A
Alternate: Placed singly at different heights on the axis, on each side in succession, or at definite angular distances from one another, as leaves. [example].
Aments: See catkin.
Anemophilous: A form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by wind. (See entomophilous and zoophilous).
Angiosperms: Flowering plants; a tree with leaves that are flat and thin, and generally shed annually.
AS: Ask (Black and White).
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B
BC: Black Cherry.
BE: Beech.
BF: Balsam Fir.
Blade: The flat part of a leaf or leaflet, characteristic of broadleaf trees.
BP: Balsam Poplar.
Broadleaf: See angiosperms.
BS: Black Spruce.
Bud scar: The marks remaining after bud scales drop in the spring.
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C
Catkin: Slim, cylindrical flower clusters, anemophilous and with inconspicuous or no petals. [example 1]. [example 2].
Compound leaf: A leaf with more than one blade. All blades are attached to a single leafstem. Where the leafstem attaches to the twig, there is a bud.
Conifer: A cone-bearing tree. [example].
Cross-pollination: Fertilization between genetically compatible trees for better fruit, often resulting in superior offspring.
Crown: The head of foliage of a tree or shrub — this is the form or shape of the tree.
Cuneate: Triangular at the base and tapering to a point.
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D
Deciduous: Shedding all leaves annually. [example].
Dioecious: Having the male and female organs in separate and distinct individuals; having separate sexes.
Distichous: Arranged alternately in two vertical rows on opposite sides of an axis, as leaves. (Ex. Balsam Fir or Hemlock).
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E
E: Elm.
EC: Eastern Cedar (white).
EH: Eastern Hemlock.
Entomophilous: A form of pollination whereby pollen is distributed by insects; bees, butterflies, moths. (See anemophilous and zoophilous).
Evergreen: Trees with needles or leaves that remain alive and on the tree through the winter and into the next growing season. (See conifer).
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G
GB: Grey Birch.
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H
HWD: Hardwood.
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I
Inflorescence: A group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. [example].
IW: Ironwood
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J
JP: Jack Pine.
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L
LA: Largetooth Aspen.
Leaf scar: The mark left on the twig where the leaf was previously attached.
Lobes: Projections that shape a leaf.
Lenticel: A loose aggregation of cells which penetrates the surface (as of a stem) of a woody plant and through which gases are exchanged between the atmosphere and the underlying tissues; appeares as a white speckle or horizontal line on the bark. [example].
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M
Margin: The edge of a leaf.
Monoecious: Having the stamens and the pistils in separate flowers on the same plant.
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N
Native: Inherent and original to a geographic area.
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O
Opposite: Two or three leaves that are directly across from each other on the same twig. [example].
Ovate: Egg shaped.
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P
Palmate: Blades or lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like fingers on the palm of a hand.
Panicle: A branched raceme in which each branch has more than one flower. [example].
Pedicel: The branches or stalks that hold each flower in an inflorescence that contains more than one flower. [example].
Persistent: Deciduous leaf blades that remain on the tree for more than a year.
Petiole: The leafstalk that connects the blade(s) to the twig.
Pinnate: Blades of lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like vanes of a feather.
Pistil: The seed-bearing organ of the flower. The pistil consists of an ovary, stigma, and style when present.
Pollination: To transfer pollen from the anther of a stamen to the stigma of a pistil, resulting in fertilization. This can occur either on a single plant (self-pollination) or between different plants. Insect pollination and wind pollination are two examples of natural pollination.
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R
Raceme: A type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers. [example].
RM: Red Maple.
RO: Red Oak.
Rootstock: The root upon which the scion is grafted.
RP: Red Pine.
RS: Red Spruce.
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S
Samara: Winged fruit. [example].
Scion: The part of the tree that is grafted or budded to rootstock.
Self-fertile / Self-pollinating: Fertile by means of its own pollen; this makes it theoretically possible for both pollen and ovules to unite and produce fruit without a second tree being present.
Serotiny: The behaviour of some plant species that retain their non-dormant seeds in a cone or woody fruit for up to several years, but release them after exposure to fire. (Eg. Jack Pine).
Simple leaf: A single leaf blade with a bud at the base of the leafstem.
Sinus: Indentation between lobes on a leaf.
SM: Sugar Maple.
SP: Scots Pine.
Spurs: Stubby, often sharp twigs.
Stomata: One of the minute pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass. Also called stomate. [example].
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T
TA: Trembling Aspen.
Teeth: Notches on the outer edge of a leaf.
TL: Easten Larch.
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W
WA: White Ash.
WB: White Birch.
WL: Western Larch.
WS: White Spruce.
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Y
YB: Yellow Birch.
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Z
Zoophilous: A form of pollination whereby pollen is transferred by vertebrates; hummingbirds. (See anemophilous and entomophilous).
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