Glossary#

Annual- living for one year or less.

Biennial- living for two years, typically a rosette in year one and then flowering, fruiting, and dying in year two.

Colorado Native Plant (for City of Fort Collins purposes only)- a plant species that meets the definition of a native plant or native selection and that either occurs or could naturally occur in Colorado [3].

Cultivar- an organism and especially one of an agricultural or horticultural variety or strain originating and persistent under cultivation.

Deciduous- plants that shed their leaves at the end of each growing season.

Dioecious- having staminate and pistillate flowers borne on different individuals.

Endemic- a plant confined to a given region.

Evergreen- remaining green during the dormant season, the plant never without some leaves.

Fort Collins Native Plant (for City of Fort Collins purposes only)- a plant that meets the definition of a native plant or native selection and that either occurs or could naturally occur in the City of Fort Collins Growth Management Area (GMA) and/or the City’s Natural Areas [3].

Herbaceous- plants with non-woody aerial stems which die back to the ground each year.

Inflorescence- an arrangement of one or more flowers on a floral axis.

Monecious- staminate and pistillate flowers borne on the same individual.

Native Plant – A plant species that occurs naturally in a particular region, state, ecosystem, and/or habitat without the direct or indirect influence of human actions [2,3].

Native Selection- A naturally occurring variety of a native plant, selected for cultivation by humans for desirable characteristics [3].

Non-native- a plant introduced with human help (intentionally or accidentally) to a new place or new type of habitat where it was not previously found.

Noxious Weed- “the non-native aggressive invaders that replace native vegetation, reduce agricultural productivity, cause wind and water erosion and pose and increased threat to communities from wildfire.” [1].

Panicle- a much branched inflorescence with a central rachis that bears branches which are also branched.

Perennial- living for three years or more.

Persistent- remaining attached.

Pistillate- a unisexual flower where only female reproductive structures are expressed.

Plant Community- a group or association of plant species growing together in a particular habitat.

Pollinizer- a plant that provides pollen.

Program Association- City of Fort Collins programs or initiatives that provide information to the public about vegetation including Xeriscape Incentive Program, Nature in the City and Approved Street Trees.  

Rosette- a radiating leaf cluster at or near the base of a plant.

Short-lived- lasting only a short time.

Shrub- woody perennials with more than one principal stem arising from the ground.

Specialists- a species that can only thrive in a narrow range of environmental conditions or has a limited diet.

Spur- a sac-like or tubular projection from the perianth, usually found in columbines.

Staminate- a unisexual flower where only male reproductive structures are expressed.

Subshrub- a plant that is woody at the base and herbaceous at the top.

Subspecies- “is a grouping within a species used to describe geographically isolated variants” [4] .

Tree- woody perennial with a single main stem or trunk.

United States Native Plant (for City of Fort Collins purposes only)- A plant species that meets the definition of a native plant or native selection and that either occurs or could naturally occur in the United States [3].

Variety- “A botanical nomenclature division consisting of more or less recognizable entities within a species that are not genetically isolated from each other” [4].

Water Use (hydrozone)- relates to a plant’s approximate water needs.

• Very Low- indicates a plant that requires an additional 3 gallons of water per square foot per season.
• Low- indicates a plant that requires an additional 8 gallons of water per square foot per season.
• Moderate- indicates a plant that requires an additional 14 gallons of water per square foot per season.
• High- indicates a plant that requires an additional 18 gallons per square foot per season.

Weed- a plant in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Sources

1) Noxious Weeds. Colorado Department of Agriculture, website https://ag.colorado.gov/conservation/noxious-weeds , accessed 27 May 2021.

2) United States Geological Survey, (2014). Native Plant Definition. In USGS MOU-Establishing the Federal Native Plant Conservation Committee.

3) Strouse, C. (2021). Native Plant Definitions. [Unpublished] City of Fort Collins.

4) United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, (2010). Subspecies and Variety Definition. In USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Manual, Forth Edition. USDA NRCS.