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GLOSSARY 



Downy. With soft hair or down. 



Elliptical. Oblong with rounded ends. 

 Elongate, elongated. Lengthened. 

 Emarginate. Having a notch at the apex. 

 Embryo. The part of a seed which develops into 



a plant. 

 Endophyte. A plant living within another plant, 



as certain fungi witiiin the roots or seeds of 



orchids. 

 Entire. With unbroken edges, without teeth or 



lobes. 

 Epidermis. The outer sldn. 

 Epiphyte. A plant growing on another plant, 



but not deriving nutriment from it. 

 Erect. Ascending vertically, upright. 

 Erecto-patent. More or less erect, but shghtly 



spreading. 

 Exotic. Not native, introduced from abroad. 



Facies. The general aspect of a plant. 



Family. A group of tribes, genera, etc., formerly 



called an order. 

 Fascicled. In a bundle. 

 Fertile. (Anther) producing poUen. (Ovary) 



producing viable seeds. 

 Fertilisation. The fecundation of an ovule by 



protoplasm from the poUen-grain conveyed 



by the poUen-tube. 

 Filament. The stalk of an anther. 

 Filiform. Thread-shaped, thread-like. 

 Floral envelopes. Sepals and petals. 

 Foliaceous. Leaf-hke. 

 Fusiform. Spindle-shaped. 



Genus. A natural group of plants built up of 

 species. 



Germen. Linnasus' term for the ovary. 



Germination. The first act of growth of a seed ; 

 sprouting. 



Glabrous. Without hairs. 



Gland. A secreting organ. 



Glandular-hairy. With hairs tipped with glands. 



Glaucous. Bluish or whitish green, like a cab- 

 bage-leaf. 



Globose. Nearly spherical. 



Habit. The general appearance of a plant. 

 Helmet. The hood formed by the connivence 



and often partial adherence of sepals and petals. 

 Herbaceous. Green, and with the more or less 



opaque texture of a leaf, as opposed to peta- 



loid, white or coloured with the translucent 



texture of a petal. 

 Hermaphrodite. Having both pollen-bearing and 



seed-bearing organs in the same flower. 



Hispid. Covered with rather stiff short hairs. 

 Hoary. Grey or whitish from fine pubescence 



(soft hair or down). 

 Homologue. The equivalent in one plant of a 



somewhat dissimilar organ in another. 

 Hooded. With a concavity or hood at the tip. 

 Hyaline. Colourless and translucent, glass-Uke. 

 Hybrid. A cross between two different varieties, 



species or genera. 

 Hypha, pi. hyphae. The thread-like growth of 



certain fungi. 



Icones. Pictures or figures of plants. 



Incision. A notch or indentation in the margin. 



Indigenous. Native, not introduced. 



Inferior. Below, as the ovary is below the sepals 



in the Orchidacea:. 

 Inflorescence. The flower-cluster. 

 Internode. The space between two nodes of the 



rhizome or stem. 



Keel. A prominent ridge. 



Kernel. The embryo of the seed of an orchid, 



the dark rounded body within the glass-like 



testa. 



Labellum. The lip of an orchid, a development 



of the third petal, often the most conspicuous 



part of the flower. 

 Lanceolate. Narrow, tapering at each end. 

 Lateral. Placed on the side, e.g. a lateral sepal 



is a side-sepal. 

 Laterally compressed. Compressed sideways. 

 Lax. Loose — the opposite of dense. 

 Limb. The expanded part of a leaf, sepal, petal, 



etc. 

 Line. The twelfth part of an inch =2-1167 



miUimetres. 

 Linear. Long and narrow with nearly parallel 



sides. 

 Lip. See Labellum. 

 Lobe. A 2-lobed, 3-lobed, etc., organ is one 



cleft into two or more often rounded more 



rarely acute divisions, e.g. the lip of an orchid. 

 Lobelet, lobule. A small lobe. 



Micropyle. The minute aperture by which the 



pollen-tube enters the embryo. 

 Mid-rib. The principal nerve in a leaf. 

 Mon- (prefix), one. Monandrous. Having one 



anther. 

 Monocotyledon. Plant having only one seed-leaf. 

 Monostelic. Having but one stele or central 



cylinder (pith). 

 Monstrosity. A departure from the usual natural 



structure. 



