Botanical Words Alphabetical List - AR

ARBOR: A bower formed by trees, vines, or shrubs intertwined or trained over a latticework trellis, so as to make a leafy roof. They are usually provided with seats; any shaded walk. Arbors are used to provide support for plants, to create shade, or to frame a view.

ARBORACEOUS: Pertaining to or of the nature of trees.

ARBORESCENT: Resembling a tree; tree-like in growth, size, or appearance; having the nature and habits of a tree; branching like a tree.

ARBORETUM: A place in which trees and shrubs, especially rare ones, are grown for scientific or other purposes; a botanical tree garden.

ARBORICULTURE: The cultivation of trees; the art of planting, training, pruning, and cultivating trees and shrubs for decorative purposes.

ARBORIST: A specialist in cultivating trees, in diagnosing tree diseases, performing tree surgery and maintaining trees.

ARBUSCLE: A dwarf tree or tree-like shrub, in size between a tree and a shrub.

AREOLE: The cushion-like growing point (actually a modified leaf bud) on a cactus from which grows its spines, leaves, side shoots, offsets, or flowers. By identifying the areole on a plant, you can determine if it is a cactus, as only cactus have areoles. The areole generally has some wool or small hairs also growing from it.

ARIL: Applied to the coverings or appendages of seeds.

ARISTATE: Bearded; bristle tipped.

ARTICULATE: Provided with joints or nodes, at which points separation takes place naturally. Jointed, consisting of segments united by joints. An example is Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii)

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT: Light other than sunlight, often fluorescent tubes, used to grow plants.

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