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Texture
and Appearance:
Glabrous
vs. “Hairy”: Smooth, hairless surfaces are glabrous.
"Hairy” surfaces (not true hairs) bear epidermal trichomes
of varying lengths and appearance:
Pubescent = short, soft hairs
Scabrous
= hard, short, rigid hairs (“sandpapery”)
Tomentose
= dense, short, rigid hairs
Felty
= densely tomentose
Hispid
= bristly hairs
Silky
= close-pressed, soft and straight hairs
Glandular-hispid
= sticky glands on the hair tips, or stalked glands (stipitate-glandular)
Woolly
= long, tortuous or matted hairs
Bristly
= stiff, strong trichomes
Scurfy
coverings are scale-like or bran-like panicles or glands, sometimes
mixed with close, loosely attached trichomes.
A granular
surface is bumpy or irregular due to scurfy scales.
Peltate
glands are flattened, bran-like scales which look like small
fringed dots (use lens).
A mealy
surface shows a white scurfy substance.
Corrugated
surfaces are folded, channeled, or deeply lined.
Rugose
surfaces are wrinkled.
Glaucous
surfaces have a whitened or pale color, sometimes caused by a powdery
or waxy bloom. When blooms are present,
these pale waxy coverings rub off easily with handling, as in blueberry
fruit or raspberry canes.
Punctate
surfaces show minute dots. These dots may be pale or darkened glands
or depressions on the epidermis.
Glandular
dots and resin globules
are usually lustrous specks, best visible at an angle to light.
Winged
plant parts include green leaf-like growth along small stems such
as petioles or rachi, corky growth of bark cells on twigs or branchlets,
or membrane-like attachments to seed or fruit.
Other
properties:
Aromatic
properties are found in fresh sap fluids and are best ascertained
from scraping or bruising of tissues. Identification of potentially
poisonous plants is recommended before experimentation in this area.
Astringent
properties of sap and fruit juices cause "puckering" sensations
of the mouth.
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