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EnchantedLearning.com Botany and Paleobotany Dictionary

Plants

HABITAT A habitat is a space (which includes food, water and shelter) suitable for the survival and reproduction of an organism.	HALF-LIFE The half-life of a radioisotope is the amount of time it takes for half of the radioisotope to decay.	HALOMORPHIC Halomorphic characteristics are adaptations to a saline (salt water) environments.
HALOPHTYE A halophyte is a plant that has adapted to salty soils.	HAPLOID A haploid cell has only half the number of chromosomes that the other cells of that organism have (most are diploid). Gametes (like the sperm and the egg) are haploid.	HARDWOOD Hardwood trees are trees whose wood is dense, strong, and relativel non-absorbent of water. These slow-growing trees include oak and maple. Hardwood trees have broad leaves (and not needles).
HARDY A hardy plant is one that can withstand the extremes of climate, like frost.	HAUSTORIAL ROOT An haustorial root is one that absorbs water and nutrients from another plant (and not the soil).	HEATH A heath is an area of open land that is covered with low-growing shrubs like heather.
HECTARE A hectare is metric unit of area. A hectare is equal to 10,000 square meters.	HERB An herb is a seed plant that does not have a woody stem. Every year, herbaceous plants produce a completely new stem. Herbaceous plants are generally short lived and relatively short (compared to woody plants). Some herbaceous plants include the banana, grasses, and forbs.	HERBICIDE An herbicide is a chemical that kills certain plants. Herbicides are usually intended to kill weeds.
HERB LAYER The herb layer is another name for the floor of a rainforest.	HERBIVORE Herbivores (also called primary consumers) are animals that eat plants.	HERMAPHRODITE A hermaphrodite is a plant that has both female and male reproductive organs.
HETEROTROPH (pronounced HET-er-oh-TROFE) A heterotroph (also called a consumer) is a living thing that eats other living things to survive. It cannot make its own food (unlike plants, which are autotrophs, making their own food). Animals are heterotrophs.	HETEROPHYLLOUS A heterophyllous (meaning "other leaf") plant or branch has two or more different leaf shapes on it. Although these leaves have different shapes, they have similar internal anatomical organizations.	HILUM The hilum is the scar on a seed coat at the location where it was attached to the plant's stalk during development.
HOLDFAST A holdfast is the root-like structure of kelp that holds the base of the plant in place on the sea floor. Unlike real roots, however, the holdfast does not obtain and supply nutrients to the rest of the plant.	HOMOLOGY Homology is the similarity of characters found in different species that are due to common descent. Examples include the flippers of whales and our arms.	HOMOPLASY Homoplasy is the similarity of characters found in different species that are NOT from common descent. Examples include the wings of insects and the wings of pterosaurs. These characters derive from convergent evolution, parallel evolution, or character reversal.
HORMONE A hormone is a chemical in plants (and other organisms) that regulates the plant's growth, reproduction, and other functions.	HORSETAIL Horsetail is a primitive, spore-bearing plant (a sphenopsid and a pteridophyte) with rhizomes that was common during the Mesozoic Era. Its side branches are arranges in rings along the hollow stem. Horsetails date from the Devonian period 408-360 million years ago, but are still around today and are invasive weeds. Classification: Division Equisetophyta, Class Equisetopsida, Order Equisetales, Family Equisetaceae (Horsetails).	HORTICULTURE Horticulture is the science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants.
HOST A host is an organism which a parasite uses for food and/or shelter.	HUMUS Humus is the rich, organic portion of the soil. It is composed of decayed plant and animal materials.	HUXLEY, THOMAS H. Thomas H. Huxley (1825-1895) was a British scientist and friend of Charles Darwin. He was the first scientist to notice the similarity between birds and dinosaurs. He named: Acanthopholis (1865), the family Archaeopteryglidae (1871), Euskelosaurus (1866), Hypsilophodon (1869), and the family Megalosauridae (1869).
HYBRID A hybrid is the offspring of two organisms that belong to different breeds, varieties, species or genera.	HYDRIC Hydric environmental conditions are ones that are very wet. Compare with very dry conditions (xeric) and medium moisture conditions (mesic).	HYDROLOGIC CYCLE The Hydrologic Cycle (also known as the water cycle) is the journey water takes as it circulates from the Earth to the sky and back again.
HYDROPHYTE A hydrophyte is a plant that grows in water or in water-logged soil. Hydrophytes have a reduced root system, reduced support and vascular systems, and specialized leaves. Some hydrophytic plants include waterliles and Wolffia (which is the smallest flowering plant). Anchored hydrophytes have a rooting system that is embedded in the soil and they often have floating leaves. (Compare with mesophytes and xerophytes.)	HYDROPONICS Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water that contains dissolved nutrients (instead of in soi).	HYOPOCOTYL The hypocotyl is the part of the stem of a sprouting plant that is above the root and below the stalk of the cotyledons (seed leaves).

Plant Printouts

EnchantedLearning.com Botany and Paleobotany Dictionary

Plants

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