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day neutral plants - plants that flower
regardless of day length.
deciduous - a. (L. deciduus, that which falls down) falling after completion of the normal function. decimeter - (dm), 3.973 inches, 10 cm, or 0.1 m. decumbent - a. (L. decumbere, to lie down) trailing on the ground and rising at the tip, as some stems. decurrent - a. (L. decurrere, to run down) extending downward, applied usually to leaves in which the blade is apparently prolonged downward as two wings along the petiole or along the stem. dehiscence - n. (L. dehiscere, to gape) opening and shedding contents; said of stamens and fruits. dehisces - vt., to burst or split open, as the seed capsules of plants. deltoid - a. (Gr. delta, and eidos, form) shaped like the Greek letter delta; triangular in outline. dentate - a. (L. dens, a tooth) toothed, with large saw-like teeth on the margin pointing outward, not forward. denticle - n. (L. denticulus, little tooth) a small tooth or toothlike projecting point. denticulate - a., having small teeth; finely dentate. diadelphous - a. (from di-, twice, and Gr. adelphos, brother; -ous) in two sets as applied to stamens when in two, usually unequal, sets. dichotomous - a. (Gr. dichotous, a cutting in two) having or consisting of a pair or pairs; paired. digitate - a. (L. digitus, finger) having fingerlike divisions, as some leaves. dimorphic - a. (Gr. dimorphos, having two forms) having two forms. dioecious - a. (Gr. di, two; oikos, house) said of a kind of plant having unisexual flowers, the male and female flowers on different individual plants. diploid - a. (Gr. diploos, double; eidos, form) having twice the number of chromosomes normally occurring in a germ cell. disc flowers - the radially symmetrical flowers of the head in Compositae, as distinguished from the ligulate ray flowers. discoid - a. (Gr. diskos, a disk) having the form of a disk; discoid flower; a compound flower not radiated but with tubular florets. distal - a. (L. distare, to stand apart) farthest away from the point of attachment or origin. distichous - a. (Gr. distichos, having two rows) two-ranked; in the case of plants with alternate leaves, the arrangement is such that 1st is directly below the 3rd. divaricate - vt. (L. divaricare, to spread apart) to branch or spread widely apart. divergent - a. (L. divergere, to bend away) separated from one another, having tips further apart than the bases diverticulate - a. (L. divertere, to turn aside) having short offshoots approximately at right angles to axis. divided - a. (L. dividere, to divide) referring to the blade of an appendage when it is cut into distinct divisions to, or almost to, the midvein. dorsal - a. (L. dorsum, the back) pertaining to the back; the surface turned away from the axis. down - n. (ME. down, downe, down; probably of Scandinavian origin) fine, soft feathers; soft, fine hair. downy - a., covered with short, fine hairs. drupe - n. (Gr. dryppa, an overripe olive) a fleshy or pulpy fruit with the inner portion of the pericarp hard or stony and enclosing the seed; usually 1-locular and 1-seeded, sometimes more than 1-locular and more than 1-seeded.
echinate - a. (L. echinus, a hedgehog) set with prickles; prickly, like a hedgehog; having sharp points. ecology - n. (Gr. oikos, house; and -logy Gr. -logia, from legein, to speak) branch of science concerned with the interrelationships of organisms and their environments esp. as manifested by natural cycles and rhythms, community development and structure, interaction between different kinds of organisms, geographic distributions and population alteration. edaphic - a., relating to, or determined by, conditions of the soil. elliptic - a. (Gr. elleipsis, a falling short, defect, ellipse) an outline that is oval, narrowed to rounded at the ends and widest at about the middle (as the outline of a football); ellipsoid, a solid with an elliptical outline. emarginate - vt. (L. emarginare, to deprive of the edge) said of leaves, sepals, or petals, and other structures that are notched at the apex. emerge - vt. (L. emergere, to rise up, rise out) to rise out of a fluid or other covering. emergent - n., (ME. Fr. L. emergent-, emergens, pres. part. of emergere, to emerge - more at emerge) any of various plants (as a cattail) rooted in shallow water and having most of the vegetative growth above the water. emersed - adj., standing out of or rising above a surface as an aquatic plant with flower stalk emersed. emersed plants - plants growing with their roots and a portion of the shoot below the water and the remainder of the shoot above the surface of the water. enation - n. (L. enasci, to spring up) an abnormal growth of an organ or of an excresence upon any part of a plant. endemic - a. (Gr. endemos, native, belonging to a people) a plant that is native to a particular country or region; not introduced or naturalized. endocarp - n. (Gr. endo, within; karpos, fruit) the inter layer of the wall of a matured ovary; when its texture differs from the outer wall, it may be hard and stony, membranous, or fleshy. ensiform - adj. (F. ensiforme, Fr. L. ensis sword + F. forme, form) having sharp edges and tapering to a slender point; having a shape suggesting a sword. entire - a. (L. integer, whole, untouched, undiminished) having a margin devoid of any indentations, teeth, or lobes. entomophilous - a. (Gr. entomon, insect; philein, to love) pollination by insects. ephemeral - n. (Gr. ephemeros, lasting for a day) referring to an organ living a very short time, usually a day or less; lasting a very short time. epigynous - a. (Gr. epi, upon; gyne, woman) growing upon the top of the ovary or seeming to do so, as petals, sepals, and stamens. epigyny - n., the condition of being epigynous. epipetalous - a. (Gr. epi, upon; petalon, leaf) having stamens inserted on petals. equitant - a. (L. equitare, to ride) overlapping; said of leaves whose bases overlap the leaves within or above them, as in the Iris. erose - a. (L. erodere, to wear away) having small irregular notches in the margin, as if gnawed. essential flower parts - the stamen and pistil organs of the flower that are required for pollination. estuary - n. (L. aestuarium, part of the seacoast over which the tide ebbs and flows, from aestus, the tide) an inlet or arm of the sea; especially the wide mouth of a river, where the tide meets the current. pl. estuaries. eutrophic - a. (Gr. ew, well; trophe, nourishment) the gradual increase in nutrients in a body of water. Natural eutrophication is a gradual process, but human activities may greatly accelerate the process. eutrophication - a., the process of becoming eutrophic. even-pinnate - said of compound leaves having an even number of leaflets, this is usually easily determined because there is a pair terminally. excrescence - n. (L. excrescere, to grow out; ex, out; crescere, to grow) a normal outgrowth; a disfiguring addition. excurrent - a. (L. excurrere, to run out, project) projecting beyond the tip, as the midrib of a leaf or bract. exfoliate - vt. (L. ex, out; folium, leaf) peeling off in thin layers, shreds, or plates, as the bark of some trees. exine - n. (L. ex, out of, out) the outer of two layers forming the wall of certain spores (as pollen grains) - called also exosporium. exocarp - n. (Gr. exo, without; karpos, fruit) the outer layer of the wall of a matured ovary. exotic - a species introduced to Florida, purposefully or accidentally, from a natural range outside of Florida. exsert - vt. (L. exserere, to strech out) to put forth; to thrust out; to protrude. exserted - a., sticking out; extending beyond (some enclosing part). exstipulate - a. (L. ex, private; stipula, a stalk, stem) having no stem. |