palate: a raised part of the lower lip of a corolla, partly or wholly closing the throat.

palea (2 images): one of the pair of bracts (lemma and palea) that generally subtend the individual flowers in grass spikelets.

palmate (28 images): with 3 or more lobes or nerves or leaflets or branches arising from a common point.

pandurate: fiddle-shaped.

panicle (5 images): a branched, indeterminate inflorescence.

paniculate: adjectival form of panicle.

pannose: having the texture or appearance of felt or woolen cloth.

papilionaceous flower: one with a banner petal, 2 wing petals, and 2 partly connate keel petals, as in many Fabaceae flowers.

papillate, papillose: covered with papillae (short, rounded, blunt projections).

pappus (13 images): the modified calyx crowning the ovary (and achene) of the Asteraceae.

parietal placenta (1 image): a placenta along the walls or on the intruded partial partition of a compound, unilocular ovary.

parted: deeply cut, generally more than halfway from the margin to the midvein or base.

pectinate (3 images): comb-like, with a single row of narrow spreading appendages (or hairs) of uniform size, like the teeth of a comb.

pedate: type of palmate leaf with the lateral lobes divided into two or more segments.

pedicel (2 images): the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence.

peduncle (1 image): the stalk of an inflorescence or of a solitary flower.

pedunculate: borne on a peduncle.

peltate (6 images): shield-shaped, attached by the lower surface instead of by the base or margin.

pendulous (9 images): hanging or drooping.

penicillate: with a tuft of short hairs at the end.

perennial: a plant that lives more than 2 years.

perfect flower: one with both androecium and gynoecium, whether or not it has a perianth.

perfoliate leaf: one with the basal margins connate around the stem, so that the stem appears to pass through it.

perianth: the sepals and petals (or tepals) of a flower, collectively.

pericarp: the wall of the fruit.

perigynium: a special bract that encloses the achene of Carex.

perigynous (3 images): with the perianth and stamens united into a basal saucer or cup (hypanthium) distinct from the ovary; more generally, around the base of the gynoecium, as a perigynous disk.

persistent: remaining attached after the normal function has been completed.

petal (18 images): a member of the 2nd set of flower leaves (just internal to the sepals), generally colored or white and serving to attract pollinators.

petaloid: petal-like.

petiolate (3 images): with a petiole.

petiole (4 images): a leaf stalk.

petiolule: the stalk of a leaflet of a compound leaf.

phanerogam: a seed plant.

phyllary (24 images): an involucral bract of the Asteraceae.

phylloclade: same as cladophyll.

phyllode: a more or less expanded, bladeless petiole.

phyllopodic: with the lowest leaves well developed instead of reduced to scales.

pilose (1 image): with long, straight, rather soft, spreading hairs.

pilosulous (1 image): diminutive of pilose.

pinna (31 images): one of the primary divisions of a pinnately compound leaf.

pinnate (23 images): with 2 rows of lateral branches or appendages, or parts along an axis, like barbs on a feather.

pinnatifid (6 images): more or less deeply cut in pinnate fashion.

pinnatilobate: with pinnately arranged lobes.

pinnatisect: pinnately divided nearly to midrib but not into individual leaflets.

pinnipalmate: intermediate between pinnate and palmate, as the venation of some leaves in which the 1st pair of lateral veins are much larger than the others.

pinnule: diminutive of pinna; an ultimate leaflet of a leaf that is pinnately 2 or more times compound.

pistil (4 images): the female organ of a flower, composed of 1 or more carpels, ordinarily differentiated into ovary, style, and stigma.

pistillate flower (1 image): one with 1or more pistils, but no stamens.

placenta: the tissue of the ovary to which the ovules are attached.

planoconvex: with one surface flat and the other convex.

plicate: folded like a fan.

plumose (4 images): feathery.

pod: any kind of dry, dehiscent fruit.

pollinium: a coherent cluster of many pollen grains, transported as a unit during pollination.

polycarpous, polycarpic: with several or many carpels.

polygamo-dioecious: nearly dioecious, but with some of the flowers hermaphroditic.

polygamo-monoecious: nearly monoecious, but with some of the flowers hermaphroditic.

polygamous: with intermingled hermaphroditic and unisexual flowers.

polymorphic: occurring in several different forms.

polypetalous (5 images): with the petals separate from each other.

polyploidy: with three or more sets of chromosomes.

polysepalous (1 image): with the sepals separate from each other.

pome (6 images): a fruit with a core, like an apple.

poricidal (4 images): opening by pores.

porrect: directed outward and forward.

posterior: literally, behind; the posterior side of a flower is the side toward the axis of the inflorescence, rather than the side toward the bract; the upper lip of a bilabiate flower is the posterior lip.

praemorse: ending abruptly, as if bitten off.

precocious: developing very early; flowers developing before the leaves.

prickle (19 images): a sharp outgrowth from the epidermis or bark.

procumbent: prostrate or trailing, but not rooting at the nodes.

proliferous: reproducing by buds or offsets produced typically by the flower or other terminal part.

prophyll: one of a pair of bracteoles at the base of a flower, as in some species of Juncus.

prostrate (4 images): flat on the ground.

proximal: toward the base or near the end.

pruinose: strongly glaucous, like a prune.

pseudanthium (4 images): a compact inflorescence with small individual flowers, the whole simulating a single flower.

puberulent: minutely pubescent.

pubescent (7 images): bearing hairs (trichomes) of any sort.

pulvinate (1 image): cushion-like.

punctate (3 images): dotted, generally with small pits that may be translucent or glandular.

puncticulate: diminutive of punctate.

pungent: firmly sharp-pointed.

pustular, pustulate, pustulose (1 image): with little blisters or pustules.

pyrene: the hard or seedlike endocarp of a drupe.

pyriform: pear-shaped.

pyxis: a circumscissile capsule.