Glossary: W
- wanting
- Absent or nearly so.
- Watch List
- Actively being monitored to determine its status.
- watch list
- An uncommon or possibly rare plant taxon, suspected of being in decline, but for which information is lacking.
- Wetland Status
- Designates a plant species' preference for occurrence in a wetland or upland based on the National Wetland Plant List.
-
whorled
- Referring to the arrangement of a node that bears 3 or more similar organs, such as leaves or flowers (compare with alternate, opposite).
-
wing
- A thin, flat projection from the side, top, or back of a structure such as a seed or flower; one of the 2 lateral petals in flowers of the Fabaceae (legume family); one of the 2 large, petaloid sepals in flowers of the Polygalaceae (milkwort family).
-
winter bud
- The meristem (living undifferentiated cells) of branchlets and leaves during the dormant season; sometimes covered by one or more protective scales.
- woodlands
- A forest with an open canopy that allows sunlight to penetrate between the trees, limiting shade.
-
woody
- Plants with secondary growth, with stems that thicken each year by adding new tissue. The outermost layer of the main stem consists of a hard, nonliving tissue called bark. The living parts of woody plants, such as the inner bark and buds, remain alive.
