A, in composition, signifies privation, or destitute of; as acaulis, referring to a plant without a caulis or stem. Abortive flower. Falling off without producing fruit.

- stamens, not furnished with anthers.

- pistil. Defective in some essential part.

seed. Not becoming perfect, through want of the fertilizing influence of the pollen.

Abrupt leaf. A pinnate leaf with an old or terminal leafet.

Acalyces. (From a, signifying without, and calyx, a flower cup.) A class in an ancient method of arrangement, consisting of plants without a calyx. Acau'les. (From a wanting, and caulis, a stem.) The 20th class in Magnolius's method, including plants with

out stems.

Acer'ose leaf. Linear and permanent, as in the pine.

Ache'nium, one of Mirbel's genera of fruits.

Acic'ular. Needle-shaped. Acina'ciform. Cimeter-shaped. A'cinus. A small berry which, with many others, composes the fruits of the mulberry and raspberry; the plural is acini.

Acotyledonous. (From a without, and cotyledon, a seed lobe.) Plants destitute of seed lobes, and which consequently put forth no seminal or seedleaves, as mosses and ferns. Acu'leus. (From acus, a needle.) A prickle, or sharp point; common to the rose and raspberry.

Accum'bent. The corcle lying against the back of the cotyledons. Acu'minate. Taper-pointed, the point mostly curved towards one edge of the leaf, like an awl. Acute. Less gradually sharp-pointed than acuminate. An obtuse angle, or any other mathematical angle, is acute in botanical language.

Adel'phous. (From the Greek adelphos, a brother or an equal.) Applied to plants whose stamens are united by their filaments, whether in one or two sets.

Adnate'. Growing together. Adversifolia. (From adversus, opposite, and folium, a leaf.) Plants whose leaves stand opposite to each other, on the same stem or branch. Name of the 5th class in Sauvage's Methodus foliorum; as exemplified in the labiate flowers. Esti'vales. (From astas, summer.) Plants which blossom in

summer.

The second division of Du Pas's method, with reference to the four seasons of the year, consisting of herbs which blossom in summer. A'fora. (From a, without, and fores, a door.) Having no doors or valves. The name of a class in Camerius's method, consisting of plants whose pericarp or seed-vessel is not furnished with internal valves. Aga'mous. (From a, without, and gamos, marriage.) A term derived from the indelicate notions of the last century, respecting the sexual distinctions of plants; and which, whatever analogies may actually exist between the vegetable and animal kingdoms, should as far as possible be excluded from the science. Were it to be otherwise, the study of Botany ought to be limited to the medical profession. Of all studies, that of Botany should not be accompanied by aught that might pain or disgust a delicate mind. Plants without any visible stamens or pistils are by French botanists called agamous. Ages of plants. Ephemeral are such as spring up, blossom and ripen their seed in a few hours or days; annual live a few months or one summer; biennial, spring up one summer and die the following; perennial, live an indefinite period.

umbellate,

cymose,

amentaceous,

glumose, spadiceous. Aggregate flower is erected on peduncles or footstalks, which all have one common receptacle on the stem; they sometimes have one common calyx, and are sometimes separately furnished with a calyx. Aigrette. See Egret.

A'la. A Latin word signifying a wing. It is sometimes used to express the angle formed by the stem with the branch or leaf. Linnæus and some others use the term ala, as the name of a membrane, affixed to some species of seed which serves as a wing to raise them into the air, and thus promote their dispersion. Ala. The two lateral or side petals of a papilionaceous flower. Albu'men. The farinaceous, fleshy or horny substance which constitutes the chief bulk of monocotyledonous seeds; as wheat, rye, &c. Alburnum. (From albus, white.) The soft white substance which in trees is found between the liber, or inner bark, and the wood, and becoming solid, in progress of time is converted into wood. From its colour and comparative softness, it has been styled the fat of trees. It is called the sap-wood, and is formed by a deposite of the cambium, or descending sap; in one year it becomes wood; and a new layer of alburnum is again formed by the descent of the cambium. Alga. Flags; these, by Linnæus, comprise the plants of the order Hepatica and Lichenes.

Alpine. Growing naturally on high mountains.

Alternate. Branches, leaves, flowers,

&c. are alternate, when beginning at different distances on the stem; opposite, is when they commence at the same distances, and base stands against base.

Alter'nately-pinnate leaf; when the leafets are arranged alternately on each side of the common footstalk or petiole. Alte'elate. Having cells which resemble a honeycomb.

receptacle, &c.

A'ment. Flowers collected on chaffy scales, and arranged on a thread or slender stalk; their scales mixed with the flowers resemble the chaff in an ear of corn; in the willow and poplar, an ament supports both staminate and pistillate flowers on distinct roots. Flowers supported by an ament are generally destitute of a corolla.

Amplexicauʼlis.

Clasping the base of

the stems. Analysis. To analyze a plant botanically, is to ascertain its name, by observing its organs, and comparing them with scientific descriptions of plants.

Ancip'etal. Having two sharp edges like a sword.

An'dria. Signifies stamen. Androgynous plants. Such as bear staminate and pistillate flowers on the same root; as the oak and Indian corn: such plants belong to the class Monœcia.

Angiocar'pus. Fungi bearing seeds internally.

Angiosper'mal. (From angio, a vessel, and sperma, seed.) Plants whose seeds are enclosed or covered. Angular. Forming angles; when the stems, calyxes, capsules, &c. have ridges running lengthwise. Angustifolius. Narrow-leaved. An'nual. A plant which lives but one year. The herbage is often annual, while the root is perennial; in this case the plant is said to be perennial. An'nulated. Having a ring round the capsules; as in ferns; or in mushrooms having a ringed stipe. Annulus. A ring. Anomalous. (From a, without, and nomos, law.) Irregular, or whatever forms an exception to a general rule. The 11th class in Tournefort's method is called anomale, including plants whose corollas are composed of irregular and dissimilar parts; as the columbine, monk's-hood, violet, larkspur, &c.

Anther. (From anthos, a flower; so called as indicating its importance.) That part of the stamen which contains the pollen; it is of various forms, as linear, awl-shaped, heart-shaped, round, &c.; it is one-celled, two-celled, &c.

Antherid'ium. A mass of pollen. Antherif'erous. Flowers bearing an

thers without filaments.

An'thus. (From the Greek anthos.) A

layers. Coccineous.

United at the base. Crowded.

Scarlet-coloured.

Coiled spirally, like a snail

Cer'nuus. When the top only droops.
Chaffy. Made up of short membra-
nous portions like chaff.
Cha'mepy this.

From the Greek kamia, on the ground, pithus, the pinetree. This is the specific name of some plants.

Chan'nell d. Hollowed out longitudinally with a rounded groove. Cho'rion. A clear limpid liquor contained in a seed at the time of flowering. After the pollen is received, this liquor becomes a perfect embryo of a new plant.

Cicatrice. The mark or natural scar from whence the leaf has fallen. Ciliate. Fringed with parallel hairs. Cine reous. Ash-coloured.

Cin'gens. Surrounding, girding around. Cir'rose. Bearing tendrils. From Cirrus, a tendril or climber.

Clasping. Surrounding a stem with the base of the leaf. Class. The highest division of plants in the system of Botany. Linnæus divided all plants into 24 classes; 3 of these are now rejected, and the plants which they included placed in the remaining 21 classes. The ancient botanists knew neither methods, systems, nor classes: they described under chapters, or sections, those plants which appeared to them to resemble each other in the greatest number of relations.

Cla'vate. Club-shaped, larger at the top than the bottom. Clau'sus. Closed, shut up. Claw. The narrow part by which a petal is inserted.

Cleft. Split, or divided less than half way.

Climbing. Ascending by means of tendrils, as grapes; by leaf-stalks, as the Clematis; by cauline radicles or little fibrous roots, as the creeping American ivy.

Clinanthe. The dilated summit of a peduncle, bearing flowers. The receptacle.

Club-shaped. See Clavate.
Clustered. See Racemed.

Cly'peate. Form of a buckler. See
Peltate.

shell.

Coc/cum. A grain or seed; tricoccous, 3-seeded, &c.

Caruleus. Blue.

Violet-colour,
BLUF
Green,

cæruleo-purpureus.

cæruleus.

RED,

viridis.

White is most common in roots, sweet berries, and the petals of spring flowers. Black, in roots and seeds. Yellow, in anthers, and the petals of compound flowers. Red, in the petals of summer flowers and acid fruits. Blue and violet-colour, in the petals. Green, in the leaves and calyx.

Columella. The central pillar in a capsule or fruit of any kind. Column. The filaments in gynandrous plants united with the style; the whole is termed a column. Co'ma. A tuft of bracts on the top of a spike of flowers. Comose. Sessile bracts. Common. Any part is common, wnich includes or sustains several parts similar among themselves. Compound. Made up of similar simple parts.

flowers. Such a are in the class Syngenesia, having florets with united anthers.