Glossary: G

galea: The concave, hoodlike upper lip of some flowers, such as some species in the Lamiaceae and Orobancaceae and other families.
gall: Abnormal proliferating tissue, usually produced in stems or leaves by a parasite, insect, or fungus.
gamete: Egg or sperm.
gametophyte: A type of plant that produces gametes (eggs and/or sperm).
gamopetalous: With joined petals.
gamophyllous: With leaf bases joined around a stem so the stem seems to pierce the leaves.
gemma: A small, adventitious bud produced by ferns and some Lycophytes that can develop into a plantlet identical to the parent plant (plural: gemmae).
gemmiferous: Bearing gemmae.
genus: The grouping in a taxonomic hierarchy that encompasses related species (plural: genera); a family is made up of related genera.
gibbous: Noticeably swollen on one side.
girdle: The central sector of a quillwort (Isoetes) megaspore just below the ridge that marks the equator; the texture of the girdle relative to the rest of the megaspore is helpful in telling species apart.
glabrate: Now nearly smooth, but once having had hairs.
glabrous: Without hairs.
gland: A protuberance or depression on an organ or at the summit of a hair that produces a sticky or greasy substance.
glandular: Bearing glands.
glaucous: With a waxy bluish-gray or green bloom.
globose: Shaped like a sphere.
glochidium: A bristle or spine bearing one or more barbs.
glomerule: Dense, rounded cluster; usually refers to bunches of sessile flowers.
glume: The bracts (usually in pairs) at the base of a grass (or sometimes Cyperaceae) spikelet.
glutinous: Covered with a sticky substance.
graminoid: Grass-like, with long, narrow leaves.
gymnosperm: Plants that bear seeds that are not enclosed in an ovary.
gynecandrous: In Carex species, spikes that contain both male and female flowers, with the females positioned above the males.
gynoecium: The collective term for the female organs (carpels) of a flower.
gynophore: A stalk that elevates the gynoecium above the flower base.