Flora's Dictionary

EXPLANATION OF BOTANICAL TERMS USED IN FLORA'S DICTIONARY.

Aculeus, prickly, sharp-pointed projections from the bark, as in the rose. A thorn or spine, is a sharp-pointed projection growing from the woody substance of a plant, as in hawthorn.

Acuminate, pointed, having a taper, or awl-shaped extremity. Amentum, see Catkin.

Crenate, (scolloped,) when the teeth are rounded, and not directed towards either end of the leaf, as in ground Ivy.

Cucullate, hooded or cowled; rolled or folded in; as in the spathe of Arumtriphyllum, or Indian turnip. Culm, or straw, is the peculiar stem of grasses, rushes, etc.

Articulate, jointed; where one leaf grows out of the top of Cyme, has the general appearance of an umbel; as in umbel

another; or the jointed culm or straw of grasses.

Awl-shaped, see Subulate.

Awn, the sharp points or beards issuing from the glume, are called awns, or aristæ, as in bearded wheat.

Axillary, when the flower-stalk grows between the leaf and the stem.

Banner, see Standard.

Binate, growing in pairs.

Biternate, twice ternate, or doubly three-leafed.
Bracteated, (L. bractea,) a floral leaf, differing from the
other leaves in shape and colour, generally situated on
the peduncle, so near the corolla, as easily to be mis-
taken for the calyx.
Caducous, falling early. A caducous calyx falls before the
corolla is well unfolded, as in the poppy. Caducous
leaves, fall before the end of the summer.

Campanulate, in the form of a bell.
Canaliculate, channeled, having a deep furrow or channel;

applied to the stem, leaf, or petiole of plants, some-
times to the calyx.

Capitate, growing in a head, applied to a flower, or stigma. Capsule, the seed-vessel of a plant; a dry membranaceous hollow pericarp.

Catkin, (or Amentum, L. a thong, or strap,) is a composition of flowers and chaff, on a long, slender threadshaped receptacle; the whole somewhat resembling a cat's tail in shape, as in the willow.

Ciliate, fringed with parallel hairs.

Claw, the narrow part of the petal below, by which it is inserted or attached.

Compound flower, a flower of the class syngenesia, consisting of florets with united anthers.

Cone, a scaly fruit like that of the pine. See Strobiles. Connate, opposite, with the bases united, or growing into one; as in the upper leaves of honeysuckle. Coriaceous, (from corium, leather,) stiff, like leather, or parchment.

Corollule, one of the partial flowers which make a compound one; the floret in an aggregate flower.

Corymb, (corymbus, L. a top, head, or cluster,) a kind of spike, in which the partial-stalks are gradually longer as they stand lower on the common stalk, so that all the flowers are nearly on a level.

Cotyledon, (a hollow, or cavity.) In botany, the perishable lobe of the seeds of plants. It involves, and nourishes the embryo plant, and then perishes. Some seeds have two lobes, others only one, and some none.

liferous plants, its common stalks, all spring from one centre, but, differing from those plants, in having the stalks variously and alternately subdivided, as in elder, and guelder-rose.

Deciduous, falling, not perennial, or permanent. A deciduous leaf, falls in Autumn. A deciduous calyx, that which falls after the coral opens.

Decumbent, leaning upon the ground, the base only erect. Deflexed, bending downward arch-wise.

Dentate, toothed, notched, having points like teeth on the margin of the leaf.

Denticulate, minutely toothed.

Depressed, where the radical leaves are pressed close into the ground.

Dichotomous, forked; dividing into two equal branches.
Diaphanous, transparent, clear.

Digitate, fingered, when several leaflets, or little leaves proceed from the summit of a common foot-stalk; or, a leaf which branches into several distinct leaflets, like fingers.

Disk, the central part of a radiate compound flower. Or the whole surface or top, in distinction from the edge. Divaricate, standing out wide.

Dorsal, pertaining to the back, dorsal awn, etc. Drupe, (Drupa, Drupæ,) a pulpy seed-vessel, consisting of a hard nut or stone, encompassed by a soft pulpy substance, as the cherry, olive, etc.

Emarginate, notched at the end; applied to the leaf, coral, or stigma.

Ensiform, see sword-shaped leaf.

Entire. An entire leaf is without teeth or notches. An entire stem, is one without branches.

Fascicle, (a bundle,) a term applied to flowers on little footstalks, variously inserted, and subdivided, collected into a close bundle, level at the top, as in sweet-william.

Filiform, having the form of thread, or filament; of equal thickness from top to bottom.

Floral-leaf, see Bractea.

Floret, a little flower; the separate little flower of an aggre

gate flower.

Floscule, a partial, or lesser floret of an aggregate flower. Gibbous, swelling on both sides, or on one Gland, Glandular, having excretory, or secretory ducts or vessels. Abundant on the stalk, and other parts of the Moss Rose, and constituting the most prominent character of that flower.

Glume, or Husk, the calyx or blossom of grasses and corn, formed of one or more thin, dry, semi-transparent leaves, called valves, embracing the seed, often terminated by the arista, or beard. The chaff.

Hirsute, rough with hairs.

Hispid, rough; having strong hairs, or bristles, more than hirsute.

Imbricated, lying over each other, like tiles on a roof; as leaves in the bud.

Inferior. An inferior flower, is one in which the calyx and corolla are below the germ.

Inflexed, turned, bent.

Inflorescence, a term used to express the particular manner in
which flowers are situated upon a plant. As a bunch,
(thyrsus) a dense or close panicle, corymb, spike, ra-
ceme, umbel, whorl, cyme, fascicle, etc.
Involucre, or involucrum, a sort of general calyx serving for
many flowers; generally situated at the base of an um-
bel, or head; as in cornus florida, or dogwood.
Involute, rolled spirally inwards; the reverse of revolute.
Keel, the under petal of a papilionaceous flower. Also the
lower side of the midrib of a leaf.

Keeled, or carinated, having a longitudinal prominence on
the back. See also Papilionaceous.
Labiate, having an upper and lower lip, as in flowers of the
class Didynamia.

Lamina, the border, the upper part, broad or spreading part
of a petal, in distinction from its claw.

Lanceolate, shaped like a lance, oblong, and gradually tapering towards each extremity, spear-shaped, as in the willow.

Leaflet, a little leaf, or one of the divisions of a compound leaf.

Legume, a seed-vessel of two valves, in which the seeds are fixed to one suture only. A pod: differing from siliqua, (silique, E.) in which the seeds are attached to both sutures.

Limb, the border or upper spreading part of a monopetalous corol.

Linear, of the same breadth throughout, except at the extremities; as in most of the grasses.

Ovate, egg-shaped; and the base wider than the other end.
Palmate, hand-shaped; with the fingers extended, or spread.
Panicle, (L. Panicula) a species of inflorescence in which

the flowers or fruits are scattered on peduncles, vari-
ously subdivided, without order, as in Oat, and grasses.
Paniculated, having branches variously subdivided, as a pa-
niculate stem. Or having the flowers in panicles.
Papilionaceous, resembling the butterfly; as the pea. Usu-
ally four-petaled, having an upper spreading petal,
called the banner or standard: two side petals, term-
ed wings, and a lower petal styled keel.
Pappus, the down of seeds; as that of the dandelion. A
feathery appendage.

Parasitic, growing on another plant, and drawing nourish-
ment from it; as the Mistletoe.
Patulous, spreading: as a patulous calyx, etc.
Pectinated, a pinnatifid leaf, the segments of which are re-
markably narrow, like the teeth of a comb.

Pedate, a ternate leaf, with its lateral leaflets compounded
in their fore-part.

Pedical, the ultimate branch of a peduncle. A little stalk.
Peduncle, or flower-stalk, is a partial trunk, springing from
the stem, and supporting the flowers, but not the
leaves.

Pellicle, a very thin stratum, or coat.
Peltate, or shield-formed, when the foot-stalk is inserted
into, or near the centre of the lower surface of the
leaf, as in the nasturtium.

Pencilled, ending like a painter's pencil, or brush.
Perfoliate, surrounding the stem on all sides and perforated

by it. It differs from connate, in not consisting of two
leaves; as in Eupatorium perfoliatum, or American
Thorough-wort.

Pericarp, the seed-vessel of a plant.
Persistent, not falling off. Those parts of a flower are per-
sistent which remain till the fruit is ripe.
Personate, masked. Having the mouth of the corolla closed
by a prominent palate; as in the Toadfax, (Antirrhi-
пит.)

Petiole, a leaf-stalk; the foot-stalk of a leaf.
Petiolated, growing on foot-stalk, as in the currant.

Lip, the upper or under side of the mouth of a labiate corolla, Pilose, hairy. With a stiff pubescence.
as in sage, hyssop, etc.

Lobed, when divided to the middle, into parts distant from
each other, with rounded, or convex margins, as in the
leaves of sassafras, etc.
Membranaceous, flatted or resembling parchment. A mem-
branaceous leaf has no distinguishable pulp between
the two surfaces. Very thin and delicate.
Midrib, the large central vein of a leaf, which is a continu-
ation of the petiole.

Monopetalous, having only one petal, consisting of two parts,
a tube, or lower part, and a limb.

Multifid, many cleft; having many divisions.
Nerves, parallel veins.

Obovate, inversely ovate; having the narrow end downward.
Officinal, officinalis, kept for sale as medicine.
Orbiculate, in the form of an orb; a leaf that has both its
longitudinal, and transverse diameters equal.

Pinnate, a species of compound leaf wherein a simple peti-
ole has several leaflets attached to each side of it.
Pinnatifid, a species of simple leaf, divided transversely, by
oblong horizontal segments, not extending to the mid-
rib.
Raceme, or cluster, consists of numerous, rather distant flow-
ers, each on its own proper stalk, and all connected by
one common stalk, as a bunch of currants.
Radiant, rayed, or radiate coral or flower, is a compound
flower, consisting of a disk, in which the corollets or
florets are tubular, and regular, and of a ray, in which
the florets are irregular.

Radical, proceeding immediately from the root; as the leaves
of the cowslip.

Ray, the diverging florets or petals which form the outside of radiate flowers, cymes, and umbels.

Receptacle, the end of a flower-stalk; being the base to which most or all the parts of fructification are attached.

Recurved, bent back or downward.
Reflexed, bent backward.

Reniform, kidney-shaped. Heart-shaped without the point.
Reticulate, net like. Having veins distributed like net-work.
Revolute, rolled back, or downward.

Rhomboid, diamond-shape, approaching to a square.
Ringent, or labiate corol, one which is irregular, monopeta-

lous, with the border usually divided into two parts,
called the upper, and lower lip; gaping like the mouth
of an animal.

Rugose, as leaves of sage.

Runcinate, having large teeth pointing backward; as the leaves of the dandelion.

Sarmentose, running on the ground and striking roots from the joints, as the strawberry. Scabious, rough.

Scape, a stalk which springs from the root, and supports

flowers and fruit, but no leaves. As in Narcissus, Dandelion, and Hyacinth. Scarious, tough, thin, and semi-transparent, dry, and sonorous to the touch; as a perianth. Serrated, Serratures, like the teeth of a saw, and pointing towards the extremity of the leaf, as in the nettle and rose. Some leaves are doubly serrated, having the teeth again cut into other little teeth, as in canterbury bell.

Sessile, or sitting, when a leaf grows immediately to the stem, or stalk, branch, or root, without any foot-stalk. A Sessile flower, has no peduncle, or flower-stalk. Sheath, a tubular or folded leafy portion inclosing the stem; as the leaves of grasses.

Silique, (Siliqua, L.) a pod or seed-vessel usually longer than it is broad, with two valves or covers, and separated by a linear receptacle, the seeds alternately fixed to both sutures, or seams, as in the common stock. Simple leaves, are such as have only a single leaf on the petiole or foot-stalk; not divided, branched or compounded.

Simple, not divided, branched, or compounded.
Sinuate, having sinuses at the edge.

Sinus, a large rounded indentation or cavity.

Spadix, an elongated receptacle of flowers, commonly proceeding from a spathe.

Spathe, a sheathing calyx opening lengthwise on one side, and consisting of one or more valves; as in the onion. See Spadix.

Spike, a species of inflorescence, in which sessile flowers are alternate, on a common simple peduncle, as in Wheat, Rye, Lavender, etc. An ear of corn, or grain, is called a spike; it is particularly applicable to ears of maize.

Spur, a sharp hollow projection from a flower, commonly the nectary.

Standard, the upper petal, or banner, of a papilionaceous corol.

Stipule, a scale or small leaf situated on each side, and sometimes on one side only, of the base of the leaf-stalks, for the purpose of supporting them at their first appearance, as in vetches. Sometimes it is united latterly to the foot-stalk, as in the rose.

Striated, marked with fine hollow parallel lines. Strobiles, or Cone, a kind of seed-vessel, formed by a catkin, with hardened scales, and containing a seed within the base of each scale, as in the fir.

Subsessile, almost sessile; having very short foot-stalks. Subulate, awl-shaped; linear, or slender at the base, and gradually tapering towards the end, like an awl. Sutures, or seams, the edges by which the valves are connected, which is the external covering of the seed. Sword-shaped, or Ensiform, two edged, tapering to a point, and somewhat convex on both surfaces, as in Iris. Tendril, a filiform appendage of certain vines, which sup ports them by turning round other objects. Terminal, when it terminates a stem, or branch. Ternate, growing by threes, as in Trefoils. Thread-shaped, see filiform.

Tomentous, downy, nappy, cottony; covered with hairs so close as to be scarcely discernible.

Trifid, divided into three parts; by linear sinuses, with straight margins; three-cleft.

Truncate, having a square termination as if cut off; as the leaves of the Tiriodendron Tulipifera. Tuberous, from tuber, a bunch. Consisting of roundish fleshy bodies, or tubers, connected into a bunch by intervening threads; as the roots of potatoes, artichokes,

etc.

Umbel, a kind of inflorescence in which the flower-stalks diverge from one centre like rays; as in the Parsnip, Parsley, etc. See Cyme.

Undulate, when the middle part of the leaf, especially as it approaches the margin, is acutely folded up and down,

as in the Mallows. Valve, the outer coat, shell or covering of a capsule or other pericarp, or rather one of the pieces which compose it; also, one of the leaflets composing the calyx and corol in grasses.

Veiny, when the fibres on the surface of the leaf are branched, as in the hawthorn.

Ventricose, swelling out in the middle; as a ventricous perianth.

Verticillate, whorled. Having leaves given off in a circle round the stem.

Villous, having the hairs long and soft.

Vivaparous, producing a collateral offspring by means of

bulbs.

Whorl, or Verticillate, in which the flowers surround the stem in a sort of ring, though they may not perhaps be inserted on all sides of it, but merely on two opposite sides, and even on one side only.

Wings, the two lateral petals of a papilionaceous flower. Winged, having the sides extended into a leafy expansion.