Glossary

Accessory trunks

Alkaloid

Antimicrobial

Antioxidant

Substance that prevents or inhibits oxidation.

Astringent

Tightens the skin

Caste

Hereditary classes in Hindu society.

Cellulose

Long chain of linked glucose molecules usually forming the walls of plant cells.

Cultivar

Variety of crop plant that has been produced in cultivation by deliberate breeding.

Decoction

East India Company

British company of traders who governed most of India from 1608 to 1857.

Epiphytic

Grafted

Propagation technique where a cut stem of a plant is attached the rootstock of another. The tissues of the stems grow together.

Heartwood

Home garden

Inoculated

Intercropping

Lac

Mehndi

Micropropagation

Technique of producing new plants by taking cells from an existing plant and growing them in sterile conditions.

Mordant

Native

Used by botanists to mean plants that naturally occur in the region, rather than being introduced from elsewhere.

Oleoresin

Naturally occurring mixture of a resin and essential oil obtained from certain plants.

Palliative

Parasite

Petiole

Leaf stalk.

Rhizome

Underground stem that grows horizontally.

Sapwood

Sizing

Vegetative

Form of reproduction where bits of a plant grow to form new individuals. These bits may include bulbs, rhizomes and stems.