bract
noun
- modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale
Wiktionary
noun
Etymology: From Latin bractea (“a thin plate of metal; gold leaf”).
- A leaf or leaf-like structure from the axil out of which a stalk of a flower or an inflorescence arises.
“In this vegetable monster the bractes, or divisions of the spike, become wonderfully enlarged; and are converted into leaves.”
“A Verticil or Whirl may be[…]Naked; that is without involucre, bracte or brittle. Bracted - or Involucred”