EXPLANATIONS 



OF SOME BOTANICAL TERMS. 



We are indebted to Linneus for a beautiful 

 glossology or language, whereby we are able to 

 express by words every form of vegetable orga- 

 nization, and to })aint by words as it were, every 

 plant, fixing in the mind the Genera and Species. 



These botanical terms ought to be well known 

 to Botanists. The language of Botany is to be 

 learned at the outset by every student, and there 

 are many grammars of it. Several gradual ad- 

 ditions and improvements have been made since 

 Linneus . . . chiefly by Richard, Necker. Jussieu, 

 Mirbel, Agardh, Persoon, Decandole, «fcc. — I 

 have ventured to add but few, following or adop- 

 ting mainly those of Richard and Decandole. 



It is unfortunate tliat all the Botanists do not 

 quite agree even on this: and use sometimes va- 

 rious terms for the same organs. — For instance, 

 the Common Calix of Linneus, an improper 

 double word, had been very properly changed to 

 Periantiie by Richard, a good single word de- 

 rived from around the floicers. But other Bo- 

 tanists have proposed the synonyms of Antho- 

 dlum, Periclinmm, Involucre, Perlg^i/nande, 

 &c., which are both later and worse. It is true 

 that Periantiie had been applied by Linneus to 

 the floral coverings, but the name was wrong, 

 since these coverings, the calix and corolla, form 

 the flowers and are not around it; they have 

 since been collectively named Perigone (around 

 the sexes) by Jussieu. and this name has been 

 adopted by all the Natural Botanists. 



I therefore adopt and use the terms Perian- 

 tiie and Perigone; also, Phoranthe (bearing 

 flowers) of Richard, instead of common recepta- 

 cle of Linneus, or Clinanthe of later Botanists. 



