| anther: | the uppermost part of the male reproductive organ; produces grains of pollen |
|---|---|
| blush: | shade of very pale flesh pink |
| carpel: | the female reproductive organ; bears the juvenile seed; same as "pistil" |
| cultivar: | = "cultivated variety"; it's the official name given to a plant variety that originated in cultivation |
| filament: | thin, thread-like stalk of stamen, holding up the pollen-bearing anther |
| floriferous: | more than one bloom on a stem |
| foliage: | leaves |
| guard petals: | petals which form the lowest layer or ring of petals; may be slightly larger or different shade than the petals that make up the central portion of the blossom |
| herbaceous: | a plant that does not form a woody stem; most herbaceous plants usually die down each winter and grow again in the spring |
| herbaceous hybrid: | name used to describe a cross between different species of herbaceous peonies (i.e. do NOT have any tree peony genes) |
| hybrid: | a plant resulting from a cross between two different species |
| Intersectional/Itoh hybrid: | peony resulting from a cross between a herbaceous peony and a tree peony |
| Paeonia lactifolia: | Chinese species of peony, from which many of the commercially-sold peony varieties are derived |
| petalode: | slender (often irregular) petal, which has developed from the filament of a stamen |
| petaloid: | same as a "petalode" |
| pollen: | plant equivalent of sperm; a powdery yellow dust produced by the male part of a plant (the anthers) |
| stamen: | the male part of the flower; consists of an anther (which produces pollen) and a slender filament that supports the anther |
| stamenode: | broadened and flattened filament of a stamen; not as petal-like as a petalode |
| stamenoid: | same as a "stamenode" |
| stigma: | sticky, upper part of the female reproductive organ; part which receives the pollen |
Last revised September 12, 2008