We have included a few of the most basic terms you will come across when growing your own medicinal garden or foraging for healing plants.
This botanical terms list is certainly not an exhaustive one. If you discover that we’ve missed something important, please let us know. We are learning too and invite you to join us on the path to discovering the amazing qualities of God’s gift of plants.
Definitions
Acidic – soil that has a pH level below 7 (low-pH).
Aerial Parts – the parts of a plant growing above ground.
Alkaline – soil that has a pH level above 7 (high-pH).
Annual – a plant that completes its life-cycle in a year.
Bark – the tough outer layer of woody stems and roots.
Biennial – a plant that lives for two years, generally flowering in the second year.
Binomial Classification – a two part scientific name for organisms which includes the genus and species.
Clone – a cutting from an existing plant which grows with the same genetic material and properties.
Compost – combining of dead and decaying organic material used for fertilizer and amending soil.
Deciduous – plants which shed their leaves (generally for winter).
Dioecious – plants which have exclusively male or female flowers on separate plants.
Evergreen – plants which retain their leaves throughout the seasons.
Family – category of classification above the genus and below the order category.
Herbaceous – a plant whose stem does not become woody and persistent, rather remains soft; these plants die to the ground at the end of a growing season.
Heirloom – a seed or plant which has been preserved and passed down generation after generation; heirlooms are open pollinated so that the plant will grow true to seed, just like its parent.
Hybrid – plants which are cross-bred to retain the best qualities of the parent plants and seeds retained from these plants will not grow identical seedlings.
Invasive – a plant which is non-native to an ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm. Invasive plants generally have a high tendency to spread uncontrollably.
GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) – plants which have had their DNA altered in a laboratory to be disease or pest resistant, high yielding, or to achieve another desirable trait.
Monoecious – plants which have male and female flowers on the same plant.
Native – a plant which occurs naturally in an area without human introduction or intervention.
Nomenclature – the system of assigning names to a group of organisms.
Perennial – a plant that returns year after year; generally considered to live at least three years.
Pollination – the transfer of pollen from the stamen to the stigma.
Rhizome – underground storage stem.
Tuber – thickened part of an underground stem.
Wildcrafting – harvesting herbs from the wild (also called foraging).
Our Mission Continues
Herb & Vine Healing Plants strives to find and grow the most sought-after medicinal plants that will thrive in the Georgia Piedmont – zone 7B. We source our seeds from reputable, U.S.-based companies. And we grow our plants naturally – without chemicals – in our Talking Rock greenhouse. Find us at local Farmer’s Markets throughout spring and summer, or make an appointment to visit the greenhouse and shop our plants.