GLOSSARY. 287 



Organic. Pertaining to organized or living bodies or their 



remains. 

 Ovary. The lower extremity of the pistil, which, when mature, 



becomes the fruit. It contains the ovules. 

 Ovnle. A body borne in the ovary, the result of sexual union, 



which, when mature, becomes the seed. 

 Panicle. An open and more or less compound flower-cluster. 

 Papilionaceous. Butterfly-like ; said of flowers of the pea and 



bean family, from their fancied resemblance to butterflies. 

 Parasite. A plant or animal which lives upon living plants or 



animals. 

 Pedicel. The stalk of a particular flower in a cluster. A 



flower which is borne singly has a peduncle. 

 Peduncle. A stalk of a flower which is borne singly, or of a 



cluster of flowers. 

 Pepo. A berry-like fruit in which the rind is hardened, and 



which belongs to the gourd family, as the pumpkin, melon, 



cucumber, etc. 

 Perfect. Said of flowers which bear both stamens and pistils. 

 Perennial. Persisting from year to year. The term "perennial" 



is commonly understood to designate herbaceous plants 



which live for many years. 

 Perianth. The leaves of a flower. Usually applied to those 



flowers in which the calyx and corolla are nearly alike, as 



the lily. 

 Pet'al, or Pe'tal. One of the separate parts of the corolla ; an 



inner leaf of a flower. 

 Petiole. The stem of a leaf. 

 Phenogam. One of the class of flowering plants. These 



plants propagate by seed. 

 Pip. A term applied to certain small seeds or seed-like fruits 



of berries and other fruits. 

 Piping. A cutting. 

 Pistil. That portion of the flower which receives the pollen 



and bears the seeds. It always has two parts, the stigma 



and the ovary, and these are usually connected by a style. 



It is the female organ of the plant. 



