Grace Olson

I have James Smith's Vascular Plant Families open to page 203, Oleaceae: Olive Family. At least ten words are unfamiliar (actinomorphic, androecium, gynoecium, placentation), and another ten mean nothing to me in terms of botany (bisexual, united, cosmopolitan: I envision throngs of jasmine and forsythia marching down the streets of Chicago, celebrating Gay Pride week). I'm flipping to the glossary for each word, but the definitions don't help much. I start with exstipulate: without stipules. I turn to stipule: an…