North American Orchid Conservation Center

Glossary: B

bark bark
The outermost layer of non-living tissue on the main stem of a woody plant.
basal basal
At the bottom or base of.
base base
Bottom of a plant at the ground, or proximal part of structure where it meets another structure (i.e., leaf base near junction with petiole).
basifixed basifixed
Attached at the base, as in the area where a petiole meets the leaf blade.
basipetal basipetal
In the direction of the base.
basiscopic basiscopic
In the direction of the basal end.
Battus philenor Battus philenor
Pipevine Swallowtail, photo ©Brad Wilson.
beak beak
Slender projection.
beard beard
Tuft of long hairs.
berry berry
A fleshy fruit with a juicy or succulent wall (called a pericarp) that encloses the seeds.
biennial
A plant that lives for two years, usually reproducing only in the second year before dying.
bifid bifid
Divided at the tip into two equal parts by a cleft (think "Pac Man").
bilabiate bilabiate
A corolla with two prominent lips.
bipinnate bipinnate
Twice-divided, as with leaves that are further subdivided into separate leaflets.
bisexual bisexual
A flower that bears both pollen-bearing organs (stamens) and ovule-bearing organs (carpels); aka "perfect".
blade blade
The expanded, outer portion of an organ, such as a leaf or petal, as opposed to the narrow, basal or inner portion.
blunt blunt
Ending abruptly in a rounded or squared-off tip; opposite: "sharp".
bogs
A freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat.
Bombus ashtoni Bombus ashtoni
Ashton Cuckoo Bumble Bee, photo ©Gary Alpert, Harvard University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus bifarius Bombus bifarius
Black-notched Bumble Bee, photo ©Bob Hammon, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus borealis Bombus borealis
Northern Amber Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus fernaldae Bombus fernaldae
Fernald Cuckoo Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus fervidus Bombus fervidus
Yellow Bumble Bee, photo ©Ashleigh Jacobs, USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus flavifrons Bombus flavifrons
Yellow Head Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus griseocollis Bombus griseocollis
Brown-belted Bumble Bee, photo USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus impatiens Bombus impatiens
Common Eastern Bumble Bee, photo ©Mary Keim.
Bombus insularis Bombus insularis
Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus melanopygus Bombus melanopygus
Black Tail Bumble Bee, photo ©Bob Hammon, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus mixtus Bombus mixtus
Fuzzy-horned Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus morrisoni Bombus morrisoni
Morrison Bumble Bee, photo ©Bob Hammon, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus nevadensis Bombus nevadensis
Nevada Bumble Bee, photo ©Bob Hammon, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus occidentalis Bombus occidentalis
Western Bumble Bee, photo USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus pensylvanicus Bombus pensylvanicus
American Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus perplexus Bombus perplexus
Confusing Bumble Bee, photo ©Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org.
Bombus sandersoni Bombus sandersoni
Sanderson Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
Bombus ternarius Bombus ternarius
Tricolored Bumble Bee, photo ©Dejen Mengis, USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus terricola Bombus terricola
Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, photo USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus vagans Bombus vagans
Half-black Bumble Bee, photo ©David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org.
Bombus vandykei Bombus vandykei
Van Dyke's Bumble Bee, photo USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Bombus vosnesenskii Bombus vosnesenskii
Vosnesensky Bumble Bee, photo courtesy Packer Laboratory, York University with assistance of Robert and Cecily Bradshaw and Canadensys.
bract bract
A modified leaf that subtends an inflorescence or flower that is not part of the flower proper, commonly of reduced size compared with the foliage leaves.
bracteate bracteate
Having bracts.
bracteole bracteole
A small, modified leaf that grows just beneath the flower or on the pedicel above larger bracts.
branch branch
The side shoot of a stem or flower stem.
branched hairs branched hairs
Hairs with divided tips.
branchlet branchlet
An ultimate segment of a branch; a twig.
bristle bristle
A stiff hair.
brittle brittle
Easily broken when bent, as in some branchlets of Salix (willow) species.
broad leaf broad leaf
Leaves with blades that are conspicuously flattened and wider than needles.
bud bud
An undeveloped leafy shoot or flower.
bulb bulb
Underground storage organ enclosed by leaf bases or fleshy scales, such as an onion.
bulbiferous bulbiferous
Having bulbs.
bulbil bulbil
A small, leafy bulb, usually produced in the axils, capable of growing into a new plant; it is a plantlet that is genetically identical to the parent.
bulblet bulblet
A small bulb, usually arising from a parent bulb.
bulbous
Swollen.
bundle scar bundle scar
A mark on the stem of a woody plant, created by the petiole and vascular bundles of vessels, that shows where a fallen leaf or twig had been attached; aka "leaf trace".
bundle sheath
Cylinder of cells surrounding a vascular bundle or bundle scar.
bush bush
Shrub.
buttress buttress
Flares or extension of a tree base that support the main stem.