This is a glossary of terms that every grower should know and every novice should learn because discussions with senior growers become very awkward when you have no idea what there talking about trust me I was in that situation not that long ago. So here it is to help you along.
| Acid (soils) |
Having a pH below 6 |
| Aerial Growth |
Young plants that that develops from bulb or stem of plant also known as Keiki's |
| Aerial Roots |
Erect adventurous roots that often collect leaf litter |
| Agar Solution |
Formulated Solution of nutrients for germinating seeds in vitro |
| Alkaline(soils) |
Having a pH above 8 |
| Anther |
The pollen bearing part of the stamen |
| Apical |
Flowering stem |
| Back Bulb |
Older often leafless bulbs that may reshoot if severed from main plant |
| Backcross |
A hybrid resulting from the crossing of an existing cross with one of its parents |
| Bifoliate |
With two leaves |
| Bigeneric Hybrid |
An artificial hybrid containing two related genera |
| Bud |
An unopened flower |
| Column |
The central fleshy part of the flower containing the sexual organs |
| Common Name |
Name of a plant species that is not its botanical or scientific name |
| Cross |
A less formal term for hybrid |
| Cultivar |
A selected and often superior variety of a species or hybrid |
| Deciduous |
The seasonal shedding of leaves which live for less than a year |
| Diploid |
Refers to the number of chromosomes in this case 2n |
| Dormant |
Resting or not in growth |
| Epiphyte |
A plant that grows on trees but is not parasitic |
| Evergreen |
Retaining leaves throughout the year |
| Eye |
Small dormant growth from which flowers or leaves develop |
| Foliage |
Leaves and twigs in mass |
| Genus |
A group of related species, a taxonomic category above species |
| Germination |
The emergence of a new plant from a seed |
| Grex |
A specific hybrid combination |
| Growth |
Vegetative shoot |
| Hybrid |
A cross between two different species or hybrids |
| Inflorescence |
The flowering stem of a plant |
| Intergeneric |
The same as bigeneric but with more than two genera |
| Keiki |
Hawaiian term for aerial growth |
| Labellum |
A modified petal also known as a lip |
| Leaf |
The plant organ that is primarily responsible for photosynthesis |
| Lip |
More casual term for labellum |
| Lithophyte |
A plant that grows on rocks |
| Mericlone |
A plant derived vegetatively from tissue culture identical to its parent |
| Microclimate |
The climate of a small area that can be affected by many things e.g. Climate |
| Monopodial |
Having one main or primary stem producing leaves and flowers along that stem |
| Natural Hybrid |
A rare naturally occurring hybrid between two species |
| Node |
The part of the stem that is jointed and produces leaves or buds |
| Ovary |
The structure directly behind the flower that develops into the seed capsule |
| Peloric |
An abnormal formation |
| Petal |
A floral organ often used to attract pollinators to the sexual organs of the plant |
| Photosynthesis |
A process by which plants generate food |
| Pollen |
The dust like material produced by the male flowering parts delivering the male nucleus to the female plant for reproduction |
| Pollination |
The mechanism by which pollen is transferred to the stigma |
| Primary Hybrid |
The initial hybrid between two species |
| Propagation |
The practice of multiplying plants artificially |
| Pseudobulb |
The thickened or bulb like stem of a symbodial plant |
| Raceme |
The stem on which the flowers are borne |
| Rhizome |
A specialized stem from which from which shoots and roots are produced |
| Root |
The organ for absorption of water and nutrients it also stabilizes the plant |
| Seed |
Organ for reproduction and spreading of plants |
| Seedling |
A young plant raised from seed that has yet to flower |
| Sepal |
One segment of a flower |
| Species |
Orchids as they naturally occur in the wild |
| Stamen |
The male part of a flower producing pollen |
| Stem |
The organ of the plant that supports leaves and flowers |
| Stigma |
The sticky receptive part of the column which accepts pollen |
| Substrate |
The material in which a plant is rooted |
| Symbodial |
A growth habit by which each stem has limited growth and new shoots develop from the base of previous ones |
| Synonym |
A previous invalid name for a species |
| Terrestrial |
A plant that grows in the ground |
| Tertaploid |
A plant with double the number of normal chromosomes |
| Unifoliate |
With one leaf |
| Variety |
Taxonomic rank below species often used for minor differences |
