adjective
- (of a plant) having no visible stem or a very short stem at ground level
Usage: botanical term; also spelled acaulescent
Examples
- The dandelion is an acaulous plant with leaves that grow directly from the root.
- Many alpine plants are acaulous, hugging the ground to survive harsh mountain winds.
- Acaulous species often have their flowers rising directly from a basal rosette of leaves.
- The acaulous structure of plantain helps it resist grazing animals.
- Botanists classify plants like primrose as acaulous because they lack an obvious aerial stem.