\Bract\, n. [See {Bractea}.] (Bot.)
(a) A leaf, usually smaller than the true leaves of a plant,
    from the axil of which a flower stalk arises.
(b) Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the
    base of a flower.
Note: Bracts are often inconspicuous, but sometimes large and
      showy, or highly colored, as in many cactaceous plants.
      The spathes of aroid plants are conspicuous forms of
      bracts.