Having no stem or a very short, barely visible stem; appearing to have leaves growing directly from the ground.
From Latin 'a-' (without) + 'caulis' (stem) + '-escent' (becoming). The term developed in botany to describe plants with reduced or invisible stems, contrasting with 'caulescent' plants with visible stems.
Dandelions and clover are 'acaulescent'—their leaves seem to grow straight from the ground because their stems are so ridiculously short! Botanists invented this word to describe one of nature's visual tricks.
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