{"id":1650,"date":"2018-03-19T19:16:43","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T23:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vnps.org\/potowmack\/?page_id=1650"},"modified":"2020-10-19T19:53:48","modified_gmt":"2020-10-19T23:53:48","slug":"botanic-names-on-the-leaf-edge","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vnps.org\/potowmack\/botanic-names-on-the-leaf-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Botanic Names: On the (Leaf) Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some plants\u2019 botanic names describe edges, mostly of their leaves. Smooth leaf edges are termed “entire” and rarely find their way into botanic names. Aureolaria laevigata, Entire-leaf Yellow False Foxglove, is an exception. However, “laevigata” just means “smooth” and does not guarantee entire leaves. As an example of a plant that is smooth but doesn\u2019t have entire leaves, The Flora of Virginia<\/em> describes the leaves of Boechera laevigata, Smooth Rock Cress, as “serrate to dentate or pinnately dissected or lobed.” All of those adjectives turn up in botanic names somewhere or other.<\/p>\n

An otherwise entire leaf may come to a short, sharp, slender, abrupt point, in which case it is termed “mucronate” as in Atriplex mucronata<\/em>, Sea-beach Orach. Mucronate tips also can be found on tepals.<\/p>\n

Simple teeth on the leaf edge are dentate, as in Viburnum dentatum<\/em>, Arrowwood Viburnum, Castanea dentata<\/em>, American Chestnut, Populus grandidentata<\/em>, Big-tooth Aspen or even Ambrosia bidentata, “twice toothed” Lance-leaved Ragwort.<\/p>\n

Little teeth may be called serrate, or you can make the teeth even smaller by adding a “ul” in there, as in Alnus serrulata<\/em>, Smooth Alder, or Hypericum denticulatum<\/em>, Coppery St. John\u2019s-wort, though the St. John\u2019s-wort tiny teeth are on the edges of its petals instead of its leaves.<\/p>\n

Leaves with rounded teeth are crenate. The only example of this term in a botanic name I could find is Japanese Holly, *Ilex crenata<\/em>, and its leaves are only sometimes crenate, sometimes entire.<\/p>\n

Leaf edges may be turned under, as in Thalictrum revolutum<\/em> – this does not translate to “revolting” even though its common name is Skunk Meadow-rue. Or they may be curled, “crisped,” as in Curly Dock, *Rumex crispus<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Leaves with deeply jagged edges may be called “laciniate” – think lacy or lacerated. Examples are Rudbeckia laciniata<\/em>, the Cut-leaf or Green-headed Coneflower, and *Dipsacus laciniatus<\/em>, Cut-leaf Teasel. Or they may be called “dissected”, as in Cardamine dissecta<\/em>, formerly Dentaria multifida<\/em>, Fork-leaf Toothwort (which has biternate leaves: divided into three leaflets, each of which is divided into three again) or Sceptridium dissectum<\/em>, formerly Botrychium dissectum<\/em>, the Cut-leaf Grape Fern. And if the leaves really get divided beyond what anyone wants to count, they may be called “thousand-leaved” as in Achillea millefolium<\/em>, Common Yarrow.<\/p>\n

*non-native<\/p>\n

Margaret Chatham<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some plants\u2019 botanic names describe edges, mostly of their leaves. Smooth leaf edges are termed “entire” and rarely find their way into botanic names. Aureolaria laevigata, Entire-leaf Yellow False Foxglove, is an exception. However, “laevigata” just means “smooth” and does not guarantee entire leaves. As an example of a plant that is smooth but doesn\u2019t…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18589,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"tpl-sidebar.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1650","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nBotanic Names: On the (Leaf) Edge - VNPS Potowmack Chapter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/vnps.org\/potowmack\/botanic-names-on-the-leaf-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Botanic Names: On the (Leaf) Edge - VNPS Potowmack Chapter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some plants\u2019 botanic names describe edges, mostly of their leaves. Smooth leaf edges are termed “entire” and rarely find their way into botanic names. Aureolaria laevigata, Entire-leaf Yellow False Foxglove, is an exception. However, “laevigata” just means “smooth” and does not guarantee entire leaves. 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