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Fertilization
When a pollen grain lands on the stigma of the pistil of the same species, it germinates and grows towards the ovary where fertilization takes place.
Pollination
The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of the same or a similar plant. In wind-pollinated plants, this occurs through the wind, while in insect-pollinated plants, it happens through insects such as bees and bumblebees.
Biodiversity
All life on Earth, not only all animals, plants, and fungi, but also the variation within a species and entire ecosystems.
Inflorescence
A flower consisting of multiple florets, for example, a dahlia, also known as a compound flower.
Flower bulb
Collective term for plants with a bulb, tuber, or rhizome.
Bulb
A storage organ with reserve food consisting of scales, as in a tulip or ornamental onion.
Botanical garden
A scientific collection of plants.
Cultivated variety or cultivar
A plant that does not occur naturally but is developed through crossbreeding and selection. In the case of fruit, you refer to them as varieties instead of cultivars.
Monoecious
A plant in which male and female flowers are found on the same plant.
Unisexual flower
A male flower (with only stamens) or a female flower (with only pistils).
Photosynthesis
The process by which plants convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose using energy from light.
Genus
According to binomial nomenclature, every plant has two names, a genus name and a species name. Plants belonging to a particular genus are closely related.
Tuber
A tuber is a solid storage organ of reserve food, see stem tuber and root tuber.
Cross-pollination
The pollen from one flower lands on the stigma of another flower.
Mutant
A spontaneously occurring alteration in the hereditary makeup of the plant. A mutant arises from seed and is seed-true.
Dutch Name
In every country, many plants have a name in the language of the country (common name), but every plant also has a scientific genus name and a species name. That name is the same in every country, which makes communication easier. The Dutch name is written in lowercase.
Overwintering
Many plants come from other countries with a different climate. Some of these plants cannot tolerate frost. They can only overwinter with a winter covering of leaves, straw, or fleece. Or they must overwinter indoors in a frost-free place.
Compound Flower
A flowering structure where one flower consists of multiple smaller flowers.
Formatting of Scientific Names
Scientific name is a more appropriate term than Latin name. The name can also be derived from Greek. The genus name is written in italics with an initial capital letter, the species name in italics with a lowercase letter, and the cultivar name in roman (upright letter) with an initial capital letter and enclosed in single quotation marks. Example: Gladiolus primulinus ‘Las Vegas’.
Sport
A mutation in a plant that deviates from the original plant and can only be further propagated through vegetative propagation (cuttings or grafting). This deviation is not passed on to their offspring via seeds.
Stem bulb
A thickened underground stem with eyes around it that sprout (potato).
Dioecious
A plant where the male and female flowers are on two separate plants.
Hermaphroditic flower
A flower with stamens and pistil(s).
Breeding
The deliberate crossing of two different plants of the same genus. The resulting seeds are sown, plants are selected from these, further cultivated, and eventually after 10 years or more, a new cultivar can emerge, which is then propagated asexually (cuttings, divisions) to maintain the genetic identity of the plant.
Spring bulbs
Flower bulbs that are planted in the autumn and bloom the following spring.
Forcing
Bulbs, tubers, or rhizomes that are placed indoors in a pot with soil earlier than usual to be planted later in the garden after sprouting.
Indoor Plant
A new term for houseplant that not only fits indoors but also in the workplace or outside on the terrace.
Root Tuber
A swollen underground root with eyes on top that sprout, for example, a dahlia.
Summer Bulbs
Flower bulbs planted in spring to bloom in the summer, such as dahlia, gladiolus, calla lily.
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