376 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



LAX 



pins eight or ten inches in length, to pin 

 the sods in place, to prevent them from 

 being washed down by excessive rains 

 before the grass roots have had time to 

 fasten in the soil. 



Lax, Laxus. Loose ; said of parts which are 

 distant from each other, with an open ar- 

 rangement, such as the panicle among 

 the kinds of inflorescence. 

 Leaf. An appendage to the stem, consid- 

 ered as an expansion of the bark, com- 

 posed of cellular tissue, and generally 

 with fibers of vascular tissue intermixed. 

 Leaflets. The subdivisions of compound 



leaves. 



Leathery. "With a consistency more or less 

 resembling the toughness of leather; the 

 same as coriaceous. 



Legume. A name given to the seed-vessel 

 of the Pea family, opening in two valves, 

 and having the seeds attached to the 

 ventral suture. 



Leguminosce, (Fabaceas, Leguminous plants. ) 

 A natural order of Dicotyledons belong- 

 ing to Lindley's Rosal Alliance of perigy- 

 nous Exogens. They are herbs, shrubs, or 

 trees, with alternate, usually compound 

 exstipulate leaves. The plants occur in 

 all parts of the world, but are abund- 

 ant in tropical countries. The order is 

 a large one, and has been divided into 

 three sub-orders, viz. : Papilionaceas, Cces- 

 alpiniece, and Mimosece. They supply 

 food, timber, fiber, gums, dyes, and vari- 

 ous economical substances. Some are 

 poisonous. Among the useful plants may 

 be mentioned Beans, Peas, Lentils, Pulse 

 of various kinds, Lupins, Clover, Lu- 

 cerne, Sainfoin, Tragacanth, Indigo, and 

 others. There are about 550 genera and 

 7,000 species. Phaseolus, Vicia, Pisum, 

 Lotus, Cassia, and Acacia are examples 

 of the order. 



LIM 



Lenticular, Lentiform. Shaped like a lens; 

 resembling a double convex lens. 



Leprous. Covered with spots or scales. 



Leucanthus. Bearing white flowers. 



Leuco. In Greek compounds means white. 



Liber. The inner lining of the bark of Ex- 

 ogens, where alone its woody matter re- 

 sides. 



Ligneous, Lignose. Having the texture of 

 wood; of or belonging to wood. 



Lignum. The wood; that central part of a 

 stem which lies beneath the bark, or its 

 equivalent, the cortical integument 



Ligula. A membrane at the base of the 

 blade of the leaf of Grasses. 



Ligulate. Strap-shaped; narrow, moderate- 

 ly long, with the two margins parallel. 



Lilac. Pale, dull violet; blue and red, with 

 a little gray. 



Liliacece, (Hemerocallideae, Tulipacece, Coro- 

 narice, Asphodelece, Asparaginece, Conval- 

 lariacece, Lilyworts, etc.) A natural order 

 of monocotyledonous plants belonging to 

 the sub-class Petaloidece, and constituting 

 the type of Lindley's Lilial Alliance of 

 Endogens. They are herbs, shrubs, or 

 trees, with bulbs, corms, rhizomes, or 

 fibrous roots, simple sheathing or clasp- 

 ing leaves, and regular flowers. They are 

 natives of both temperate and tropical 

 regions, and possess medicinal qualities. 

 Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Chives, Shallot, 

 Rocambole, Tulips, Hyacinths, Lilies, 

 etc., are all furnished by plants belong- 

 ing to this extensive order. There are 

 upward of 150 genera and 1, 200 species. 

 LUium, Tulipa, Hyacinthus, Yucca, Aga- 

 panthus, Asphodelus, and Draccena are 

 examples of the order. 



Limb. The flattened, expanded part of a 



leaf or a petal. 



Limbate. Having one color surrounded by 

 an edging of another. 



