Plant & Tree Vocabulary

Trees

• 

  chestnut tree

• 

  chestnut tree leaf

• 

  maple tree

• 

  maple tree leaf

• 

  oak tree

• 

  oak tree leaf

• 

  pine tree

• 

  pine tree needle

Flowers

• 

  daisy

• 

  dandelion

• 

  lily

• 

  orchid

• 

  peony

• 

  rose

• 

  sunflower

• 

  violet

• lavender

  Small plant with narrow green leaves and purple flowers. It has a strong, sweet smell.

• mint

  Green plant with soft leaves. It has a very fresh, cool, and sharp taste and smell.

• basil

  Small plant with shiny, round, bright green leaves. It has a warm, sweet, and slightly spicy smell and taste.

• thyme

  Small, bushy plant with tiny green leaves and very thin, woody stems. It tastes a little bit like pepper and grass.

• oregano

  Small plant with oval green leaves. It has a strong, warm, and slightly bitter taste.

• chives

  Plant with long, thin, grass-like leaves. It tastes a little like onion.

• catnip

  Small plant with green, fuzzy leaves. Cats love it!

• seed

  Small part of a plant that will grow into a new plant.

• twig

  Very small branch.

• nectar

  Sweet, sugary liquid inside flowers.

• pollen

  Fine, yellow or brown powder made inside flowers and on the cones of a conifer.

• blade (of grass)

  A single, individual piece of grass.

• bud

  Small rounded structure on a stem or a branch that contains baby leaves or flowers.

• bulb

  Rounded part of some plants that grows completely underground.

• sprout

  Small, new plant that just started to grow.

• shoot

  Part of a new plant that has just started to grow out of the ground.

• resin

  Thick, sticky, and gooey liquid that comes out of certain trees and plants.

• sap

  Watery liquid that flows inside a plant or a tree.

• rings

  Circular lines that you see inside a tree trunk when it is cut down.

• garden

  Piece of land where people grow plants or vegetables.

• houseplant

  Plant that is grown and kept indoors.

• wild plant

  Plant that grows naturally without human help.

• exotic plant

  Plant that isn’t native to your area.

• crops

  Plants grown to be harvested and used.

• fungus

  Living organism that is neither plant, nor animal. Mushrooms are a fungus.

• fungi

  The plural form of “fungus.”

• undergrowth

  Plants, bushes, shrubs and ferns that grow close to the ground beneath tall trees.

• grove

  Small group of trees that grow close together.

• orchard

  Area where fruit trees or nut trees are grown.

• canopy

  Upper layer of a forest formed by interlocking branches.

• fruit tree

  Trees that grow fruit (e.g., apple tree, orange tree).

• nut tree

  Trees that grow nuts (e.g., walnut tree, chestnut tree).

• evergreen tree

  Tree that keeps its green leaves or needles all year long.

• coniferous tree

  Tree that grows cones and has needles instead of leaves.

• deciduous tree

  deciduous tree

• botany

  The scientific study of plants.

• flora

  Scientific term describing plant life that grows naturally in a specific area or time period.

• vegetation

  General term describing plant life found in a particular area.

• soil

  Top layer of earth covering the ground.

• horticulture

  Art, science, and business of growing and cultivating plants, fruits and vegetables.

• pollinator

  Animal or element (air, water) that carries pollen from one plant to another.

• chlorophyllchlorophyll

  Natural green pigment found in plants. It acts as a tiny solar panel.

• photosynthesis

  Process plants use to turn sunlight into food.

• to plant*

  To put a seed, a bulb or a young tree in the soil so it can grow.

• to sow*

  To scatter seeds in or on the ground so they can grow.

• to seed*

  To scatter or plant seeds over an area so that they can grow.

• to grow

  (1) To get bigger. (2) To cultivate, to take care of plants.

• to sprout

  To break through the seed and start to grow.

• to bloom

  When a bud opens with a flower. Generally used for decorative flowers, ground plants and general flower gardens.

• to blossom

  When a bud opens with a fruit or leaf. Generally used for trees, woody shrubs, and fruit-bearing plants.

• to germinate

  To begin to grow into a new plant, right before it starts to sprout.

• to spread

  To expand in size, to cover a larger area over time.

• to thrive

  To grow strong, healthy and flourish.

• to weed

  To remove unwanted plants (called “weeds”) from an area.

• to wither

  To dry up, shrivel and die.

• to harvest

  To gather or pick ripe crops, fruits, vegetables or grains when they are ready to be used.

• to pick

  To pull a fruit, vegetable, flower, or leaf off a plant or tree using your hands.

• to pluck

  To pull off a leaf, fruit, or flower from a branch or stem with a sudden, quick, and sharp tug.

• to prickle

  To sting, or scratch slightly with small, sharp points.