Ochrea

An ochrea (Latin ocrea, greave or protective legging), also spelled ocrea, is a plant structure formed of stipules fused into a sheath surrounding the stem.¹² It is typically found in the buckwheat family Polygonaceae and in some members of the orchid family Orchidaceae.³⁴ In the palm family Arecaceae, it is an extension of the leaf sheath beyond the petiole insertion.⁵

References

"Ocrea". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
"Ocrea". New York Botanical Garden. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
Brandbyge J (1993). "Polygonaceae". In Kubitzki K, Rohwer JG, Bittrich V (eds.). Flowering Plants · Dicotyledons. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-02899-5_63. ISBN 978-3-662-02899-5.
"Ocreatus". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
Pei, Shengji; Chen, Sanyang; Guo, Lixiu; Dransfield, John; Henderson, Andrew. "Arecaceae". Flora of China. Vol. 23. Retrieved 6 January 2026 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

[MOBOT:Ocrea-1] "Ocrea". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 7 January 2026.

[NYBG-2] "Ocrea". New York Botanical Garden. Retrieved 7 January 2026.

[Brandbyge_1993-3] Brandbyge J (1993). "Polygonaceae". In Kubitzki K, Rohwer JG, Bittrich V (eds.). Flowering Plants · Dicotyledons. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. Vol. 2. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-02899-5_63. ISBN 978-3-662-02899-5.

[MOBOT:Ocreatus-4] "Ocreatus". A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 6 January 2026.

[FoC-5] Pei, Shengji; Chen, Sanyang; Guo, Lixiu; Dransfield, John; Henderson, Andrew. "Arecaceae". Flora of China. Vol. 23. Retrieved 6 January 2026 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

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