Horticulture Terms
Rainier HS
Landscape Design
2012
Horticulture
• The ART of cultivating fruits, nuts, vegetables, or
ornamental plants.
•Horti = garden
•Culture = garden culture
Floriculture
• The cultivation of ornamental flowering
plants.
Botany
• The SCIENCE of plants to include anatomy,
physiology and taxonomy.
Pomology• The science and practice of growing,
harvesting and marketing tree fruits and nuts.
Olericulture• The science and practice of growing,
harvesting and marketing vegetables.
Annual• A plant which grows, flowers, produces
seeds, and dies in one year. Must be replanted each year.
Perennial• A plant that grows year after year
without replanting. A plant whose
roots lives year to year.
Taxonomy• The study of plant names and the
identification of plants.
Scientific name• The Latin name of a plant giving its
genus and species.
Medium(Plural: Media)
•Any material, which is used to start and grow, seeds
and plants.
Seed coat• The outer covering of a seed.
Endosperm• The stored food supply for the young
developing seedling, which is contained in the seed. (“rocket fuel”)
Embryo (embryonic plant)• The entire plant inside the seed
before germination.
Hybrid
•An offspring of two different varieties of one plant type,
which possesses certain traits of each plant type.
Named varieties
• Specific individual strains of one type of plant, which have been named to indicate their
particular traits.
Cross Pollination• A process in which pollen (male sex cell)
of one plant unites with the egg (female sex cell) of a different plant.
Self Pollination• Fertilization of a plant by its own
pollen. Male and female flower parts on the same flower.
Hardening Off Process
• Gradually subjecting plants to more difficult growing
conditions like withholding water and decreasing
temperature, this prepares plants for transplanting by reducing transplant shock.
Cotyledons vs. True Leaves
• Cotyledons are the first set of leaves that emerge from a seed at
germination.
• All other leaves are “true” leaves.
• Cotyledons = “seed leaves”
Seed Germination• The miracle process when
seeds begin to sprout and grow to begin a new plant
• Germination occurs when a seed receives the correct
amounts of light, temperature and water simultaneously.
Plant Propagation
• The process of reproducing or increasing plants. Can
be sexual or asexual.
Transpiration• Loss of water through the leaves or stems of plants. Sort of like “sweating” 90% of a plant’s water loss is here.• A normal daily process of plants. Higher water loss on
sunny days.
Turgid• A plant whose tissues are swollen,
filled with moisture. Not wilted.
• Turgid plant = happy plant
Node• The “joint” of a stem, the swollen place
where leaves and buds are attached. Roots form here when cuttings are made.
• The space between the nodes on a stem.
Internode
Callus•Mass of cells which forms around the wounded area of a plant to start the healing
process. Similar to a “scab.” New roots will form in this
callus tissue.
Softwood Cutting• A cutting made from a stem whose tissue is
softer and not as mature as the older wood.
Hardwood Cutting• A cutting made from a current
seasons stem tissue, which is mature or harder in texture.
Rooting Hormone
•A plant chemical used to help new cuttings to form
new roots faster.
• Sort of like a “steroid” to enhance growth.
Tissue Culture• “micro-propagation”
• The process of reproducing thousands of plants from a few cells taken from
the terminal bud tissue of a plant.• “test tube plants”
• Must have extremely sanitary laboratory conditions for tissue
culture.
Root Division• The physical separation of roots to form
new plants from one “mother” plant.
• Softer tissue from the tip of the plant where most of the new growth occurs.
Terminal Tip Growth
Binomial Nomenclature
• The international naming system that gives every plant 2 names, genus and the specie in Latin.
• Scientific Name = Botanic Name.
Linnaeus
• The Swedish botanist that came up with the 2 name
system for classifying plants .
• 1750
Genus• The first name of a plant scientific name.
A group of plants that are grouped together because of their similarities to
one another. (genera = plural). • A NOUN.
Specie• The second name in scientific name, more
specific in nature.
• An ADJECTIVE that describes the genus.
Example:
• Acer rubrum : Red Maple
• Acer is the noun or genus.
• rubrum is the adjective or specie that describes the genus (rubrum = red in
latin)
• Quercus alba = White Oak
• Zebrina pendula, Setcresea purpurea
Cultivars• Another name for a specific
plant, same as variety.
• Example: There are several cultivars or “varieties”of Red
Maple Tree.
• “Red Sunset”, “October Glory”
Common Name• The local English name of a
plant, which may differ in various localities.
• Common names are not precise enough for
commercial use.
Taxonomist
•A person who studies plant names and the
identification of plants as a career or field of study.
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature
•A set of rules that are international for naming
plants.
Mulch
•Any material used to cover the soil for weed control and moisture retention.
• Pine straw, pine bark nuggets, cypress shavings
Osmocote
•A slow release fertilizer. Allows the plant to feed gradually over a longer
period of time. Saves you labor. 14-14-14
Herbaceous• Any plant that has soft tissue and does not form wood or bark. A non-woody plant. Houseplants, annuals
& some perennials.
Deciduous• A plant which loses its leaves each
autumn. It goes dormant in the winter.
Evergreen
•A plant which has leaves or needles throughout the
whole year.
Petiole
• The stalk structure which supports the blade of the leaf. It attaches the leaf
blade to the stem.
Simple leaf• A solitary leaf attached to a stem
by a petiole.
Compound Leaf• A group of leaflets which compose
the entire compound leaf.
Monocot• Classification of those plants having
only one cotyledon or seed leaf. Grasses, chives and corn are
monocots. • Parallel veins.
Dicot• A classification of plants having two
cotyledons or seed leaves. • Vascular or woody plants.
Leaf Margin• The outer edge of a leaf ….
• Serrate, entire, lobed, etc.
Root Cap• The actively growing cells at the tip of the plant root.
Stoma
• Small pores or holes in the leaf, which allow the plant
to breathe and give off moisture. They open and close with day and night.
Lenticels
• Breathing pores in the bark of woody stems. They open and
close with day and night.
Ventilation• Movement and exchange of air in a
greenhouse.
Photoperiodism• The response of plants to different
periods of light and darkness in terms of their flowering.
Short Day Plant• A plant that blooms in the short
winter days.• Some plants can be “tricked” into
blooming by giving them short days artificially.
Chrysanthemums and Poinsettias
Breaks
•New shoots that develop as a result of “pinching”.
• Same results as pruning out the terminal bud of a plant.
Growth Regulators
•Chemicals that retard plant growth. It slows down the plant growth so they don’t
get too tall and floppy.
Root Rot•Most common disease of Poinsettia. Caused by: Bad drainage, Bad ventilation
or too much water.
Fungicide
•Any substance which destroys or prevents the
growth of fungi.
•A type of pesticide to control plant diseases.
J.R. Poinsett
• The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico who introduced the Poinsettia to America for
future production.
• Named the plant after himself.
Plant Hardiness• The ability of a plant withstand to the
minimum temperature of an area.
Plant Form• The outer shape of a tree and it’s
branches. The outer silhouette.
• Round, columnar, oval, weeping, etc.
Plant Texture• The size and thickness of the plant’s
leaves and stems. Fine, Medium, Coarse.
Bare Root Plants• Plants sold with no soil on the roots.
A. Cheaper B. Very perishable
Balled and Burlapped• Plants- (B&B) Roots in burlap held together by twine. Dug up at a nursery
and sold this way.
Container Stock• Planted in a basket or plastic; or
metal can. Can be planted at any time of the year.
Drip Line of a Tree
• The imaginary line where water drops off from the farthest point
of branches.
Narrow leaf Evergreen• Evergreen plants with needle-like or
scaly foliage. Pines, Junipers.
Broad leaf Evergreen• Evergreen plants with broad leaf blade.
BLE Hollies and broad leaf plants.
Fascicles• The sheathes or bundles that contain
needle like leaves attached to the branch in conifers.
Heeling in• The process of temporarily covering the
plant roots when a tree has to be out of the ground for transplanting. The purpose is to retain the moisture around the roots with an organic
material such as straw, mulch or soil during transplanting.
Berm
• A ridge of soil placed around a newly planted tree to retain
water. “a saucer” or “moat”.
• Traps the water to stay on top of the root zone.
Ground Cover Plant• Any low growing plant, under 12” tall,
that completely covers the ground.
• Used in place of grass for large areas (saves labor of mowing) usually planted in mass. Creeping junipers, ivy, monkey grass, etc. Usually very durable plants.
Foundation Plantings
• Plants which are used next to buildings to help accent and
tie the buildings into the landscape. Usually
evergreen.
Specimen Plant•A plant that is used alone for accent or focal point to
a landscape.
Soil Conditioner•Organic matter added to the native soil to improve
texture, drainage, and overall quality of the soil.
Peat moss, pine bark, rotted compost etc.
Hard Pan
• The unprepared or untilled soil line. Dense and hard section of soil. The roots
cannot penetrate hard pan.
Boundary Plants
• Plants used to separate property or boundary lines.
Planted in rows.
•Can be low or high depending on purpose.
Bulb
• A food storage organ.
• A plant structure which consists of layers of fleshy
scales overlapping each other, such as the onion or tulip.
Separation
•Method of propagation that occurs naturally.
Reproductive organs of a plant detach from the parent plant to become new plants.
Division•A method of propagation
requiring the physical cutting and dividing of
plants. Ferns and herbaceous perennials are
often divided.
Corms• Swollen underground stem which grows upright, is a food storage organ and a means of
reproduction.• Similar to a bulb.• Gladiolus plants.
Rhizomes
•Underground stem which produces roots on the lower surface, and extends leaves and flowering shoots above
the ground. Iris.
Tubers
•A fleshy root which reproduces by growing
roots from an “eye” or bud. Potatoes are tubers.
pH• The measuring scale of a
soil’s acidity. • A pH of 1-6 is acid. pH 7 is neutral, and 8-14 is base. To raise the soil pH, add lime.
• Most plants prefer a pH of 5.5 to 7 range.
Leaching• It is when the fertilizer nutrients
are leached out (washed out) of soil over time from excessive
water.• Caused from excessive rain or
watering.• This is why you have to keep
applying fertilizers to plants.
Major Elements• Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium are
the Major elements all plants need.• N-P-K example: 10-10-10• Required in large amounts. They must
be added by applying NPK fertilizer. 10-10-10, or 14-14-14, etc.• Also called the Macronutrients
Minor Elements• Elements that plants need in
minor amounts. They may or may not need to be added to the soil.
• Calcium, boron, iron and others.
• Micronutrients!
Landscape Architect
• Professionals who integrate art and science, and know how plants and landscape factors will react to the environment
around them.
Landscape Contractor
•A company or person who deals primarily with the
installation of landscapes. They install what the
architect designs.
Landscape Maintenance Contractor
•A firm that maintains the landscape under the
guidelines of a contract. weekly/monthly.
Subcontracting
• The hiring of a 2nd firm or contractor to complete
specialized tasks such as irrigation, tree surgery, etc.
Site Analysis•Making an evaluation of
the landscape site to determine how many of the clients needs can be met. It tells what is present on the
site and what is desired.
Branch Collar• The swollen area of a tree where the
branch attaches to the main trunk.
Warm Season Grass• Those grasses that grow best in the
warm months (80-90 degrees) of spring, summer and early fall.
They grow vigorously during this time and become brown and
dormant in winter: Bermudagrass, Zoysia grass, Centipede grass.
Cool Season Grass• Grasses that grow well in the cool months (60-75 degrees) of
the year. They may become dormant or injured during the hot months of summer: Fescue and rye grass are cool season.
Annual rye – temporary.
Herbicides• A type of pesticide chemical intended to
control weeds.• Pre-emergent: applied before weeds
emerge to kill seeds.• Post-emergent: applied after weeds
emerge.• Selective: kills only certain species and
safe on turf.• Non-selective: kills any plant it comes in
contact with.
