FLO 



FLU 



llli'ii'^ 



flour mill, which is fully competent 

 to produce fine flour. It is patent- 

 ed by Nichols and Marsh. Price, S40. 

 FLOWER. In botany, the expand- 

 ed bud. For its difTerent parts, see 

 Botany. In descriptions, flowers are 

 divided into apetalous, nionopetalous, 

 polypetalous, and composite ; the 

 flrst includes those without corolla ; 

 the second, consisting of one petal 

 apparently, are, in truth, formed by 

 the union of several, and hence term- 

 ed syjipetaloiis ; this class is subdivi- 

 ded into numerous kinds, as labiate, 

 like the sa^e flower ; personate, like 

 antirrhinum ; wheel-shape, like borage; 

 campanulate, like a bell ; hypocrateri- 

 forin, like the tobacco blossom. Pol- 

 ypetalous flowers consist of several 

 distinct petals, and are called rosa- 

 ceous, when like the rose flower ; cary- 

 ophyllous, like the pink ; liliaceous, like 

 the lily ; cruciferous, like flax or cab- 

 bages ; papilionaceous, like the pea ; 



orchideous, like the genus orchis, &c. 

 Composite flowers are like the sun- 

 flower, lettuce, thistle, &c. The es- 

 sential parts of the flower are the sta- 

 mens and pistils ; if botli are present, 

 it is hermaphrodite ; if one is absent, 

 they are either male or female blos- 

 soms ; and the absence of both con- 

 stitutes the bloss-om a barren flower. 

 By development, single flowers be- 

 come double, but they also become 

 barren, the stamens being converted 

 into petals. The colour of flowers is 

 very much in the hands of the florist ; 

 for, l)y hybridizing species of differ- 

 ent colours, the seed produced often 

 gives rise to varieties of new tints. 



Flowers, in chemistry, are fine crys- 

 tals, obtained by sublimation. 



FLOWERLESS PLANTS. The 

 cryptogamous plants of Linnaeus ; 

 the acotyledons of Jussieu. 



FLUE. A channel or way along 

 which the smoke or heat of a fire 

 passes. See Hot-house. 



FLUID. A body the particles of 

 which move freely among one an- 

 otiier, and which transmit pressures 

 equally in all directions. Fluids are 

 divided into elastic and non-elastic, 

 or gaseous and liquid ; the former 

 containing air and vapours, the lat- 

 ter water. &c. 



F L U K E. Distoma hepaticum. 

 Gourd-worm. A flat, entozoal worm, 

 infesting the livers of sheep and some 

 other animals ; it is often seen in 

 those which have died of the rot. 



FLUORINE. A hypothetical 

 body, supposed to resemble chlorine, 

 found in fluor spar. With hydrogen, 

 it forms a very corrosive acid, the 

 hydro-fluoric, which acts upon glass, 

 forming fluo-silicic acid, and is a 

 powerful caustic. It exists, in mi- 

 nute quantity, in bones. Its com- 

 pounds are called fluorides. 



FLUOR SPAR. A beautiful crys- 

 talline mineral, abundant in Derby- 

 shire, England, and hence called Der- 

 byshire spar. It is common in New- 

 York and the Eastern States ; con- 

 sists of fluoride of calcium. The 

 mineral is of many colours, and cu- 

 bical or octahedral in form. It is used 

 as a flux, and to procure hydro-fluoric 



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