Notes on Winter Botany
Gymnosperms
| ..... | ..... |
| cones | fir, hemlock, larch, pine, spruce |
| cone, woody & open, reddish-brown | arborvitae |
| cone, fleshy & berry-like | white cedar |
| cone, 3-6 fleshy coalescent scales, light blue & glaucous | red cedar |
| seed surrounded by fleshy aril | yew |
Angiosperms
Dicots
| Magnolia | Witch Hazel | Pink | Dill | Rose | Aster | |
| simple aggregates of follicles | magnolias | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsules (a dry, dehiscent fr composed of more than 1 carpel) | birthwort family Asarum & Aristolochia | witch hazel | ..... | trailing arbutus, teaberry (resembles a berry) | Scrophulariaceae, Bignoniaceae, enchanter's nightshade, Philadelphus, euonymus | Orobanchaceae (2-valved, many seeded); Plantago (oval capsule) |
| capsules, globose dry head formed by numerous somewhat cohering capsules | ..... | sweetgum | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsules, inflated by calyx | ..... | ..... | deptford pink | ..... | bladdernut | ..... |
| capsule, poricidal (opening by a series of pores near the top) | poppy | ..... | ..... | ..... | Campanulaceae | ..... |
| nutlets | Nymphaeaceae (water lily) | ..... | ..... | ..... | Verbenaceae, Lamiaceae, holly (nutlets in fleshy covering), Boraginaceae (stickseed) | |
| involucel = diminutive of involucre (any structure that surrounds the base of another structure) | ..... | Corylus (hazel nut) | ..... | ..... | ..... | Dipsacaceae (teasel) |
| capsule, pyxis = opening by a lid | ..... | ..... | purslane | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsule, denticidal = opening apically, leaving a ring of teeth | ..... | ..... | chickweeds | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsule, 2 valved, many-seeded; or 2-chambered | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | Orobanchaceae | blue toadflax (Scroph) |
| capsule, loculicidal = dehiscing lengthwise, sutures opening within a locule | ..... | ..... | ..... | Malvaceae, Cistaceae (rockrose) | Acanthaceae | Indian pipe, pine drops |
| catkins | ..... | ..... | ..... | willows | ..... | ..... |
| catkins, resembling hops | ..... | eastern hop hornbeam | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| catkins -- & small cone-like catkins (strobili) | ..... | alder | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsule, septicidal | ..... | ..... | ..... | Rhododendron, Kalmia, Pieris, Lyonia | ..... | ..... |
| acorn = dry, indehiscent, hard pericarp | .... | oaks (Fagaceae) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| nuts, hard, thick shell | ..... | hickories, walnuts (Juglandaceae) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| nuts, us 2 together in an urn-shaped prickly involucre which splits into 4 valves | ..... | beech (Fagaceae) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| nuts, us 3 together in a prickly involucre (bur) | ..... | chestnut | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| nut, surrounded by 8 linear bracts persisting as a sort of bur | ..... | Myrica (bayberry) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| nut-like | ..... | ..... | ..... | Tilia | ..... | ..... |
| scales | ..... | birch (Betulaceae) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| hazel nuts | ..... | hazel nut | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| capsule (a dry, dehiscent fruit composed of more than one carpel) | ..... | poplars, cottonwood | ..... | st. johnswort | enchanter's nightshade (Onagraceae); agrimony (turbinate capsule) | ..... |
| capsules, 2-chambered or 2-parted | ..... | dodder (Cuscutaceae), Plantago major & lanceolata, turtlehead agalinis (many Scrophs) | ||||
| capsules, 3-valved or 3-chambered | sundew; pinweed (Cistaceae) | |||||
| capsule, 3-5 chambered | swamp loosestrife (Lythraceae) | |||||
| capsule, 4-chambered | jimson weed (Solanaceae) | |||||
| capsule, 5-parted | capsule, 5-parted | |||||
| capsule enclosed by persistent calyx | ..... | ..... | ....... | pinweed (Cistaceae) | ..... | ..... |
| capsule, turbinate | ..... | ..... | ..... | agrimony | ..... | |
| capsule, woody | ..... | ..... | ..... | Ericaceae (heath - Rhododendron) | ..... | ..... |
| samara (an indehiscent, winged fr) | ..... | elm | ..... | hop tree | ash | |
| samaras, cone-like aggregates | tulip tree | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| samara (keys) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | maple | ..... |
| utricle (small, bladdery achene-like fr w seed loosely surrounded by the fr wall) | ..... | ..... | pigweed, saltwort (1-seeded bladder in 5-lobed calyx) | wild cucumber | ..... | ..... |
| silique (wall peeling away from a papery central partition) | ..... | ..... | ..... | mustard family | ..... | ..... |
| silicle = a silique which is not more than 2-3 longer than wide | ..... | ..... | ..... | mustard family | ..... | ..... |
| multiples of achenes | ..... | sycamore (round balls) | ..... | ..... | ..... | .... |
| achenes (us one-seeded, dry fr) | clematis | Cannabaceae (hemp) | buckwheat, knotweeds, dock | ..... | avens | sunflower, burdock, cocklebur, beggar ticks |
| achenes without pappus, achene not hidden (from Carol Levine) | Achillea, Artemisia, Helianthus (some), Heliopsis (some), Lapsanna, Ratibida, Rudbeckia, Matricaria (short crown), Tanacetum (short crown) | |||||
| achenes without pappus, achene hiddenw/in involucre | Arctium, Xanthium, Ambrosia | |||||
| achenes w/ pappus, double circle of pappus | Aster (some), Centaurea (some), Chrysopsis, Lactuca (some), Vernonia | |||||
| achenes w/ pappus, single circle of pappus, hairlike, capillary | sessile: Anaphalis,
Antennaria, Aster (some), Carduus, Conyza,
Erechtites, Eupatorium, Euthamia, Gnaphalium, Hieracium,
Inula, Mikania, Prenanthes, Senecio, Solidago, Sonchus;
beaked: Lactuca, Taraxacum |
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| achenes w/ pappus, single circle of pappus, hairlike, plumose | sessile: Cirsium Leontodon, Liatris,
Onopordum beaked: Trapogon |
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| achenes w/ pappus, single circle of pappus, stiff scales or teeth | dark: Bidens Light: Long, thin scales w/ wide base: Helenium Verbesina (some) small teeth or scales: winged: Coreopsis Silphium Verbesina (some) no wings: Centaurea (some) Cichorium Echinacea Helianthus (some) Heliopsis (some) Rudbeckia (some) |
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| cypsela (achene with an adnate calyx) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | aster family |
| legume (dry, several-seeded, & dehiscing down both sutures; single carpel) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | pea family, honey locust, redbud | ..... |
| loment = a legume w pronounced constrictions between the seeds; dehiscing transversely between the seeds | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | Desmodium (tick-trefoil) |
| schizocarp (a fr that splits into separate carpels at maturity) | ..... | ..... | ..... | mallow | parsley | ..... |
| drupe (a fleshy fr w/ a firm endocrap permanently enclosing the us solitary seed) | moonberry, sassafrass | Myricaceae (bayberry), hackberry | ..... | ...... | cherry, peach | Viburnum |
| pome (a fr w/ a core from a compound, inferior ovary) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | apple, pear | ..... |
| hesperidium = septations conspicuous, these lined with fleshy hairs | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | citrus fruits | ..... |
| accessory (formed by expanded dome-like receptacle of a single flower; covered w/ numerous achenes) | ..... | ..... | ..... | persimmon | strawberry & false strawberry | ..... |
| berry (fleshy fr derived from a single pistil) | laurel, barberry | ..... | cactus (pulpy berry) | Vaccinium (blue-berry), Gaylussacia (huckleberry) | grape, tomato | honeysuckle, partridgeberry (Rubiaceae) |
| berry, pulpy (paper-like clayx) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | ground cherry |
| berry-like | ..... | ..... | ..... | teaberry (Ericaceae) | ..... | Sambucus (elderberry) |
| pepo = berry w a leathery rind | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | squash family wild pumpkin | ..... |
| hip = vase-like leathery hypanthium containing several achenes | ..... | ..... | ..... | ..... | rose | ..... |
| follicle = (derived from a single carpel, dehiscing along one suture) clustered small dry follicles | gold thread (3-7) | ..... | ..... | ..... | ninebark | milkweeds, periwinkle (Apocynaceae) |
| berries, aggregate (fr derived from 2 or more pistils of a single flower) | ..... | mulberry | ..... | ..... | Rubus | ..... |
Angiosperms: Monocots
| ..... | Water Plantain | Aroids | Spiderwort | Lily |
| achene | arrowhead | ..... | Cyperaceae (sedge) | ..... |
| achenes, turgid | burhead | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| achenes, many, flat doughtnut-shaped receptacle | water plantain | ..... | ..... | ..... |
| achenes, small, dry, indehiscent packed into a round head | ..... | ..... | burreed | ..... |
| narrowly obpyramidal, hard & dry, indehiscent | ..... | sweet flag | ..... | ..... |
| achenes, linear, in cattail, frs small, dry | cattail | |||
| utricle | ..... | golden club (1-seeded) | ..... | ..... |
| spadix surrounded by spathe | ..... | skunk cabbage, arrow arum, jack-in-pulpit | ..... | ..... |
| caryopsis (grain) = seed & pericarp completedly fused | ..... | ..... | grasses | ..... |
| capsule, 1-chambered | rattlesnake-plantain (orchid family) | |||
| capsule, loculicidal = dehiscing lengthwise, sutures opening within a locule | ..... | ..... | Juncaceae (rush), spiderwort, day flower | iris, Allium, lily, trout lily, yamroot (3-winged) |
| capsule, opening by 3 longitudinal slits but remaining closed top & bottom | ..... | ..... | ..... | orchids |
| capsules, 3- winged | ..... | ..... | wild yam root | |
| ..... | ..... | ..... | ||
| achene-like | ..... | ..... | ..... | pickerelweed |
| berry | ..... | ..... | ..... | greenbrier, trillium, Indian cucumber root, Solomon's seal, false Solomon's seal, lily of the valley, rattlesnake plantain (orchid family) |
| capsule, septicidal = dehiscing lengthwise, the sutures splitting a septum | ..... | ..... | ..... | yucca |
Pistils bear the carpels;
carpels bear the ovules;
ovules are the seeds.
ovule = a young or undeveloped seed
carpel = fertile leaf (megasporophyll) of an angiosperm, which bears the ovules. A pistil is composed of one or more carpels.
pistil = female organ of a flower, composed of one or more carpels.
gynoecium = collective term for the carpels
single carpeled gynoecium = unicarpellate gynoecium (e.g. pea family)
two or more carpeled gynoecium = apocarpous gynoecium (buttercups)
two or more carpels fused gynoecium = syncarpous gynoecium (figwort, lily, evening primrose)