Herbs of The Earth
by Shekhina Canyon
An Introduction to Herbs
Part Three
Some Common Herbal Terms and Meanings
In this section, I am going to go through a review of the common terms used when dealing with
edible and/or medicinal plants and herbs. For some, this may be elementary. For others, it will be
a reference source. And for others, it will be something they never knew before. May we all
become fully aware of the gifts of Gaia.
KNOWING THE TERMS OF THE PLANT
acute - coming sharply to a point at the apex.
annual - This pertains to those plants which grows from seed. It will sprout and flower, release
seeds and then perish in one season. The seeds that plant releases will grow into new plants of
the same species the next year, and the process repeats.
apex - tip - any point on a plant, herb or flower, that designates the farthest grown part of the
plant. This is the point farthest from the stalk or stem.
axil - This is the point on a plant where an angle is formed between the leaf and a stem or twig
axis - this is the main stem of any plant.
berry - a stoneless pulpy fruit, with one or more imbedded seeds.
biennial - These are the plants which form leaves in the first year, produces a flowering shoot in
the second year, the flowers, releases seeds and dies int hat year. The next year's crop is the
offspring of that seed.
blade - the broad, thin part of a leaf or a flower petal.
bloom - a white powdery film that appears on leaves, stems, or fruit.
bract - A green leaf-like structure which has a flower in its axil, and which may remain on the
plant with the fruit. Bracts vary enormously in size, shape and function.
bud - a closed pocket that grows from a stem and will become either a flower, a leaf, or a shoot.
bulb - a thick, spherical part of certain plants, which grows underground. It is made of fleshy
membranes and leaves which are layered.
calyx - The external, usually green, or leafy part of a flower consisting of sepals.
corolla - the petal of a flower arranged separately or joining to different degrees.
disk florets - one of the tubular flowers in the center of the flower head of a composite flower.
fruit - the part of a plant that contains the seed.
genus - a class, kind or group marked by one or more common characteristics.
healing agent - any part of a plant or herb that is beneficial to the healing of any other plant or
herb, any animal, the human body, or the eco-system of the earth.
herb - a plant that has no woody tissue and which dies at the end of a season.
herbology - the study of herbs and herb-like plants
indigenous - naturally growing in a particular region; native to a specific area.
lateral - growing on a plant from the side
leaf - the part of the plant growing from the stem which is a flat blade on a short stalk or petiole,
usually with two smaller appendages at the base of the petiole.
legume - a fruit of one cell with a seam around the perimeter.
linear - long and narrow, with sides almost parallel.
medicine - that which is used for the purpose of healing and/or maintaining health.
nervines - any natural or synthetic agent that has an effect on the human nervous system.
node - the place on a plant where a leaf can grow.
nut - this pertains to a group of fruits which are hard-shelled and contain only one seed.
organic - that which is derived from living organisms; those plants which grow, produce, and
reproduce by the hand of Nature.
ovary - the round basal portion of the pistil of a plant that contains the ovules and consists of one
or more carpels.
pedicel - the single stalk of one flower in a cluster.
perennial - a plant that lives through two or more consecutive seasons.
petal - a single blade of the corolla of a plant.
petiole - the stem, or stalk, that a leaf grows from.
pistil - the part of a flower in the female which is known as the reproductive organ.
pod - a dry fruit that splits open and contains the seeds.
ray florets - these are the petal-like, flatter parts of a flower which create a ring around the disk in
the heads of some composite flowers.
receptacle - the place where the flower is born on a plant; the end of the stem.
rhizome - the part of a stem which is underground; the part of a plant with nodes and buds, which
produce shoots above the ground and roots beneath the ground. (Also known as rootstock).
scape - a variety of flower stalk that grows from the ground with no leaves.
seeds - the grain or ripened ovule of a plant which can germinate to form a new plant.
sepal - a leaf of the calyx.
sessile - a plant or flower that has no stalk.
shoot - a young stem and its leaves.
species - a particular kind or sort of plant; a logical division of a genus.
spike - a cluster with sessile flowers grow along a portion of the peduncle.
spore - in primitive plants, this is the one-celled part that reproduces.
spray - a flowering branch or shoot upon which the flower arrangement appears to be expanding
the part of the pistil outward from a general center.
spurred - a plant having slender, hollow projections from the petal or sepal.
stamen - the part of the flower that holds the pollen; the male organ.
stigma - the part of the pistil of a flower which receives the pollen grains and provides them with
a place to germinate.
succulent - the thick fleshy tissues of some plants, which are designed to retain moisture; any plant
which contains these tissues.
tuber - the thick fleshy part of the rootstock.
umbel - a flower cluster that appears flat in which the pedicels grow from a single point.
Leaf types:
alternate - these leaves have single blades that grow along a stem or axis in a regular pattern, with
each blade growing from the stem at a different point.
catkin - a spike-like flower cluster that bear scaly bracts and petalless, unisexual flowers.
cauline - relating to or growing on a stem.
compound - made up of two or more definable parts.
clover - a grouping of leaves or petals having three or more nodes originating from the same point.
cluster - a grouping of leaves or petals that form a grouping of several single-stemmed leaves or
petals emerging from one point, and then branching.
entire - that which has no indentations and no teeth.
lance - the shape that is wide near the base and tapers to a point at the apex.
linear - long and narrow with sides almost parallel.
lobed - having more than one part or division.
opposite - the parts of flowers or leaves that have two parts from a single node that protrude on
opposite sides of a stem or stalk..
ovate - in the shape of an egg; the narrow end is the apex.
palmate - any plant or flower that is divided or lobed in such a way that the lobes appear like the
fingers of a hand, growing out from a single point.
pinnate - a plant or flower with the leaves growing in opposite rows along the petiole.
rosette - this is a spiral grouping of leaves growing from a center.
sinuate - strong indentations creating a wavy margin on leaves or petals.
stipule - either of a pair of appendages borne at the base of a leaf.
whorled - this is a group of three or more leaves, flowers, or other parts of the plant growing in a
circular pattern at the same point or level on a plant or flower.
Once you come to recognize and understand these terms, your study of plants and flowers used in
herbal preparations will be much easier and will provide you with many pleasant hours, as you
become more and more familiar with the herbal kingdom here on Earth.
Part Four - Some Common Medicinal Terms and Their Meanings
(The herbal information presented here is not in any way to be substituted for your Professional Health care. If you are under the care of a physician, please consult with him before trying any new remedies, be they herbal or otherwise. If you have any serious problems, see your Doctor.)
Please feel free to submit your herbal questions to: GypzyLady
Return to GypsyLady's Herbal Index
Return to GypzyLady's Table of Contents
Last updated Wednesday, September 17, 1997