early successional species
Plants which are able to colonise an open area after disturbance but which are often temporary and are replaced by taller plants in time and shaded out.
echinate
Having sharply pointed spines or bristles.
ecological district
A characteristic landscape and biological community defined in the PNA (Protected Natural Area) programme.
ecological restoration
Attempt to reinstate original (pre-disturbance) state of a habitat, plant community or ecosystem.
ecosourced
Plants sourced from seed collected from similar naturally growing plants in the area of the planting site.
ecosourcing
Using native plants grown from locally grown seeds. Eco-sourced plants help to preserve the ecological distinctiveness of an area, and ecosourced plants fare better and are adapted to survive in the local conditions.
eglandular
Without glands.
ellipsoid
Elliptic in long section and circular in cross-section.
elliptic
Broadest at the middle.
emarginate
With a notch at the apex.
emarginated
Having a shallow notch at the tip, as in some petals and leaves.
emergent
In an aquatic sense - wetland herbs that are rooted in the substrate below water level, but carry leaves and stems above the water level e.g. rushes and raupo. Found on the shallow margins of lakes, ponds and waterways. In a forest sense - tree that is appearing above the surrounding canopy.
emergent marginals
An aquatic plant having most of its structure above water. Other aquatic plants are submerged or floating.
endemic
Unique or confined to a place or region, found naturally nowhere else.
endosperm
The nutritive tissue of a seed, consisting of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.
enrichment planting
Returning to a revegetation site and creating gaps, or filling existing gaps, with different plants of plants, usually later successional plants which may not have survived being planted in the first phases of the project.
ensiform
Sword shaped.
entire
Smooth. Without teeth, notches or divisions.
entomophilous
Pollinated by insects.
epicalyx
Calyx–like structure outside, but close to, the true calyx.
epiphyte
A plant that grows upon another plant but is not parasitic and does not draw nourishment from it.
epiphytic
Growing upon another plant but not parasitic and not drawing nourishment it.
erose
Irregularly toothed, as if gnawed.
estuarine
Pertaining to the meeting of freshwater and seawater wetlands.
ethnobotany
The study of people’s classification, management and use of plants.
evanescent
Lasting a very short time or running a short distance.
ex situ
Away from the place of natural occurrence.
excurrent
Having the axis prolonged to form an undivided main stem or trunk (as in conifers).
ex-situ
Maintenance of plants as live specimens or propagules in cultivation as insurance against the loss of wild populations and as source for material for translocation.
extravaginal
Outside an enclosing sheath.
endophyte
An endosymbiont (usually a bacterium or fungus) that lives within a plant for at least part of its life without causing any apparent disease.
endophytes
Endosymbionts (usually bacteria or fungi) that live within plants for at least part of their lives without causing any apparent disease.
eusporangia
Sporangia that arise from groups of epidermal cells.
epigeal
Growing on or close to the ground or emerging from the ground after germination (often used for cotyledons).
elaiosome
Fleshy, oil-rich structure attached to seed that attracts ants which act as dispersers.