Australian Biological Resources Study
Fern definitions mostly compiled by Mary D.Tindale
(definitions of conifer terms provided by K.D.Hill)
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manoxylic: having secondary wood of a loose texture with discontinuous xylem and a large proportion of included parenchyma.
marcescent: withering without falling off.
massula: group of microspores enclosed in a hardened mucilage. pl. massulae.
medullated protostele: a protostele in which the xylem has a core of non-vascular tissue.
megasporangium: the larger of the two kinds of sporangia produced in the sexual life cycle of a heterosporous plant. Produces megaspores.
megaspore: the larger of the two kinds of spores produced in the sexual life cycle of a heterosporous plant, giving rise to the female gametophyte. They may be monomorphic as in Selaginella, or polymorphic as in some Isoetes species. cf. microspore.
megasporocarp: a sporocarp containing megasporangia.
megasporophyll: a specialised leaf upon which (or in the axil of which) one or more megasporangia are borne.
meristele: the portion of a stele received by each leaf.
mesophyll: photosynthetic tissue of a green leaf.
microsporangium: the smaller of the two kinds of sporangia produced in the sexual life cycle of a heterosporous plant.
microspore: the smaller of the two kinds of spores produced in the sexual life cycle of a heterosporous plant, giving rise to the male gametophyte. cf. megaspore.
microsporocarp: a sporocarp containing microsporangia.
midrib: the central, and usually the most prominent, vein of a leaf or leaf-like organ.
monoecious: having the male and female reproductive parts in separate organs but on the same plant. cf. dioecious.
monolete: of a spore, bilateral, having a single straight scar.
monomorphic: of uniform shape and size. cf. dimorphic.
monosulcate: a type of spore with a single germination pore or furrow.
mucro: a sharp abrupt terminal point. adj. mucronate.
mucronulate: having a very small mucro; diminutive of mucronate.
muri: low ridges.
muricate: covered with short hard-pointed outgrowths.