Arboretum Botanical Glossary

Proximal Near the base or end of attachment. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

Proximally Occurring near the base or point of attachment. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

Pruinose With a grayish powdery coating. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

Pseudobulb A thickened above-ground modified stem of some orchids. This feature helps describe plant support, storage, water movement, or vegetative spread. Did you know? Orchid pseudobulbs store water and nutrients, helping the plant survive dry periods between rains.

Pulvinate Cushion or mat-like. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

Punctate Spotted or dotted. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

"Purdue Name Number" is a unique identifier for this specific plant taxon. It is part of our internal numbering system used to assign numbers to specific plant taxa. We use separate "name numbers" even for different cultivars of the same plant species. This allows us to better manage taxonomic changes that happen over time. Essentially, a "Purdue Name Number" acts as a primary key in…

Putrescent Tending to decay rapidly. This feature helps describe plant form, function, or identification.

Pyramidal Pyramid-shaped (broad at the base, tapering to a point at the top)