Glossary of Gardening Terms

Index O

Oblanceolate:
  Lanceolate with the wider part towards the apex.
Oblong:
  Leaves rounded at the tip, longer that broad.
Obovate:
  Inversely ovate, with broader end uppermost.
Obtuse:
  Blunt.
Offset:
  Short runner with clusters of leaves at the tip.
Offshoot:
  Side growth or shoot - as in bulbs.
Opposite:
  The arrangement of leaves or buds on a stem where two leaves or buds are attached at each node.
Orbicular:
  Disk-shaped.
Orchid:
  Member of the Orchidaceae family, which contains 835 genera of perennials, more than half epiphytic, the rest terrestrial. They are characterised by their unique flower structure.
Organ:
  Part of a plant with a particular structure and function.

Organic:

- Gardening:

 

Carbon based matter of plant or animal origin.

Gardening practice using only natural materials.

Organic material:
  Any material which originated as a living organism. (i.e. peat moss, compost, manure)
Organelle:
  A membrane-bound structure within the cytoplasm of a cell that is organised to perform a specific cellular function.
Osmunda Fibre:
  Chopped , dried roots of the fern genus used in orchid cultivation.
Ovary:
  Female organ of a flower.
Ovate:
  Leaves oval in shape and broadest at their base.
Ovule:
  Part of the ovary from which seed develops after fertilisation.
Oxygenator:
  Fully submerged aquatic plant that releases oxygen into the water.

Last updated 10 March, 2002
© copyright 1999, P. A. Owen