LEO 



Lecidea, n., le-sid'$-a (Gr. 

 a basin, a saucer ; eidos, resem- 

 blance), an extensive genus of 

 Lichens found at all seasons of 

 the year. 



lecotropal, a., UTc-oif-rop-dl (Gr. 

 leJcos, a dish ; trope, a turning), 

 in bot., shaped like a horse-shoe, 

 as some ovules. 



234 



LEN 



Lecythideaj, n. plu., 

 (Gr. lekuthos, an oil jar), a tribe 

 or Sub -order of the Mystaceee, so 

 named from the form of the seed 

 vessels: Lecythis, n., IZs't-this, 

 a genus of large trees of S. 

 America, which furnish some of 

 the nuts of commerce : Lecythis 

 ollaria, dl>ldr'i-a (L. olldrms, of 

 or belonging to pots from olla, 

 a pot), a species producing large 

 fruits, commonly known as 

 Monkey Pots : L. usitata, uz'-lt- 

 at'-a (L. usUdtus, used often), a 

 species which produces the Sap- 

 ucaia nuts, closely allied to Brazil 

 nuts ; also called L. zabucajo, 

 mUti-M'-yd (native name). 



Ledum, n., led'um (Gr. ledon, a 

 species of Cistus), an ornamental 

 genus of plants, Ord. Ericaceae : 

 Ledum palustre, pdl-us^tre (L. 

 pdluster, swampy), a low shrub 

 called the Labrador tea. 



leeches, n. plu,, Utsh'Zs (Icel. 

 Iceknir ; Goth, leiheis, a leech 

 from Goth, leikinon, to heal ; 

 Bav. lek, medicine), worm-like 

 animals found in ditches and 

 Rwamps, used to abstract blood 

 from inflamed parts ; the 'Hirudo 

 officinalis' and * medicinalis, ' 

 Ord. Hirudinea, 



leek, see 'house-leek.' 



legume, n., teg-urn', also legumen, 

 n., teg'Um'-%n(L. Ugiimen, pulse), 

 a pod composed of one carpel 

 opening usually by ventral and 

 dorsal suture, as the pea; a dehis- 

 cent two-valved carpel : legumin, 

 n., ttg-umf-in, an essential prin- 

 ciple of the seeds of leguminous 

 plants, and of oily seeds ; casein : 

 Leguminosse, n. plu., leg-umf-in- 



6zf-e, the pea and bean tribe, an 

 Ord. of herbaceous plants, shrubs, 

 or trees : leguminous, a., leg* 

 umf-m-us, pert, to the pea or bean 

 tribe. 



Lemnese, n. plu., Umf-ne-e (said 

 to be corrupted from Gr. lepis, a 

 scale), the duckweeds, a Sub- 

 order of plants, Ord. Aracese : 

 Lemna, n., Um'na, the duck- 

 weeds, a curious genus of plants, 

 floating as scales or small shield- 

 like bodies on water, forming a 

 green mantle. 



lemniscus, n., Um-msUus (Gr. 

 lemniskos, a coloured band or 

 fillet), in ctnat., the fillet or 

 bundle of fibres on each side of 

 the peduncular system of the 

 cerebrum. 



lemon, n., ttm'b'n (Sp. limon, Ar. 

 laymon, a lemon), a fruit of an 

 oblong form, the produce of the 

 Citrus limonum, Ord, Auranti- 

 aceae, whose juice is anti-scorbutic, 

 and is used in the manufacture of 

 cooling drinks, 



lens, n., lenz, lenses, n, plu., Unzf- 

 es (L. lens, a lentil), in the eye, 

 a doubly convex transparent solid 

 body with a rounded circumfer- 

 ence ; in an optical instrument 

 a piece of glass of a convex, con- 

 cave, or other shape for changing 

 the direction of rays of light. 



Lentibulariaceae, n. plu., ttnt-ib'- 

 ul-dr-t-d'se'e (L. lenticula, the 

 shape of a lentil from lens, a 

 lefltil), the Butterwort family, 

 an Order of plants, so named 

 from the lenticular shape of the 

 air bladders on the branches of 

 titricularia, one of the genera. 



lenticel, n., tenths- el (L. dim. of 

 lens, a lentil, lenlis, of a lentil), 

 in bot., a small process on the 

 bark of the Willow and other 

 plants, from which adventitious 

 roots spring. 



lenticular, a., lent-ikf-uldr (L. 

 lenticula, the shape of a lens 

 from lens, a lentil, lentis, of a 

 lentil), resembling a double con- 



