There is nothing accidental about the fact that in our everyday lives we communicate at two distinct levels. Our ‘ordinary’ conversation employs a rich, dynamic language in which meaning can differ from one locality to another and change from time to time. Our ‘ordinary’ reading is of a written language of enormous diversity – ranging from contemporary magazines which are intentionally erosive of good standards, to high-quality prose of serious writers. However, when communication relates to specific topics, in which ambiguity is an anathema, the language which we adopt is one in which ‘terminology’ is relied upon to convey information accurately and incontrovertibly. Thus, legal, medical and all scientific communications employ terms which have widely accepted meanings and which therefore convey those meanings in the most direct way. Because, like botanical terms for the parts of the flower, these terms are derived predominantly from classical roots and have long-standing acceptance, they have the added advantage of international currency.

This glossary contains many examples of words which are part of botanical terminology as well as being employed as descriptive elements of plant names. Such is the wealth of this terminology that an attempt here to discriminate between and explain all the terms which relate, say, to the surface of plant leaves and the structures (hairs, glands and deposits) which subscribe to that texture would make tedious reading. However, terms which refer to such conspicuous attributes as leaf shape and the form of inflorescences are very commonly used in plant names and, since unambiguous definition would be lengthy, are illustrated as figures.