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GLOSSARY

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 Autumn Leaves Home Page

botany

the study of plants

branches

the parts of the tree that extend out from the trunk

chlorophyl

the green pigment found in the chloroplasts of plant cells

chloroplast

an oval chlorophyll-bearing body found in the cytoplasm in cells of green plants

coniferous tree

a tree that does not lose its leaves or needles in winter; usually has needlelike leaves

daylight hours

the number of hours and minutes in a day calculated by taking the hours from sunrise to noon plus the hours from noon to sunset

deciduous tree

a tree whose leaves fall in the winter

dicot

(dicotyledon) a flowering plant with two seed leaves; flowering plants characterized by having embryos with two cotyledons, net-veined leaves, flower parts in fours or fives, and the presence of cambium

flower

a) the seed producing structure of a flowering plant, consisting of a greatly shortened stem bearing four sets of organs, carpels at the tip of the stem and stamens beneath, which are typically surrounded by petals, usually brightly colored, and leaflike sepals. b) bloom, blossom c) the reproductive structure of any plant

hypothesis

an unproved theory, proposition, supposition, etc. tentatively accepted to explain certain facts, or (working hypothesis) to provide a basis for further investigation, argument, etc., a theory.

latitude

the imaginary lines that go from east to west (side to side) along the globe, but that measure distances north and south of the equator

leaf

any of the flat thin expanded organs, usually green, growing laterally from the stem or twig of a plant: it usually consists of a broad blade, a petiole, or stalk, and stipules and is involved in the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration

longitude

the imaginary lines that go from north to south (up and down) along the globe, but that measure distances east and west of the Prime Meridian

lobe

a rounded projected part, any of the rounded divisions of the leaves of certain trees

maple

a type of tree with broad leaves found in temperate zones

monocot

(monocotyledon) any of a subclass of flowering plants having an embryo containing only one seed leaf, and usually having parallel-veined leaves, flower parts in multiples of three, and no secondary growth in stems and roots, as lilies, orchids, grasses, etc.

peak color

the time in autumn when the leaves on the trees show the most brilliant colors before the leaves fall off the trees

palmate

shaped like a hand with the fingers spread; specif.,having veins or lobes radiating from a common center as in some leaves

petiole

a little foot, a leg, stalk; the part of a leaf that connects it to a branch of a tree or bush

photosynthesis

1) the biological synthesis of chemical compounds in the presence of light. 2) the production of organic substances, especially sugars, from carbon dioxide and water occurring in green plant cells supplied with enought light to allow chlorohhyll to aid in the transformation of the rediant energy into a chemical form

pinnate

1) resembling a feather 2) bot. with leaflets on each side of a common axis in a featherlike arrangement

plant

a living organism that, unlike an animal, cannot move voluntarily, has the ability to synthesize food from carbon dioxide, possesses cellulose cell walls, and lacks centrosomes, specialized sense organs, and digestive, nervous, and circluatory systems

rib

any of the main veins in a leaf

root

the part of a tree that usually grows under the ground

shrub

a small bush; a low woody plant with several permanent stems instead of a single trunk

stalk

 1) the main stem or axis of a plant 2) a lengthened part of a plant on which an organ grows or is supported, as the petiole of a leaf, etc.

sunrise

the time that the sun is first seen in the sky in the morning from a particular location

sunset

the time that the sun is last seen in the sky in the evening from a particular location

transpiration

the giving off or moisture, etc., through the pores of the skin or the surface of leaves

trunk

the main part of a tree that grows out of the ground and that all other branches extend from

Note:

Some of the above definitions were taken from Webster's New World Dictionary - Second College Edition