maculate
Blotched or spotted.
mangrove
Coastal wetland dominated by Manawa or mangrove Avicennia marina var. resiifera. Northern New Zealand only, salt marsh replaces it further south.
margin
The edge or border of a leaf.
marine
Pertaining to the sea and saltwater systems.
marsh
A tract of wet land principally inhabited by partially-submerged herbaceous vegetation. Has fewer woody plants than swampier habitats.
mealy
Dry, powdery, crumbly.
median
In the middle.
membranous
Very thin, like a membrane.
mid-lobe
The middle part into which a leaf is divided.
midrib
The central or principal vein of a leaf or pinna of a fern.
mire
Synonymous with any peat-accumulating wetland. Term covers bogs and peaty swamps, fens, carr, moor, muskeg and peatland. Term excludes marsh which is non-peat forming.
molecular techniques
Where proteins and genes are used to investigate plant relationships.
monitoring
Recording of quantitative data over time to document changes in condition or state of species or ecosystems.
monoecious
Having male and female flowers on the same plant of the same species.
montane
Land between 300 and 800 metres above sea level.
mucronate
Tipped with a short, sharp, point.
mucronulate
Having a very small mucro; diminutive of mucronate.
multi-annual evergreen
Overlapping annual cohorts of leaves always present.
multifid
Cleft into many lobes or segments.
multiseptate
With many septa.
mycorrhiza
A symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a plant.
mycorrhizal associations
Symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots which assists plant health by allowing increased ability for uptake of nutrients and promote plant growth.
muricate
Rough with short, hard points like the shell of Murex, a genus of tropical sea snails with elaborately pointed shells.