Terete is a term in
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
used to describe a
cross section that is circular, or like a distorted circle, with a single surface wrapping around it.
[Lichen Vocabulary, Lichens of North America Information, Sylvia and Stephen Sharnoff]
/ref> This is usually contrasted with cross-sections that are flattened, with a distinct upper surface that is different from the lower surface. The cross-section of a branch in a tree is somewhat round, so the branch is terete. The cross section of a normal leaf has an upper surface, and a lower surface, so the leaf is not terete. However, the fleshy leaves of succulents are sometimes terete. Fruticose lichens are terete, with a roughly circular cross section and a single wrap-around skin-like surface called the cortex, compared to foliose lichen
Foliose lichen is one of the morphological classes of lichens, which are complex organisms that arise from the symbiotic relationship between fungi and a photosynthetic partner, typically algae. This partnership allows lichen to live in diver ...
s and crustose lichens, which have a flattened cross section with an upper surface that is distinct from the lower surface.[
Plants and lichens may also be described as subterete, meaning that they are not completely terete.
]
References
Plant morphology
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