[brakt] 
| a specialized leaf or leaflike part, usually situated at the base of a flower or inflorescence. |
[brak-tee-uhl] , adjective | bract (brākt) n. A leaflike or scalelike plant part, usually small, sometimes showy or brightly colored, and located just below a flower, a flower stalk, or an inflorescence. [From Latin bractea, gold leaf, perhaps from Greek brakhein, to rattle.] brac'te·al (brāk'tē-əl) adj. |
| bract (brākt) Pronunciation Key
A modified leaf growing just below a flower or flower stalk. Bracts are generally small and inconspicuous, but some are showy and petallike, as the brightly colored bracts of bougainvillaea or the white or pink bracts of flowering dogwoods. |