IELTS® Vocabulary Flashcard

Cross-pollination refers to the transfer of pollen from the male reproductive organ (an anther or a male cone) of one plant to the female reproductive organ (a stigma or a female cone) of another plant.

Example sentences:

• Insects and wind are the main agents of cross-pollination.

• Sometimes cross pollinating is used intentionally in the garden to create new varieties. For example, a popular hobby is to cross pollinate tomato varieties to attempt to create new, better varieties

A deciduous tree or bush is one that loses its leaves in the autumn every year.

Example sentences:

• Deciduous plants lose their leaves to conserve water or to better survive winter weather conditions.

Definition: Plant leaves, collectively

Example sentences:

• Spent flower stems can be removed as well as dead leaves but leave healthy foliage to die back naturally.

Definition: Of, denoting, or relating to herbs (in the botanical sense).

Example sentences:

• Overwintering herbaceous plants or evergreen trees can only survive the winter seasons of cold climates when they are able to acclimate.

A nectar is a sweet liquid secretion that is attractive to pollinators. 

Example sentence:

• Most flowers produce nectar just to attract pollinators.

You can refer to a person's children or to an animal's young as their offspring. 

Example sentences:

• Penguins congregate in groups to stay warm. With their group congregations, they are able to reproduce their offspring in extremely cold temperatures.

• Typically, crossbreeding is done because it can help the offspring gain important traits, such as resistance to disease, different colors in the cases of flowers, or enhanced productivity or nutritional value.

A perennial plant lives for several years and has flowers each year. Perennial is also a noun. Here are example sentences:

•  Perennials have the capacity to live through many successive growing seasons.
• This is a perennial plant with greenish-yellow flowers.

You can also use perennial to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties. For example:

• There is a perennial urban problem of drugs and homelessness.
• There's a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.

Definition: The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Example sentences:

• To avoid the production of oxygen via photosynthesis, plants were kept in the dark

Definition: The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Example sentences:

• Two key metabolic factors in photosynthetic cells have been shown to regulate photosynthesis. In photosynthetic organisms light is an essential factor for growth and development.

Definition: (Of a substance or plant) causing or capable of causing death or illness if taken into the body

Example sentences:

• Detoxification once referred to the process of removing some specific poisonous substance from the body.

Pollen is a substance inside a flowering plant that makes it possible for the plant to reproduce.

Example sentences:

• Insects that visit flowers are in search of pollen and nectar. Most flowers produce nectar just to attract pollinators. The higher the concentration of sugar in the nectar, the more attractive it is to pollinators.

To pollinate is to move the pollen from one plant to another. When a bee, for example, pollinates a flower, it helps the plant reproduce.This word often shows up in TOEFL listening lecture whose topic is related to botany. Other words that you should know are pollinate, pollination.

Example: 

Example sentences:

• A bee pollinates a flower with the help of wind.

• When a bee, for example, pollinates a flower, it helps the plant reproduce.

• Pollinators such as bees, that pollinate nuts, fruits and vegetables, are directly or indirectly responsible for a significant part of the world’s crop production. The decline of pollinators can impact future food production capabilities. Therefore the diminishing bee population is a serious concern.

Pollination is a process of transferring pollen from one plant to another plant.

Note: There are two types of pollination. One is cross-pollination. Another is self-pollination.

Example sentences:

• Self-pollination is a type of pollination that involves only one flower.

• The disadvantage of self-pollination is a reduction in genetic diversity because the sperm and egg cells of the same flower share genetic information.

A pollinator is an insect that carries pollen from one flower to another.

Example sentences:

• Honeybees are the primary pollinators for a variety of important fruit crops.

• Pollinators such as bees, that pollinate nuts, fruits and vegetables, are directly or indirectly responsible for a significant part of the world’s crop production. The decline of pollinators can impact future food production capabilities. Therefore the diminishing bee population is a serious concern.

Definition: A sticky flammable organic substance, insoluble in water, exuded by some trees and other plants (notably fir and pine)

Example sentences:

• Their first step was to obtain resin from the pine trees which at that time grew in dense forests throughout Europe.

Self-pollination refers to the pollination of a flower by pollen from the same flower or from another flower on the same plant.

Plants that can self-fertilize can still benefit from cross-pollination because it can lead to more or higher quality fruit. In these plants, self-pollination is often an emergency mechanism in case cross-pollination does not occur.

The stigma of a flower is the top of the centre part which takes in pollen.

Example sentences:

• Cross-pollination involves the transfer of pollen from the anther of one flower to the stigma of a different flower. This type of pollination results in an increase because the different flowers are sharing and mixing their genetic information to create unique genetic diversity.

Successive means happening or existing one after another without a break. 

Example sentences:

• Perennials have the capacity to live through many successive growing seasons.
• Jackson was the winner for a second successive year.

The word "succulent" can describe both a type of plant and the quality of food. As an adjective, it describes something juicy and tender, often used to refer to mouth-watering meats or fruits. As a noun, it specifically refers to a group of plants that store water in their leaves, stems, or roots, which makes them thrive in arid conditions. These plants are known for their ability to retain water and are often found in desert regions.

• The chef prepared a succulent roast that had everyone asking for seconds.

• Succulents are popular indoor plants because they require minimal watering.

• She added some succulent pieces of pineapple to the fruit salad. 

Definition: Having many trees; wooded:

Example sentences:

• Flat Woods came from the even level of height of oak trees in that heavily timbered area.