ligule

noun

lig·​ule ˈli-(ˌ)gyül 

: a scalelike projection especially on a plant: such as

a

: a thin appendage of a foliage leaf and especially of the sheath of a blade of grass

b

: a ligulate corolla of a ray floret in a composite head

Word History

Etymology

New Latin ligula, from Latin, small tongue, strap, from lingere to lick — more at lick

First Known Use

circa 1847, in the meaning defined above