Rhipsalis
Glossary

• abscission zones Where branches may fall off in times of stress
• acrotonic Branching from the tip of the primary branch
• actinomorphic Having radial symmetry
• anther Part where the pollen comes from, found at the end of a filament
• apical Top
• areole Where you expect a bud to emerge; either naked, hairy or bristly
• axil The angle between stem and branch (armpit!)
• bract or scales A specialized leaf or leaf-like part usually at the base of the flower. In Rhipsalis, a small leafy attachment sometimes occurring next to the areole.
• campanulate Shaped like a bell
• clone A replica of another plant i.e. a rooted cutting
• dimorphic Having two shapes on the same plant
• epiphytic Grows on trees
• epilithic Grows on rocks
• erumpent Bursting through the skin like a boil or pimple
• filament Part of the flower holding the anther on the end, varying in number depending upon the species
• forma (abbrev f. or fa.) A sub-group within a species displaying a minor characteristic, but not great enough to be called a variety.
• glaucous Having a dusty coating as a cabbage
• lateral On the side
• meristem Embryonic tissue found in the core of the plant. Is close to the surface of the plant at the growing tip
• mesotonic Branching from the side of the primary branch
• neotenic Looking like a seedling but having the ability to flower
• pendulous Hanging
• petal The colorful part of the flower
• perianth-segments Petals (in Cactaceae you cannot discern petals from sepals and this term is used. You sometimes come across "tepals," which means the same thing)
• pericarp That which surrounds the ovary
• pistil All the flower parts taken together
• podaria Elevated places
• scarious Thin, dry, and membranous
• sepal The outermost group of flower parts covering petals before they open; absent in Rhipsalis. See perianth-segments.
• species (abbrev sp.) A unit in classification; a group of organisms that have in common one or more characteristics which definitely separate it from any other group.
• stamen Consists of a filament and an anther
• stigma the part of a flower that receives the pollen. In Rhipsalis, the number of "lobes" varies by species.
• style The part of a flower that holds the stigma on at its tip
• subspecies (abbrev Subsp, ssp or ss) A category below the level of a species: a group within a species united by geographic or ecologic distinction. Often used as a synonym of variety. Sometimes used as a higher ranking than variety
• subtend To enclose or embrace in its axil
• terete circular in transverse section; imperfectly cylindrical because the object may taper both ways
• terminal At the end
• terrestrial Growing on the ground
• variety (abbrev var. or v.) A plant having slight but distinct differences that distinguish it from the type species
• zygomorphic Divisible into similar halves by one plane only (lopsided)