Section B. General Characters and Character States:
II. Number and Size

A. Number
(Pertains to selected terms dealing with numbers. See number prefixes and word stems in Chapter 4 for meanings of additional terms.)

Ancipital. Two-edged.

Bicarpellate. Two-carpelled.

Bidentate. Two-toothed.

Biflorous. Two-flowered.

Bifoliate. Two-leaved.

Bilabiate. Two-lipped.

Bilocular. Two-locular.

Binate. Twinned.

Biseriate. Two-rowed; in two series.

Bisexual. Both sexes in same flower (monoclinous, perfect).

Diadelphous. With two groups of stamens connate by their filaments.

Diandrous. With two stamens per flower.

Dichasium. Cymose inflorescence in which each axis produces a pair of lateral axes.

Dichlamydeous. With two perianth parts, a distinct calyx and corolla.

Diclinous. Having the stamens and carpels in separate flowers, imperfect, either monoecious or dioecious.

Dicotyledonous. With two cotyledons.

Dioecious. With staminate and carpellate flowers on separate plants.

Dipterous. Two-winged.

Dyad. Pollen grains occurring in clusters of two.

Monad. Pollen grains occurring singly.

Monadelphous. With one group of stamens connate by their filaments.

Monocarpellate. One-carpelled.

Monocephalous. One-headed, as in composites.

Monocotyledonous. With one cotyledon.

Monoecious. With staminate and carpellate flowers on same plant.

Monophyllous. One-leaved.

Multicellular. Many-celled.

Multicipital. With many axes or stems from one rootstock or caudex.

Multicostal. Many-ribbed.

Multilocular. Many-locular.

Multiseriate. Many-rowed; in many series.

Multistriate. Many-lined.

Pentagonal. Five-angled.

Pentandrous. With five stamens.

Polyad. Pollen grains in clusters of more than four.

Polyandrous. Many-stamened.

Polycarpellate. Many-carpellate.

Polycephalous. Many-headed, as in composites.

Polydelphous. With several groups of stamens connate by their filaments.

Tetrad. Pollen grains in clusters of four.

Tetragonal. Four-angled.

Tetrahedral. Having the form of a tetrahedron.

Tetralocular. Four-locular.

Tetrandrous. With four stamens.

Tricarpellate. Three-carpellate.

Triflorous. Three-flowered.

Trifoliate. Three-leaved.

Trifoliolate. With three leaflets.

Trigonous. Three-angled.

Triquetrous. Three-angled with the sides usually concave.

Unilocular. One-locular.

Uniseriate. One-rowed; in one series.

Unisexual. With only one sex in each flower.

B. Size
(Selected terms related to size and frequently shape. See size prefixes and word stems of organs and parts in Chapter 4 for meanings of additional terms.)

C. Cycly
(Pertains to number of whorls of floral parts, leaves, or stems)

Acarpous. No carpels or carpellate whorl; no pistil.

Achlamydeous. Without perianth.

Apetalous. No petals or corolla.

Aphyllous. Without leaves, no whorls of leaves.

Arhizous. Without roots, no whorls of roots.

Asepalous. No sepals or calyx.

Astemonous or Anandrous. No stamens or androecium.

Chlamydeous. With perianth.

Complete. With four types of floral parts.

Dichlamydeous. With perianth composed of distinct calyx and corolla.

Dicyclic. Two-whorled.

Homochlamydeous. With perianth composed of similar parts, each part a tepal.

Incomplete. One or more types of floral parts absent.

Monocyclic. One-whorled.

Oligotaxy. Reduction in number of whorls.

Pentacyclic. Five-whorled.

Pleiotaxy. Increase in number of whorls.

Polycyclic. Many-whorled.

Tetracyclic. Four-whorled.

Tricyclic. Three-whorled.

D. Merosity
(Pertains to number of parts within whorls of floral parts, leaves, or stems)

Dimerous. Whorl with two members.

Heteromerous or Anisomerous. With different number of members in different whorls.

Isomerous. With same number of members in different whorls.

Monomerous. Whorl with one member.

Oligomerous. With reduction in number of members within whorl.

Pentamerous. Whorl with five members.

Pleiomerous. With increase in number of members within whorl.

Polymerous. Whorl with many members.

Pseudomonomerous. Whorl seemingly with one member which is a fusion product of two or more parts.

Tetramerous. Whorl with four members.

Trimerous. Whorl with three members.

E. Fusion
(Pertains to fusion of members within and betwen whorls of floral parts)

1. General
(Based on Porter et al., [1973])

Adherent. With unlike parts of organs joined, but only superficially and without actual histological continuity.

Adnate. With unlike parts or organs integrally fused to one another with histological continuity.

Coalesced. With like or unlike parts or organs incompletely separated; partially fused in a more or less irregular fashion.

Coherent. With like parts or organs joined, but only superficially and without actual histological continuity.

Connate. With like parts or organs integrally fused to one another with histological continuity.

Contiguous. Touching but not adnate, connate, adherent, or coherent.

Distinct. With like parts or organs unjoined and separate from one another.

Fasciated. Unnaturally and often monstrously connate or adnate, the coalesced parts often unnaturally proliferated in size and/ or number; e.g., inflorescence of Celosia.

Free. Unlike parts or organs unjoined and separate from one another.

2. Special
(Selected terms pertaining to fusion)

Anthocarpous. Having a body of combined floral and fruit parts, as in multiple fruits.

Apocarpous. With separate carpels.

Apopetalous or Choripetalous. With separate petals.

Aposepalous or Chorisepalous. With separate sepals.

Apostemonous. With separate stamens.

Column, Gynostemium or Gynandrium. With fused stamens and carpels (stigma and style) as in Orchis.

Conjugate. Fused pairs, as the fruits of Lonicera.

Diadelphous. With two groups of stamens connate by their filaments.

Hypanthium. Fused floral parts forming an envelope around the ovary.

Monadelphous. With one group of stamens connate by their filaments.

Petalostemonous. With filaments fused to corolla, anthers free.

Polydelphous. With several groups of stamens connate by their filaments.

Sympetalous. With fused petals.

Syncarpous. With fused carpels.

Syncotyly. Cotyledons coalesced, forming a funnel or trumpet.

Synsepalous. With fused sepals.

Syngenesious. With fused anthers.

3. Hypanthium Adnation
(Based on fusion with ovary)

Absent. No hypanthium present.

Adnate. Hypanthium completely fused to ovary.

Free. Hypanthium surrounding but completely free from the ovary.

Free-adnate. Hypanthium fused with ovary and having a free limb around or above ovary.

Partly adnate. Hypanthium adnate to part of the ovary and with no free limb or tube.

F. Division

Bifid. Cut or divided into two lobes or parts.

Bifurcate. Divided into two forks or branches.

Cleft. Cut 1/4-1/2 of distance of middle of structure.

Dichotomous. Divided into two equal parts.

Dimidiate. Divided into unequal halves.

Dissected. Irregularly cut into numerous segments.

Divided. Cut 3/4 to almost entire distance to middle of structure.

Purcate. Forked.

Incised. Margins sharply and deeply cut, usually jaggedly.

Lacerate. Irregularly cut, appearing torn.

Laciniate. Cut into closely parallel ribbonlike or straplike projections.

Lobed. Round-toothed, cut 1/8-1/4 of distance to middle of structure.

Palmatifid. Cut palmately.

Palmatisect. Sectioned or divided palmately into distinct segments.

Parted. Cut 1/2-3/4 of distance to middle of structure.

Pectinate. Having closely parallel toothlike projections; comblike.

Pedate, Bipalmate. Palmately cleft or divided with lateral lobes cleft or divided.

Pinnatifid. Cut pinnately.

Pinnatisect. Sectioned or divided pinnately into distinct segments.

Quadrifid. Cut or divided into four lobes or parts.

Septate. Divided by internal partitions into locules or cells.

Serrated. Cut into sawlike teeth.

Trifid. Cut or divided into three lobes or parts.

Trifurcate. Divided into three forks or branches; three-forked.