GLOSSARY. 



341 



ecology : the branch of study 

 which considers the relations 

 of organisms and their envi- 

 ronment. 



embryo : the young plant or 

 animal prior to the stage at 

 which it feeds itself. 



endosperm : a nutritive tissue 

 occurring in some seeds and 

 absorbed by the young plant 

 at germination. 



epicalyx : a ring of bract-like 

 leaves occurring on some 

 flowers just outside the true 

 calyx. 



epidermis : the outermost skin 

 layer. 



epigynous : a type of flower in 

 which the head of the flower- 

 stalk grows around and above 

 the ovary uniting with it, so 

 that the remaining parts of the 

 flower arise upon its margin. 



fertilisation : the union of male 

 and female elements which 

 results in the development of 

 a living organism. 



fibro- vascular bundles : the sys- 

 tem of vessels which conduct 

 nutrient materials in all higher 

 plants, including ferns, etc. 



filament : the slender portion of 

 the stamen which bears the 

 anther. 



floral diagram: a diagram to 

 illustrate the relations of the 

 several parts of a flower to 

 each other. 



floral formula : a formula to illus- 

 trate the numbers of the parts 

 of a flower and their relations. 



follicle : a dry fruit consisting 

 of a single carpel, which opens 

 when ripe along the ventral 

 or seed-bearing margin. 



frond : a leaf of a fern. 



funicle : the stalk of the ovule 

 or seed. 



germination : the commence- 

 ment of growth of the embryo 

 within a seed. 



gland : an organ which produces 

 (secretes) a substance or sub- 

 stances of use to an animal or 

 plant. 



glumes : the scales or bracts 

 enclosing a grass spikelet. 



gymnosperm : a plant in which 

 the ovules develop in an ex- 

 posed position (e.g. Coniferae), 

 in contrast to angiosperms 

 where the ovules are contain- 

 ed within closed carpels. 



haemoglobin : the red colouring 

 matter in blood. 



heterpstyly : applied to flowers 

 which exhibit styles of more 

 than one length, e.g. primrose. 



hypogynous : the type of flower 

 in which the whorls occur in 

 succession upon more or less 

 elongated receptacle, the ovary 

 being uppermost, i.e. superior. 



igneous : of fiery origin. 



imago : an adult. Generally 

 applied to the mature insect 

 after metamorphosis. 



imbricate : overlapping, e.g. se- 

 pals or petals in bud. 



indusium : the membranous 

 covering of the sporangia in 

 ferns. 



inflorescence : the whole part of 

 a plant upon which flowers are 

 borne. 



invertebrate : without backbone. 

 Invertebrates have no bones of 

 any kind. 



involucre : a close -set series of 

 bracts around inflorescence or 

 flower-head, e.g. Dandelion. 



isobars : lines of equal barome- 

 tric pressure. 



