Ross Koning's mention of a few favorite inaccurate botanical terms
prompted me to ask others for their favorites. A few of mine are
Pollination, dioecious, monoecious - all often defined in terms of
flowers, yet all can also apply to gymnosperms. The latter two could also
apply to some seedless plants.
Hydrotropism - an obsolete theory which still persists in way too many
botany/biology texts.
Cultivar - usually missing, misdefined, or misused in botany textbooks.
Many cultivars originated in nature but are maintained in cultivation.
Cultivar names are capitalized and enclosed by single quotes.
The Crop Science Society of America has a 1400-word glossary of terms
which contains standard definitions and a list of obsolete terms. Perhaps
botanists should develop something like this.
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David R. Hershey
Snail mail: 6700 Belcrest Road #112, Hyattsville, MD 20782-1340
Adjunct Professor, Biology/Horticulture Department
Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD 20772-2199
Email: dh321 at pgstumail.pg.cc.md.us
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