The story
From cata- + -phyll; intended as translation of German Niederblatt, literally, “lower leaf”.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
cataphyll
Today it means: A leaf, sometimes abortive, sometimes persistent, that does not develop into a photosynthetic structure, but instead fulfills protective or storage functions. Examples include cotyledons, bud-scales, glochids, rhizome-scales, and bulb-scales. Full definition →