Plant Health Care Glossary
Abdomen- Last of the three sections and the largest. It hold the digestive system and reproductive organs.
Abiotic Disorders- Plant problems caused by non living agents.
Absorbing Roots- fine, fiberous roots that take up water and minerals; most are within the top 12 inches
Accumulative Pesticides- Pesticides that can build up in the bodies of animals and humans, which can turn out to be very harmful.
Acid Soil- An aspect of the chemical composition of the soil. Acid soil is found where there is high rainfall and some plants need acid soil to grow.
Adaptability- Genetic ability of plants and other living organisms to adjust or accommodate to different environments
Alkaline Soil- Alkaline soil is found where there is light rainfall and require treatment if you wish to grow acid-loving plants.
Annual- A plant that completes its life cycle in a year or less (from spring to fall) and doesn’t come back the following year.
Antennae- Located on the head of the beetle, they provide constant information about touch smell and taste.
Anti-Transpiration – technique of applying oils or a treatment to help the tree retain moisture.
Arboriculture- The study of trees and other plants.
Biennial- A plant that completes its life cycle in two years.
Backfill- Soil that is returned to a planting hole after a plant’s roots have been positioned.
Blue Stain Fungi- Pine beetles carry it with them from tree to tree which blocks the trees resin response.
Borers- Pests with chewing mouth parts that bore into seeds, stems, tubers, fruit trees and others. (Corn borers, white grubs, coddling moths, Etc.)
Botanicals- Pesticides that are made from plants
Broad-leafed- The term refers to a plant that has green foliage all year but is not and evergreen conifer (such as a juniper) which needle or scale-like foliage. A broad-leafed weed is and weed that is not grass.
Burning on leaves- Pests that secrete toxic secretions in the host tissue causing foliage to appear burned.
Cambium- a layer of delicate tissue between the inner bark or phloem and the wood or xylem, which produces new phloem on the outside and new xylem on the inside in stems, roots, etc., originating all secondary growth in plants and forming the annual rings of wood.
Carbaryl- A spray that kills the beetles before they can successfully bore into the tree. It works good, but can negatively affect mammals.
Chitosan- an eco-friendly biopesticide to pre-arm pine trees to defend themselves against Mountain Pine Beetle
Chlorosis- Chlorosis is caused by a plants inability to obtain the iron it needs to produce green coloring. A plant that suffers from chlorosis has yellowish or less green color.
Climate- The climate affects when the Pine Beetle attacks. Normally, they will attack in the summer months, June and later, and wont be attacking in the winter.
Complete fertilizer- Any plant food that contains the 3 primary nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) is a complete fertilizer.
Composite family- A group of many flowers tightly grouped into a head, which lookes as if it is a single flower is a composite family.
Conifer- A cone-bearing tree or other plant that its seeds in a structure called a cone.
Conks- a fungus found on trees, it will bracket in rows and resemble a mushroom.
Cultivar – A race or variety of a plant that has been created or selected intentionally and maintained through cultivation.
Deciduous- Any plant that sheds all of its leaves at one time each year.
Defoliators- Pests that chew portions of leaves or stems, stripping of chewing the foliage of plants.(Leaf Beetles, Flea Beetles, Caterpillars, Grasshoppers, Etc.)
Dieback- In dieback, a plant’s stems die, beginning at the tips, for a part of their length. Various causes.
Distorted Plant Growth- Caused by Lygus Bugs, in which pests that cause leaves, fruit or stems to wilt, curl or become distorted.
Dormant oil- Also know as horticulture oil, dormant oil is diluted with water and applied as a spray, to control scale on fruit trees, cooley spruce gall and aphids on pine and other evergreens. Advantages of oils include limiting pesticides as it is considered a natural product made of petroleum oil or plant based oils. Traps overwintering eggs before they escape. Less flexible though in terms of timing.
Drip Line- The imaginary circle that you would draw on the soil around a tree directly under the outermost branch tips. Rainwater tends to drip from the tree at this point.
Epidermis- a thin layer of cells forming the outer skin of trees, seed plants and ferns.
Exoskeleton -The shape of a beetle that acts as a large shell to protect the beetle.
Eyes- Each eye is made up of many ommatidia, which they see patterns of light and dark dots. There can be thousands of ommatidia in one single eye. Despite all of these ommatidia, their eye sight is not very good, so they mainly rely on other senses.
Fertilize- There are 2 types of fertilization. To fertilize a flower is to apply pollen to a flower’s pistil for the purpose of setting seed. To fertilize a plant is to apply nutrients to the plant.
Fungicides- Used to control the growth of fungi.
Galleries – Grooves on the bark or underneath the bark created by boring insects and beetles. Indicator of the presence of colonzing insects within a tree.
Girdling- A term which describes the damage done to the Phloem layer. Girdled trees generally die because they have no flow of nutrients.
Head- On the head you will find eyes, antennae, and mouth parts. Inside the head is the brain which is made up of “ganglia” which are clusters of nerve cells. Attached to the brain is a double nerve cord which runs back along the bottom of the body to help it eat and fly.
Herbicides- Used to control he growth of weeds, most common type of pesticide.
Hosts- Pines are the place that “host” pine beetles, mainly ponderosa, lodgepole, scotch and limber pines.
Insecticides- Used to control insects.
Insects- Insects are spineless and belong to a group of organisms called Arthropoda. Some examples include spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes, and millipedes.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)- This is the most effective way to protect against pine beetle. This process includes thinning, cutting and removing dead trees to maintain a healthy forest.
Lateral Root- Side-branching root that grows horizontally.
Leaching- You leach soil with water to remove excess salts.Leaf Miners- Pests that bore into and then tunnel in between epidermal layers. (Blotch leaf miners, Serpentine miners, Etc.)
Leaf Mold- This term refers to partially decomposed leaves that can be dug into the soil as an organic amendment.
Legs- Have 6 legs, which are jointed and the last segment of the leg contains a small claw.
Lifespan- The life span of a Mountain Pine Beetle is approximately 1 year.
Mitigation- The process of reducing damages or risks.
Mountain pine beetle – type of beetle indigenous to Colorado and the interior Rocky Mountain West. is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western US.
Mouth parts- Have strong mouth parts so they can chew threw bark and phloem. They move in a cutting motion like scissors.
Mulch- Any loose material placed over the soil such as ground bark, sawdust, straw or leaves. It has many functions such as reducing evaporation of moisture, reducing weed growth, insulating soil from extreme changes of temperature or preventing mud from splashing.
Native Species- Indigenous to a region.
Organic Fertilizer- Fertilizer derived from plants or animals
Organic Matter- Any material of organic origin that can be dug into soil to improve its condition.
Parasite- Organism living in or on another organism from which it derives nourishment.
Percolation- Movement of water through soil.
Perennial- A plant that lives for more than two years. Some die each winter and regrow the following spring and some keep their leaves yearlong
Pesticide- A chemical mixture that is specifically designed for the control of certain pests ranging from animal to weeds and plants.
Pests- Pests are generally describes as organisms that come into conflict with people in many ways.
Pheromones- A chemical substance released by the female Pine Beetle that attracts other beetles and creates a mass attack.
Phloem- The living tissue in plants that carries nutrients for the plant to survive, the place where the pine beetle feed and lay eggs which kills the trees.
Physiology- The study of the life function of a plant
Phytotoxicity- An injury of plants that can range from browning of the leaves to death of the plant which is caused by careless use of pesticides.
Pitch Tubes- Small blobs of pitch secreted by the host tree in an effort to trap and prevent the pine beetle from entering the plant.
Root Feeders- Pests that feed on and damage the roots and underground portions of the plant. (Seed and root maggots, Corn Rootworms, wireworms, Etc.)
Setae- Tiny hairs on the outside of the Exoskeleton that help the beetles perception of touch and sound
Silvicides- Used to control trees and woody vegetation.
Spiracles- Beetles breathe through spiracles which are a series of holes on the abdomen. The air passes directly through the body by a system of branching tubes.
Stippling effect of Leaves- Caused by spider mites and thrips, in which pests leave many small discolored spots on the leaves, which eventually turn yellow. These insects transmit viruses and phytoplasms.
Stress- Stress refers to the condition under which a plant is growing with danger to its health. Stress can be caused from lack of water, too much heat, wind, moisture, or low temperatures. Effects of stress can show up as wilting, loss or dulling of color in foliage or browning of leaf edges, and they may not be seen immediately.
Thinning out- This term means to remove entire branches on the front, back, side, or ground. This gives the plant a more open structure.
Thorax- Located in between the head and the abdomen. It serves as an attachment point for the legs and wings and a place for heart which pumps blood throughout the body.
Treatment- Other treatments include burning or peeling attacked trees to expose the beetles, which generally kills them.
Trichome – A hairlike or bristlelike outgrowth of the epidermis, or the top layer of a leaf.
Wings- Have 2 pairs of wings. One pair is hard-shelled outer wings called “elytra”, which are not used for flying. They second pair are see-through and fold under the elytra when not in use for protection.
Sources:
- The Standard Pesticide User’s Guide
- Wikipedia
- www.pc.ga.ca
- Colorado State University Website
- Forest Insect and Disease Leaflet
- Sunset Western Garden Book
- ISA’s Arborists Certification Study Guide
- Evaluation of Hazardous Trees in Urban Areas