Glossary of Botanical Terms - F

F

F1 hybrid
a single cross; a plant breeding term for the result of a repeatable cross between two pure bred lines.
F2 hybrid
a plant breeding term for the result of a plant arising from a cross between two F1 hybrids; may also refer to self-pollination in a population of F1 hybrids.
facultative
of parasites, optional; compare obligate.
falcate
curved like the blade of a scythe.
family
a formal group of one or more genera with features and/or ancestry in common; the term for the principal rank between order and genus.
fascicle
(adjective fasciculate) cluster, e.g. a tuft of leaves all arising from the same node.
fastigiate
parallel, clustered and erect, e.g. the arrangement of branches in the Lombardy Poplar.
felted
covered with very dense, interlocked and matted hairs with the appearance or texture of felt or woollen cloth.
ferruginous
rust-colored.
fertile
capable of producing fruit; of flowers when they produce seed or of anthers containing pollen.
fertilization
union of male and female gametes.
filament
1. stalk of a stamen
2. thread, one or a few cells thick.
filamentous
consisting of filaments or fibres.
filiform
thread-like. See Leaf shapes.
fimbriate
fringed.
fissure
a split or crack, often referring to fissured bark. also, a line or opening of dehiscence.
flabellate
fan-shaped.
flaccid
limp; tending to wilt; compare turgid.
flexuous (flexuose)
bent alternately in different directions; zig-zag.
floccose
with a soft and woolly covering of hairs.
flora
1. all the plants growing in a certain region or country.
2. an enumeration of them, generally with a guide to their identification (e.g. the present volume, the Flora of Victoria, the Flora of New South Wales and so on). In this case 'flora' is written with a capital F.
floral leaves
the upper leaves at the base of the flowering branches.
floral tube
tube bearing the perianth and stamens, consisting of tissue derived from the receptacle and/or perianth and/or stamens; hypanthium.
floret
literally a small flower, but usually refers to the individual true flowers clustered within an inflorescence, particularly in inflorescences of the daisy and grass families.
flower
the sexual reproductive structure of the angiosperms, typically with a gynoecium, androecium, perianth and an axis.
follicle
a dry fruit formed from one carpel, splitting along a single suture, to which the seeds are attached; cf. pod (of legume).
forb
any non-woody flowering plant that is not a grass, sedge, or rush.
forest
vegetation dominated by trees with single trunks (including closely arranged trees with or without an understorey of shrubs and herbs).
forma (in common usage, form)
a taxonomic category subordinate to species and within the taxonomic hierarchy, below variety (varietas), usually differentiated by a minor character.
free
not united with others organs of the same type; not attached at one end.
free central
of placentation, ovules attached to a free-standing column in the centre of a unilocular ovary.
frond
a leaf of a fern, cycad or palm.
fruit
seed-bearing structure in angiosperms formed from the ovary, and sometimes associated floral parts, after flowering.
funicle (funiculus)
the stalk of an ovule.
funnelform
with a form gradually widening from the base to apex; funnel-shaped.
fused
joined together.
fusiform
3-dimensional, narrowing gradually from the middle towards each end; spindle-shaped.

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