O NA GKA' CE / The name of a natural order of plants, 

 of which the CEnothera, (Evening Primrose,) is a rep- 

 resentative genus ; name derived from onager, a mili- 

 tary engine for discharging large stones ; the flowers of 

 some of the species of Evening Primrose ^burst open 

 suddenly at dusk, with a slight noise. 

 O RI EN TA' LE Oriental. 

 O THON' NA From at/tone, linen ; alluding to the downy 



clothing of the original plant. 

 O VA' TUS Ovate. 

 Ox A' LIS From oxys, acid ; the leaves have an acid 



taste. 



Ox Y u' RA Derivation and meaning of name uncertain. 

 PA LA FOX' i A Named in honor of Palafox. 

 PAL' LI BUS Pale. 



PA LUS' TRIS Marshy, swampy, from low, damp places 

 PA NI cu LA' TA Paniculate ; flowers forming a panicle 

 PA' NI CUM An ancient name for an Italian grass; 



from panis, bread. 



PA PA' VER From/a/a, pap, or thick milk ; the juice 

 of the Poppy was formerly used in children's food to 

 make them sleep. 



PA PA VE RA' CE x. The name of a natural order of 

 plants, prominently represented by the Poppy, and 

 from which it receives its name. 



PA RA DOX' A Marvelous, strange, contrary to expec- 

 tation, paradoxical. 

 PAR THE' NI UM From Parthenon, a virgin ; supposed 



medicinal qualities. 

 PAR THE NI FO' LI UM Parthenium-leaved ; leaves like 



the Parthenium. 

 PAR' VUM Small. 



PAS si FLO' RA *om.passio, passion, and flos, a flow- 

 er; flowers of the Passion; the early Roman Catholic 

 Missionaries of South America finding, in them, sym- 

 bols of the Crucifixion, the crown of thorns in the 

 fringes of the flower, nails in the styles with their cap- 

 itate stigmas, hammers to drive them in the stamens, 

 cords in the tendrils. 

 PA' TU LA Patulous, spreading. 

 PA VO'NI A In honor of Don Josef Pavon, M. D., of 



Madrid, a traveler in Peru. 



PE DA' TA Pedate ; when leaves are cut in divisions, 

 and the lower divisions again lobed they are said to be 

 pedate. 

 PE NEL' o PE The wife of Ulysses and mother of Tele- 



machus. 



PKN NA' TA See Pinnatus. 

 PEN xi SE' TUM From penna, a feather, and seta, a 



bristle. 



PEN TA PHYL' LUM Five-leaved. 



PENT STE' MON From pente, five, and stemon, a sta- 

 men ; there are fourperfect stamens and one imperfect. 

 PER EN' NE, PER EN' NIS Perennial. 

 PE RIL' LA Meaning unknown. 

 PE ROW SKI A' NUM. 

 PER' si CA Persian. 



PE TU' NI A The Brazilian name for Tobacco is Petun ; 

 applied to this genus on account of ,its affinity to A7- 

 cotiana, Tobacco. 

 PHA CE' LI A From Phakelos, a bundle ; in reference 



to the disposition of the flowers. 

 PHA LA' CRE A Phalacrine, belonging to Phalacria, an 



ancient Italian town. 

 PHA SE' o LUS From pliasflus, a little boat; fancied 



resemblance in the pod. 

 Pic' TA Painted, embellished, adorned. 

 Pic TU RA' TA Painted, pictured, variegated. 

 Pi LE 7 A From pileos, a cap ; one of the divisions of the 



perianth in Pilea muscosa resembles a cap. 

 PIN NA' TUS Pinnate ; when leaflets are arranged along j 

 the sides of a common petiole. 



52 



PLA TY CEN' TRA From platys, flat, and kentron, a 

 a spur, flat spurred. 



PLATYCLA' DA From platys, flat and klados, a 

 branch ; flat-stemmed. 



PLA TY STE' MON From platys, flat, and stemon, a. 

 stamen. 



PLE'NA Double, full. 



PLE NIS' si MA Most double. 



Po KI' I cus Of the poets, poetical, pertaining to 

 poetry. 



Po LE MO NI A' CE JR A natural order of plants, re- 

 ceiving its name from Polemonium, one of its genera. 



POR TU LA' CA From porto, to carry, and lac, milk ; 

 on account of the milky juice of the plants. 



POR TU LA CA' CE f. A natural order of plants, of 

 which the Portulaca is a representative, and from 

 which it is named. 



Po TEN TIL' LA From potens, powerful; supposed 

 medicinal qualities of some of the species. 



POTTS' I i. 



PRESS' LI i Referring to the Messrs. Prezl, of Prague, 

 botanists and authors. 



PRI' MU LA (i short) from, primus, first; in allusion 

 to the early flowering of the plants. 



PRI MU LA' CE JE (i short) A natural order of plants, 

 receiving its name from Primula, one of its genera. 



PRO BOS ci' DE A (i short) Proboscis-like, snout-like. 



PRO CUM' BENS Trailing on the ground. 



PSY' CHE A maiden beloved by Cupid, made immor- 

 tal by Jupiter. 



Pu DI' CA Shame-faced, bashful, modest. 



PUL CHER' RI MA Handsomest, most beautiful. . 



PUL' CHRA Beautiful, handsome. 



Pu' MI LA Dwarf. 



Pu NI' CE A (i short) Reddish, red, purple-colored. 



PUR PU' RE A Purple, in its various shades. 



PY RE 7 THRUM From pyr, fire; the roots are hot to 

 the taste. 



QUA' MO CLIT From kyamos, a kidney -bean, and 

 klitos, dwarf; the species of this genus resemble the 

 kidney-bean in their climbing stems. 



Qui NA' TA Quinate, with five leaflets. 



QUIN QUE FO' LI A Five-leaved. 



QUIN QUE VUL' NE RUS From quinque, five, and i'itl- 

 nus, a wound. 



RA DI A' TA Radiate ; furnished with ray flowers. 



RA' DI CANS Rooting. 



RA DO WITZ' i i. 



RA MO' SA Branched, full of branches. 



RA NUN 7 cu LUS From rana, a frog; many cf the spe- 

 cies are found in moist places frequented by that reptile. 



RA NUN cu LA' CE x A natural order of plants, in- 

 cluding the Ranunculus. 



RA NUN cu LO i' DES Ranunculus-formed, resembling 

 the Ranunculus. 



RA YEN' NX. 



REE VE' si I Referring to John Reeves, F. L. S., of 

 Canton, from whom the botany of China has received 

 material assistance, and to whom horticulture is in- 

 debted for many of its fairest ornaments. 



RE TI cu LA' TA Reticulated ; interlaced with net- 

 work. 



RE TU' sus Retuse; a leaf is said to be retuse when 

 there is a depression at the end where the point 

 should be. 



REX The king. 



RHO DAN' THE From rhodon,a. rose, and anthos,a. 

 flower; in allusion to the color of the flower-heads. 



RI CHAR' DI A (ch soft) In honor of L. C. Richard, 

 an eminent French botanist. 



RI ci' NUS From ricinus, a tick ; resemblance in the 

 seeds. 



