Native Orchid Glossary

unusual or atypical; different from normal.

tapering into a long, drawn-out point.

a gelatinous substance chiefly used as a solid substrate to contain culture medium for propagation.

the pollen bearing part of a stamen.

at the apex.

ending in a short, sharp point.

the ability to produce seed without sexual union taking place.

reproduction by vegetative means.

process of self-pollination.

arising from the base.

a leaf-like structure which lacks a blade or lamina.

glands found on the labellum.

dry dehiscent fruit.

belonging to a stem, usually referring to leaves.

another term for a narrow stalk on the base of a segment; for example a petal claw in Diuris, labellum claw in Pterostylis.

closed, referring to self-pollinating flowers that do not open.

a group of plants propagated vegetatively from one plant with all members of a clone being genetically identical.

lay term for the thickened glandular tips (osmophores) found on the sepals and petals of some orchids.

thickened segments.

a group of the same taxon growing together, often formed through asexual reproduction.

that part of an orchid formed by the union of the style and staminal filaments.

the wing-like appendage of a column.

in botanical terms, a group of related species.

sunken, basin-like.

curving outwards.

seed leaf.

a horticultural variety of a plant.

falling or shredding of any part of a plant.

splitting or opening when mature.

physical or physiological condition that prevents growth.

upper but complicated in orchid flowers because in some species the flowers are upside down.

soil fungi that ensheath roots and form a symbiotic association with a host plant.

whole, not toothed, lobed or divided in any way.

a plant that grows on other plants without deriving nourishment from them.

remaining green and retaining leaves throughout the year.

warty outgrowths that often secrete water; also used for structures on the labellum margins of Microtis that resemble clusters of cells.

the process by which in flowers the pollen causes the rudiment of a seed to become fertile: or reproductive.

the marginal hairs on a labellum.

the upper or helmet-shaped part of certain flowers.

a taxonomic group of closely related taxa.

plant growing in the ground.

without hairs.

bearing glands.

the general appearance of a plant.

the environment in which a plant grows.

having the shape of a hemisphere (half of a sphere).

the progeny of a cross between two species, cultivars or other hybrids.

 native to a country, region or area.

flowering structure of a plant.

between genera. Often referred to a rare hybrids formed between plants of two different genera.

plural for labellum.

the lower highly modified third petal of an orchid flower, commonly called the lip.

the expanded part of a leaf or labellum.

arising at the side of the main axis.

long and narrow with parallel sides.

see labellum.

a segment of an organ such as a labellum resulting from division.

the main projecting lobe of a labellum.

angiosperm which on germination has a single seed leaf and develops leaves with parallel venation.

the field in botany that studies the diversity in forms, with the naked eye or slight optical magnification.

the symbiotic (occasionally weakly pathogenic) association between a fungus and the roots of a plant.

 a plant indigenous to the locality.

having a circular outline.

a scent-producing gland often found on the tips of petals and sepals, particularly in Caladenia.

part of the flower which encloses the ovules and after fertilisation develops into the fruit.

oval, egg shaped.

 a small structure within the ovary which becomes seed following fertilisation.

small, irregular, pimple-like projections or bumps.

bearing papillae; the surface is covered with tiny roughened structures, sometimes nipple shaped.

a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.

a stalk supporting one flower or fruit.

the stalk of a flower cluster.

hanging loosely.

a plant that lives for more than two years.

one of the inner segments of a flower.

one of the inner segments of a flower.

a chemical that triggers a natural behavioural response in another member of the same species.

fleshy flat structure on the labellum; callus structure.

the mass of grain contained in the anther.

lying flat on the ground.

an often spherical structure that develops following the germination of orchid seed.

a thickened stem of an orchid that acts as a storage organ.

behaviours similar to copulation that serve a reproductive function for one or both participants but do not involve actual sexual union between the individuals. It is most generally applied to a pollinator attempting to copulate with a flower.

a powdery mass resembling pollen that is found on the labellum of some orchid species.

a flower-cluster with an elongated axis or central stem.

bent backward.

bent sharply backward or upward.

an underground stem that has nodes and roots and can form shoots.

a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are oblique.

when the basal leaves radiate roughly in a circle from a central axis.

feeding or growing upon decayed animal or vegetable matter.

peduncle and rhachis of an inflorescence.

one of the outer segments of a flower.

one of the outer segments of a flower.

with sharp forward-pointing teeth.

curved in two directions like the letter S.

a taxonomic group of closely related plants all with similar basic features.

a simple unbranched inflorescence with sessile flowers.

an enlarged sticky area that terminates the pistil. It is receptive to pollen and allows the pollen grains to germinate.

a narrow part of the pistil which connects the stigma with the ovary. In orchids the style forms part of the column.

a subdivision of a genus.

taxon differing in minor morphological characters such as size or shape of parts, and either partially or completely isolated by means of geographic, ecologic or other barriers.

where two different organisms coexist.

growing together.

specialized lateral growth pattern in which the terminal bud dies. The growth continues by development of new shoots sprouting from or next to those of previous years.

another name for the same taxon. Either an alternative name or an invalid or incorrect name.

plural term used to describe any taxonomic group, e.g. genus, species and subspecies.

singular term used to describe any taxonomic group, e.g. genus, species and subspecies.

the classification of plants or animals.

long, narrow, round and solid in cross-section.

existing on or in the earth.

thickened or swollen root. Found on most geophytic Australian orchids.

a fibrous protective sheath often found around the tuber of geophytic orchids.

in systematics the reference specimen or collection by which the identity of a taxon is determined.

a recognised taxon not yet formally named and described.

wavy.

where the basic colour of a leaf or petal is broken by areas of another colour.

the semi-transparent expansion on each side of the column of an orchid.