Virgate (from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

', "rod-like") is an adjective in

botanical Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

mycological Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...

Botany

In botanical jargon, virgate most often refers to plants with wand-shaped erect branches or stems. For smaller plants or structures, the

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

virgulate is used.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. London, 4th ed 1928 The term occurs commonly in the biological names of plants, such as ''

Vaccinium virgatum ''Vaccinium virgatum'' (commonly known as rabbit-eye blueberry, smallflower blueberry or southern black blueberry) is a species of blueberry native to the Southeastern United States, from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas. Descrip ...

'' or ''

Chloris virgata ''Chloris virgata'' is a species of grass known by the common names feather fingergrass feathery Rhodes-grass and feather windmill grass. Distribution It is native to many of the warmer temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions of the world, ...

''.

Mycology

In mycological jargon, virgate and virgulate are used to describe

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

s ( pilei) with pronounced radiating stripes or ribs, as in '' Tricholoma virgatum''.

References

Plant morphology {{plant-morphology-stub