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pallid |
pale, or lacking in colour, dull, without intensity. |
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Palmate |
Like fingers on a hand, having lobes radiating from a central point |
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Palmate |
Describing a leaf with finger-like lobes originating from the same point but not divided to the same extent as digitate. |
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Panicle |
Branched clusters of flowers with stems; an inflorescence which is branched. E.g. Lady's Bedstraw. |
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Papillate |
Having a small, nipple-like protuberance |
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Pappus |
A tuft of hair on achenes or other fruits that aids in seed dispersal/ |
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Paraphyses |
Sterile hyphal filaments interspersed between the asci |
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Parasite |
An organism that sustains itself upon another living organism, whilst providing nothing in return |
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Parasite |
A plant that derives its nutrition from another living organism and is usually without chlorophyll. |
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Parasitic |
Dependant on its survival on abstracting nutrients from another plant. |
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Partial veil |
Joins the edge of the cap to the stem, enclosing the developing spore-bearing surface (e.g. Agarics, and certain boletes), and in some other genera, later forming the ring or cortina |
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Patrolling |
Male butterfly locating behaviour in which he almost constantly flies in search of females. |
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Peat |
A deposit made from undecayed plant matter. |
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Pectus |
The lower part of the avian body between the throat and the belly; the breast. |
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Pedicel |
A small stalk |
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Pedicel |
The stalk of a flower. |
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Peltate |
Shield-shaped having a central stalk rather than one attached at the margin. |
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Perching |
Male butterfly behaviour where he waits at a site, darting out on passing individuals or flying objects to seek females and generally returning to the same spot. |
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Perennial |
A plant that lives for three or more years. |
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Perfoliate |
Describing leaves which surround the stem. |
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Perianth |
The floral envelope or outer part of a flower; the sterile parts of a flower. |
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Peridioles |
Pea-shaped structures containing spores |
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Peridium |
Layer of tissue covering a fruiting body |
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Perithicia |
Flask-shaped spore producing chambers (found in certain ascomycetes) and embedded within a mass of infertile tissue (stroma) |
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Petal |
Flower-leaf forming part of a corolla. |
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Petiole |
The stalk of a leaf. |
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pH |
The measurement of acidity or alkalinity of soil, where 0 is most acidic, 7 is neutral, and 14 is most alkaline |
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Phenology |
Is the study of periodic biology, including the lifecycle of plants and insects in relation to local climates and temperatures. In insects, there may be a different period in which insects start and... |
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Pheromone |
A scent used to attract or repel. It is a chemical (not a poison) that stimulates a behavioural response in another individual. |
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Photosynthesis |
The process of the production of food by green plants. |
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phototrophic |
reacting to light stimulus, bending towards light. |
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Phototropic |
The acquisition of food by photosynthesis. |
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Pileus |
The cap of a mushroom |
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Pinnate |
Leaflets that are arranged on two sides of a single stem. |
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Pinnately lobed |
Leaf with opposite pairs of leaflets e.g. Dandelion leaf. |
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Pistil |
The female ovule-bearing part of a flower composed of ovary and style and stigma.
The pistil consists of one or more carpels, each consisting of an ovary, style and stigma. When there is only one... |
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Placenta |
Structure or area to which ovules are attached in an ovary, variously shaped and positioned. Plural placentae.
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Pleurocystidia |
Cystidia on gill sides |
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plumose |
feathery. |
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pneumostome |
The respiratory opening of an air-breathing land slug or snail. |
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Pollen |
The powdery grains (male elements) borne in the anthers.
More specifically, the pollen grain is the structure used to transport the male gamete (i.e. male DNA) to the female part of a flower. The... |
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Pollinium |
A mass of pollen transported during pollination. |
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Polymorphic |
Having several forms |
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Polypore |
Common name for woody or tough fruit bodied fungi, having pored, tubular spore producing layers |
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Pore |
(of polypores & boletes) the mouth of a spore-bearing tube |
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Postbasal |
On the wing, just beyond it's base. |
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Posterior |
Towards the rear. |
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Postmedian |
On the wing, just past the middle. |
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Postnatal seta |
Any of the hairs present on second-stage and older butterfly and moth larvae that are absent on first-stage larvae. |
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Primary seta |
Any of the hairs (setae) present on nearly all butterflies and moth first-stage larvae. |
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Proboscus |
The feeding tube of the adult butterfly. |
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Procumbent |
Lying on the ground. |
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Prostrate |
Growing very close to the ground. |
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Prothorax |
The first (front) segment of the thorax. |
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Pruina |
Fine powdery coating on stem or cap |
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Pruinose |
Covered with fine powder (in comparison, finer in texture than farinose) |
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Puberulous |
Covered with minute, soft, erect hairs.
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Pubescent |
With downy hairs. |
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Pubescent |
Covered with fine soft short hairs
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Pulvinate |
Cushion-like |
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Punctate |
Decorated with fine dots, minutely dotted or pitted |
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Pupa |
The mummy-like stage between larva and adult in most insects in which the structure is reorganised. |
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Pupate |
To advance from the larval stage to the pupal stage. |
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Pycnidium (pl. Pycnidia) |
A hollow, flask-shaped structure lined with conidiophores bearing conidia |
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Pyga |
The rump; the lower back, located just in front of the upper tail coverts. |
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Pyriform |
Pear-shaped |
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