wide which forms a complete sheath around a vessel or a group of vessels
Vascularized – containing strands of vascular tissue
Vegetative – non-sexual; associated with root, stem and leaf
Vein – strand of vascular tissue in flat organ, often visible on the surface
Vein reticulum – the net-like pattern formed by veins
Veinlet – small vein
Velamen (of roots) – (Orchidaceae) the one or more layers of spongy cells on the outside of the contractile roots
Velar carunculus – (Euphorbiaceae) carunculus shaped like a hanging curtain
Velum (of flower) – annular inner disc
Velum (of perianth) – perianth parts fused and intruded below into an interior annular disc surrounding the androecium or the gynoecium
Velutinous – velvety, with very short dense indument soft to the touch
Velvety (of indumentum) – resembling velvet, i.e. with a soft, close-cut pile
Venation – the visible arrangement of the veins of a lamina
Venose – with veins
Vent – slit in the side of the corolla tube which is not continued to the apex (e.g. in Loranthaceae and Rubiaceae)
Ventral – synonymous with abaxial or lower in regard to the lamina surface – Opposite: dorsal (adaxial)
Ventral placentation – see Marginal placentation
Ventricidal capsule – in syncarpous fruits with the opening along the inner (ventral, adaxial) side of the carpel
Ventricose – fat, swollen; swollen or bulging on one side near the middle
Ventrobasic style – the style positioned at or near the base and on the abaxial (ventral) side
Venules – small veins
Vermiform – shaped like a worm
Vernation – folding of leaves in bud – see Ptyxis
Vernicifluous – (Euphorbiaceae) causing a varnish-like sap to flow
Verruca (pl. verrucae) – wart, small conical bump
Verrucate tectum (of pollen grains) – with wart-like sexine elements, more than 1 µm wide, broader than its height and not constricted at base
Verrucose, verrucate – warty
Verrucula – small wart
Verruculose – warty with very small bumps
Versatile anther – as if hinged on the filament
Verticil – a whorl or arrangement of more than two similar parts in a circle at the same leve; often used of structures not usually whorled
Verticillaster (of inflorescence) – a false whorl, consisting of two opposite cymes, as in Lamiaceae
Verticillate leaves – in a whorl, i.e. several arising at the same node arranged regularly around the stem
Vesicant – causing blisters
Vesicular – (1) covered with small blisters; (2) bladder-like
Vesicular endomycorrhiza – vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza – see Arbuscular mycorrhiza
Vessels – water-conducting cells of the xylem
Vestigial – as a remnant, a very small version of an organ or organ part appearing not to serve its original function
Vestite – clothed or covered
Vestured pit – pit bordered and lined with close minute projections, vestures, which are either branched or unbranched
Vexillary stamen – upper stamen in diadelphous papilionoid flower, free or partially attached; adaxial stamen
Vexillum (of flower) – (Faboideae) standard; the uppermost/posterior petal
Vigorous – strong
Villous, villose – with long soft hairs
Vine – climber; climbing herbaceous or woody plant with small stem diameter
Violoid leaf tooth – with the medial vein ending in opaque persistent glandular termination, not associated with lateral veins
Virgate – long, slender and stiff, branched; twiggy
Viscid – sticky
Viscidium (pl. viscidia) (of flowers) – (Orchidaceae) a viscid part of the rostellum, to which the pollinia are attached
Viscin thread (of pollen grains) – an acetolysis resistant, sporopollenin thread arising from the exine, usually from the proximal surface
Viscin tissue – (Viscaceae, Loranthaceae) sticky tissue in the fruits, consisting of elastic elongated viscin cells with thick walls and wider vesicular cells with thin walls and an extensive vacuolar system; the viscid mucilage (with viscan, a cellulosic polysaccharide) originates from the vacuoles, the middle lamella and spaces between this and the plasmalemma
Viscous – glutinous, very sticky
Vitta (pl. vittae) – (Apiaceae, some Amaranthaceae) aromatic oil tubes in the fruit
Vittate – (Apiaceae, some Amaranthaceae) equipped with vittae
Viviparous – bearing live young, e.g. when the seeds germinate on the parent plant, or where plantlets are produced from the edges of leaves (in, e.g., some Kalanchoe)
Volatile secreted oil – quickly evaporating, disappearing
Volva – (Balanophoraceae) an annular structure, which is formed when the inflorescence shoot has arisen from a lobe on the subterranean tuber
Vorläuferspitze – (monocotyledons) precursor tip; an abaxial outgrowth of the leaf apex
Vulviform – like a cleft with projecting edges