prophyll

noun

(Gr. pro: in front, before; phyllon: leaf) A leaf formed at the base of a shoot, usually smaller than those formed subsequently. The bracteole under a single flower or pedicel. The showy first bract borne on the peduncle and, occasionally, on the inflorescence branches of some monocots. One of the paired bracteoles subtending the flowers of some Juncus species. Syn. prophyllum.