Descriptionary

frost heaving bumps and mounds produced at ground level due to the expansion of ice in soil.

gumbo fine, silty soil, found frequently in southern and western United States, and known for the sticky mud it produces when wet.

hummock a low area with deep, rich soil.

humus decomposing plant and animal tissue in and on the surface of the soil.

loam a mixture of soil consisting of sand, clay, silt, and organic matter in proportions conducive to healthy plant growth.

trees, forests, and jungles

aerial roots tiny roots that allow jungle vines to cling to host trees.

alameda a tree-bordered walk.

arborculture cultivation of trees and shrubs.

arborculturist one who practices arborculture.

arboreal pertaining to trees, or living on or among trees.

arboretum

a tree garden, usually featuring several varieties.

A-story botanist's term for the crowns or top story of the tallest trees in a jungle.

bast the soft-tissued inner bark, often used in mak­ing thread and rope.

beard the bristlelike hairs sometimes found growing out of petals or leaves.

beauty strip a narrow stand of trees left intact to hide a clearcut from view from a road or body of water.

blowdown any trees knocked down by wind. bole the trunk, especially of a large tree.

bonsai a Japanese art form of dwarfing or miniatur­izing trees or shrubs by pruning.

bosky thickly treed or shrubbed.

bower a shaded recess created by boughs or twining plants.

bromeliad any member of a family of plants that are usually found growing from cracks or crevices in the trunks or branches of jungle trees.

brush an area of low vegetation, such as shrubs and bushes.

B-story the jungle trees and plants growing below the A-story, from 30 to 110 feet up.

burl

a warty protuberance found on some tree trunks.

bush rope slang for jungle vines.

buttresses the large, radiating, aboveground root systems supporting many jungle or swamp trees.

cambium the thin layer beneath a tree's bark that produces new wood cells.

canopy the uppermost story of a forest or jungle.

cauliflorous of plants that blossom from the side of a tree trunk or branch, commonly found in jungles.

chaparral a thicket of shrubby trees.

chlorosis a yellowing of leaves, a symptom of nutri­tional deficiency.

clearcut a practice of some lumber companies in which all or almost all of the trees in a given area are cut down, leaving a barren landscape.

cloud forest a wet, mountain forest or jungle fre­quently shrouded in mist.

conifer any evergreen tree or shrub.

conk the wood-eating tree fungus found projecting from the trunks of some trees.

copse a thicket of small trees or shrubs.

covert

an area of thick growth offering a hiding place or shelter for animals.

crown the leaf canopy or top portion of a tree.

C-story the tree and plant growth extending from 20 to 30 feet above ground in a forest or jungle.

deadfall a jumble of fallen trees and branches.

deciduous of or relating to any type of a tree that sheds its leaves seasonally.

dendrochronology the study of a tree's growth rings to estimate dates of past events, such as forest fires and droughts.

dendrologist one who studies trees. dendrology the study of trees.

D-story in a jungle or forest, the plants growing from 10 to 20 feet high.

duct a pit or gland, usually filled with sap or resin.

Dutch elm disease a fungus that attacks elms, blocks the flow of sap, and kills the trees.

epiphytes plants that root and grow from the cracks and crevices of a tree's trunk or branches, such as bro- meliads and orchids.

E-story in a jungle or forest, the undergrowth of small herbaceous plants and trees.

gall

a tumor or nub appearing on the trunk or on a branch, produced and lived in by an insect.

glade a grassy, open space in a forest.

gland a secreting pore or duct exuding resin or sap.

gnarl a twisted or knotty protuberance, as on an old branch.

grove a small stand of trees with little or no under­brush.

growth rings darkened rings within a trunk, used to define the tree's age and stages of growth.

heartwood the center of a tree trunk, containing dead wood and acting as a receptacle for waste.

knot a tough, ringed section of wood marking the past location of a branch or limb.

lateral root a root that extends horizontally from the base or taproot of a tree.

liana a great, woody jungle vine, sometimes grow­ing as thick as a man's waist, found in most jungles.

litter rotting leaves, stems, and debris of a forest or jungle floor.

midrib the central vein or nerve of a leaf.

mor a thick, acidic humus blanket consisting of decayed fir and spruce needles found on a forest floor.

motte a grove or stand of trees on a prairie.