Glossary  -  in alphabetical order

  A
   abaxial - the underside of a leaf, facing away from the stem.
   actinomorphic - a radially symmetric flower. 
   action potential - an electrical pulse (with a duration of 1ms or so) that travels along the cell membrane, transmitting a signal from one cell to another, to coordinate some activities. The nervous system of animals use action potentials for communication between neurons and to transmit information to other tissues. Many plants generate action potentials also. In plants, the generation of an action potential is associated with the flow of potassium (K+) and calcium (Ca++), while in animals the flow of potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+) are used. An action potential  is caused by positive ions moving in and out of a particular cell.....
   adaxial - the upper side of a leaf, facing toward the stem. 
   anthesis - the period during which a flower is receptive for fertilization.
   arachnid - joint-legged creatures such as spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites.
   arthropod - the largest phylum of animals (including insects, arachnids, crustaceans, etc) characterized by their segmented body and chitinous exoskeleton.

  C
   chasmogamous - a flower that opens normally to allow for pollination.
   chitin - the main component of the exoskeletons of arthropods, such as insects.
   cleistogamous - a flower that never opens (but self-pollinates). 
   commensal –
   crustacean - majority are aquatic, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp.
   cultivar - "cultivated variety" registered with a registration authority, such as International Carnivorous Plants Society.   

  D 
   decumbent - a leaf reclining on the ground
   digestion - a process whereby complex molecules are broken down into smaller structures for absorption  (carried out in the digestive system, usually in animals).  
   dioecious - having male and female flowers on separate plants.
   Diptera - an insect order characterized by the presence of a single pair of wings, including true flies, mosquitoes, gnats, midges.

  E
   endemic - native only to a certain region.
   ensiform - having a shape of a sword.
   enzyme - proteins that accelerate a specific chemical reaction. 
   epiascidiate - a type of leaf whose upper surface curls around and fuses to form a tube
   epidermis - the outermost layer of cells covering a leaf surface.
 
  h
   herbaceous - a plant with a non-woody stem, dies back every year. 
   hibernaculum - a protective bud made of small, tightly packed leaves which tolerates cold and desiccation (pl. hibernacula).  
   homology - similarity in characters due to common ancestry.  
   hydrolytic - enzyme which acts only in the presence of water.

  I
   inflorescence - a cluster of flowers on a stalk.
   Inquiline - an animal that uses another species for housing without hurting the host, a la microorganisms in the pitcher plant pool.
 
  L
   lamina - the leaf blade.

  M
   mesophyll - cells in the leaf interior that perform photosynthesis.
   monoecious - having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.

  N
   nastic - movement toward a predetermined direction. 

  O
   ontogeny - developmental change of an organism. 

  P
   panicle - a compound raceme. 
   pedicel - a short stem holding each flower in an inflorescence.
   peduncle - the main stalk of an inflorescence.
   petiole - the stalk of a leaf leading to the leaf blade.
   phyllodia - a flattened leaf without a pitcher tube. 
   phylogeny - evolutionary history of a species. 
   prostrate - a leaf lying flat
   protandrous - a flower in which the anthers release the pollen before the stigma becomes receptive.
   protogynous - a flower in which the stigma is receptive before the pollen is shed from the anthers.   raceme - an unbranching inflorescence, with each flower attached by a pedicel, the oldest flower toward the base..
   protozoa - single-celled, the most abundant animal in the world in number and in biomass, plays a vital role in controlling bacteria.

  R
   rhizome - a horizontal stem of a plant (usually underground). 
   rotifer - a microscopic multi-celled animal (less than 1000 cells), possessing a hair-like cilia at the body front for locomotion.

  S
   stipule - an outgrowth at the base of the petiole. 
   stolon - a horizontal shoot (often underground) that forms a new plant at the tip, also called a runner. 
   sympatry - occurring in the same habitat.

  T
   taxonomy - a discipline of biology to classify organisms. 
   tropistic - movement in the direction having a correlation to the origin of stimuli. 
 
  V
   vertebrate - animals with backbones, including many large animals, such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

  Z
   zygomorphic - a bilaterally symmetric flower.