'Plant Speak'

15 years ago

A recent thread brought up the phrase "evergreen in warmer climates". That got me to thinking, I don't think I've ever seen a discussion about all the words and phrases that are used when discussing plants that have different or slightly different meanings than they otherwise would. What words have you ran into when discussing or reading about plants who's definitions might be useful for those not familiar with the terms or phrases? Maybe this topic is too large to cover thoroughly here, but I'd be interested in at least starting the topic.

Here's a few random examples that I've frequently used. I'm not sure the definitions are perfect, but hopefully they'll be close.

annual - a plant whose life cycle in normally completed in one year.

biennial - a plant whose life cycle typically spans two years.

tender perennial - a plant frequently grown as an annual in colder areas but whose life cycle could span several years in warmer areas.

key - a flowchart used to identify a specific type (genus, species, cultivar, etc.) of plant.

random-access plant key - a program or system used to identify a type of plant, that allows the user to input only the available information.

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Comments (5)

conniemcghee
15 years ago
Are you asking for things that you think are confusing to a beginning gardener? If so, I think "deciduous" is not a familiar term to beginners.

Deciduous = loses its foilage in the fall.

Is that the kind of thing you're looking for? :)
brandon7 TN_zone7
Original Author
15 years ago
I was originally thinking more of words whose meanings were different when used to discuss plants, but I guess any commonly or semi-commonly used plant-related words and phrases that might be confusing would be OK. Every once in a while, I run into plant-related words that I don't know the meaning of, so I know there are words that are confusing for beginners.

I'm most interested here in words and phrases that might not be as easy to look up as others. Words or phrases that if you typed into google wouldn't just automatically pop up with the correct plant-related definition.
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Amazindirt (7a TN)
15 years ago
prune (trim) vs. prune (fruit)
stick (rooting a cutting) vs. stick (piece of wood)
warm house vs cool house vs cold house vs cold frame
head house (this one always tickles me for some reason)
brandon7 TN_zone7
Original Author
15 years ago
What's a "head house"?
Amazindirt (7a TN)
15 years ago
It's the building at the end of a greenhouse -- used for potting, office space, whatever. Learned that one at UT. :-) I just like the way it sounds. ;-)