lenticel

plural lenticels · alternative lenticella · alternative lenticelle

1. biologyOne of the small, oval, rounded spots upon the stem or branch of a plant, from which the underlying tissues may protrude or roots may issue, either in the air, or more commonly when the stem or branch is covered with water or earth.

   He raises his binocular telescope, bringing the birches near the shoreline into sharp relief, the eye-shaped lenticels in the pale bark seeming to stare back at him, as if following the train’s progress.

   2024, Sarah Brooks, The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands, Wiedenfeld & Nicolson, page 89

2. biologyA small, lens-shaped gland on the underside of some leaves.