Costate, Costated

[Lat. costa.] Having ribs, or the appearance of ribs. ( Bot .) A term applied, either to indicate the presence of but one rib, as in most leaves; or in speaking of cases where three or more ribs proceed from the base to the apex of a leaf, and are connected by cro veins. The latter are frequently called nerves, or nervures. If a leaf has its ribs all distinct from the very base, it is called tricostate, quinquecostate, and so on; but if the ribs are united at the base in a distinct manner, the term becomes triplicostate , quintuplicostate , .