Plant Parts & Anatomy
Abaxial
The underside of a leaf (easy to remember: B = back)
Adaxial
The upper side of a leaf.
Lobes
The sections on either side of the sinus.
Midrib
The central main vein running through the leaf blade.
Petiole
The stalk connecting a leaf blade to the stem.
Petiolar Plexus
The point where a leaf’s main veins converge at the petiole attachment. Often we will refer to this as the vein plexus.
Primary Veins
The largest side veins branching from the midrib.
Sinus
The notch or gap at the base of the leaf blade between the lobes.
Growth Stages & Flowering
Cataphyll
A protective sheath that encloses new leaves as they grow. In Anthuriums, cataphylls emerge from the plant’s centre (not the previous leaf’s petiole). This marks maturity and flowering capability.
Emergent
A newly unfurling leaf.
Flowering Maturity
The stage when a plant can reliably produce flowers or inflorescences.
Inflorescence
A plant’s full flower structure, including the spathe and spadix.
Infructescence
The same structure after pollination, when seeds or berries are developing.
Spadix
The spike that holds the tiny flowers, often partially wrapped by the spathe. Spathe – The leaf-like bract that surrounds or supports the spadix.
Leaf Looks & Textures
Bullate
Leaf surface with blister-like texture between veins.
Glaucous
Leaf surface with a bluish or silvery bloom.
Sub-Velvet
Leaf surface with fine texture between matte and velvet.
Variegated
Having multiple colours on the leaf due to pigment differences.
Velutinous
Covered in fine hairs, giving a velvet-like feel.
Breeder’s Lingo
Backcross (BC)
A hybrid crossed back to one of its parent plants.
Clone
In botany, any plant genetically identical to its source, made through cuttings, divisions, or tissue culture. In collector use, often used to refer to a specimen where only one clone exists (e.g. Anthurium papillilaminum 'Ralph Lynam' or Anthurium ‘Heinz’).
Cross
Offspring from two different parent plants.
F1
First-generation hybrid from two distinct parents.
F2
Second generation, grown from seeds of F1 plants.
S1
First-generation selfing, where a plant is pollinated with its own pollen.
S2
Second-generation selfing, where an S1 offspring is selfed again.
TPP Naming Conventions
# (batch marker)
A symbol we use to separate batch names from clonal names. First used by Alicia from Wild About Plants. Not botanically correct, but makes ID easier.
Clonal propagation
The process of producing genetically identical plants from existing stock through cuttings, divisions, or tissue culture. Used at The Plant Plug to describe propagated plants from our own stock to avoid confusion with rare, one-off collector or wild clones.
Select
A plant chosen for exceptional traits from a group of seedlings.
Select holdback
A select plant kept rather than sold, often for breeding or future evaluation.
