Lingo lesson
Amy Jordan, Special to The Gazette
Originally published 12:18 p.m., January 31, 2008
Updated 12:18 p.m., January 31, 2008
Horticulture has its own language, of sorts, and you may come across some unfamiliar words.
The following definitions may help you to understand this nomenclature. Some are simplified, so you may want to look up more about them on your own.
Achene: small single seeded fruit that does not split (strawberry “seed”)
Berry: fleshy fruit with one or more seeds in the pulp, not enclosed in hard shell (grape, tomato)
Cultivar: Derived from “cultivated variety”, refers to a named plant variety, maintained only in cultivation, with unique, predictable and reproducible characteristics.
Deciduous plants: Trees and shrubs that lose their leaves in the winter.
Espalier: A French word for woody plants that are trained to grow flat against a wall or trellis.
Extension service: An “extension” of a land grant university designed to disseminate information from the university to the residents of the state. Kansas State University is the land grant university in Kansas, consisting of a network of local offices in all Kansas counties. Local county extension agents are faculty members of K-State charged with the responsibility of conducting educational programs in the areas of agriculture, family and consumer sciences, 4-H youth, and community development. Contemporary extension programs are designed to appeal to people in the urban population as well as traditional clientele in rural areas. Call the Lyon County Extension Office for more information about its programs.
Horticulture: From Latin hortus (garden) and cultura (cultivation); the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, houseplants, turfgrass and woody ornamentals (trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers).
Metamorphosis: The stages of development that insects go through during their transition from egg to adult.
Microclimate: The climate of a small localized area; a modification of the general climate due to the influence of site factors such as plants, buildings, or other structures.
Organic matter: A desirable component of soils which contributes to nutrient and water holding capacity and makes the soil easier to work. It consists of decomposed and partially decomposed plant and animal residues. Because organic matter is continually being broken down by natural processes, it should be added regularly in the form of compost, spoiled straw or hay, decomposed manure, leaf mold, or peat moss.
Pheromone: Insect sex attractant produced by one sex to lure a mate. Such pheromones are useful in pest management strategies for luring insects to special traps for population monitoring.
Tuber: fleshy underground stem (potato)
Vector: An agent that transmits diseases from plant to plant. Often used to refer to insect carriers that transmit diseases while feeding on a host plant.
Weed: “A plant out of place” (growing where it is not wanted).
I hope these definitions will be helpful during the upcoming growing season and that they may prompt you to independently improve your gardening vocabulary.