L Lamina—The blade or flattened portion of a leaf. Lanceolate—Shaped like a lance; several times longer than wide, and growing to a point. Lateral—Situated on the side, as the buds along the side of the twig. Leaflets—One of the small blades or divisions of a compound leaf. Leaf-scar—The scar left after a leaf falls. Lenticel—A corky growth on young or sometimes older bark, which admits air to the interior of the twig or branch. Linear—Line-like, long and narrow, with parallel edges. Lobed—Said of leaves that have the margins more or less cut or divided.
M Medullary—Pertaining to the pith or medulla. Medullary Ray—Radial lines of tissues crossing the growth of rings at right angles and extending into the bark. Midrib—The central or main rib or vein of a leaf. Monoecious—Bearing male and female flower parts in separate flowers on the same plant. Mucilaginous—Slimy or gummy when touched or chewed. Multiple fruit—A cluster of fruits of separate flowers crowded together and forming what appears to be a single fruit. Examples: mulberry, strawberry, osage-orange fruits.
N Naked—Said of buds without scales, and seeds without a covering. Naval Stores—Refers to tar, turpentine, resin, etc. Node—A place on a twig where one or more leaves originate. Nut—A dry, 1-seeded, fruit with a hard indehiscent covering and encased partly or wholly in an involucre or husk. Nutlet—A small nut.
O Oblique—Slanting, uneven. Uneven sided. Oblong—About twice as long as wide, the sides nearly parallel. Obovate—Reversed egg-shaped. Obtuse—Blunt Opposite—Said of leaves and buds, directly across from each other. Orbicular—Circular. Oval—Rounded. Ovate—Egg-shaped. Ovoid—Egg-shaped or nearly so.
P Palmate—Radiately lobed or divided from the petiole; hand-like as leaflets of buckeye. Panicle—A loose, irregularly compound flower cluster with flowers on pedicels. Pedicel—The support or stem of a single flower or fruit in a cluster. Peduncle—A primary flower stalk supporting a cluster of flowers or a solitary flower, later the fruit. A fruit-stem. Perennial—Lasting for more than one year. Persistent—Remaining after blooming, fruiting, or maturing. Petiole—The stalk of a leaf. Pinnate—Feather-like with leaflets on both sides of rachis or leaf stalk. Pistil—Seed bearing organ of flower. May consist of stigma, style, and ovary. Pith—The soft central part of a twig or stem. Pod—Any dry, one chambered, dehiscent fruit. Pollen—The dust-like substance from the anthers of a flower. Pollination—The process of bringing the pollen of the male flower in contact with the stigma of the female flower. Pome—A fleshy fruit with a core, such as the apple or pear. Porous—With open tubes (through wood). Prickle—A sharp-pointed, needle-like outgrowth. Pubescent—With short, soft, down-like hairs. Pungent—Acrid or sharp to smell. Pyramidal—Shaped like a pyramid with the broadest part near the base.