SPE 



388 



SPH 



tin, spermatozoa, n. plu., -so -a, 

 (Gr. sperma, seed ; zob'n, an 

 animal), one of the filamentary 

 bodies developed in the semen, 

 consisting of an enlarged extremity 

 called body, and a vibratile fila- 

 mentary appendage called tail, 

 which are essential to impregna- 

 tion : spermatozoids, n. plu. , 

 sperm- at' d'Zoydz (Gr. eidos, re- 

 semblance), in anat., same sense 

 as spermatozoa ; in bot. , moving 

 filaments contained in the anther- 

 idia of Cryptogams, supposed to 

 possess a fecundative power also 

 known as phytozoa, and anthero- 

 zoids. 



spermoderm, see under * sperm. ' 



spermogone, n., sper-mo'g'-on'e, an 

 inaccurate spelling for ' spermag- 

 one,' which see. 



sphacelus, n., sfas'el-us (Gr. 

 sphakelds, gangrene), that stage 

 in mortification in which the 

 part is dead and cold ; see ' morti- 

 fication ' : sphacelate, v. , s/*as' 

 el- at, to affect with gangrene ; to 

 decay and become carious, as a 

 bone : sphacelation, n. , sfas'el- 

 d f -shiin, the process of becoming 

 gangrenous. 



sphseraphides, n. plu., sfer-df- 

 id-ez (Gr. sphaira, a globe ; 

 rhaphis, a needle, rhaphidds, of a 

 needle), in bot., globular clusters 

 of raphides, or globular aggrega- 

 tions of minute crystals, as found 

 in phanerogamous plants. 



sphserenchy ma, n . , sfer eng'-kim a 

 (Gr. sphaira, a globe ; engchuma, 

 juice, tissue from engcheo, I 

 pour in), in bot. , tissue composed 

 of spherical cells. 



Sphseria, n. plu., sfer'i-a (Gr. 

 sphaira, a globe), an extensive 

 genus of very minute plants, 

 Ord. Fungi, found at all seasons 

 on many decaying bodies, such 

 as leaves, fir cones, trunks of trees, 

 etc. : Sphaeria Sinensis, sm-ens'is 

 (Siriensis from Sina, an old name 

 ot China}, a species found on a 

 caterpillar, which constitutes a 



celebrated Chinese drug : S. Eob- 

 ertsii, rdb-erts'i-i (after Roberts, 

 a botanist), a species developed 

 on larvse in New Zealand : S. 

 Taylori, tdlor'-l (after Taylor, 

 a botanist), a species found on an 

 Australian caterpillar : S. sobolif- 

 era, sdb'-8l-if>er>d (L. stiboles, a 

 sprout, a shoot ; fero, I bear) ; 

 S. entomorhiza, ent'-d-mdr-riz'd 

 (Gr. entomd, insects ; rhiza, a 

 root) ; S. militaris, mil'-it-dr'-is 

 (L. militaris, soldier-like from 

 miles, a soldier), are species which 

 grow on animals. 



Sphserococcus, n., sfer'o-WWk%s 

 (Gr. sphaira, a globe ; kokkos^ a 

 seed or fruit), a genus of sea- 

 plants, Ord. Algae : Sphserococ- 

 cus crispus, krisp'us (L. crispus, 

 curled, wrinkled), Carrageen or 

 Irish Moss, which supplies a nu- 

 tritious article of diet: S. lichen- 

 oides, lik'-Qn-oydf-ez (L. lichen, the 

 lichen ; Gr. eidos, resemblance), 

 Ceylon Moss, also used as an 

 article of diet : S. cartilaginous, 

 kdrt''il-ddj'm'8-us (L. cartildgin- 

 %us, cartilaginous from cartil- 

 dgo, cartilage), a species of Algae, 

 used as a substitute for the edible 

 swallows' nests. 



Sphaeroplea, n. plu., sfer-b'p'le-a 

 (Gr. sphaira, a globe ; pUo, I 

 swim), a genus of plants, Ord. 

 Algse, in one of whose species, 

 SphaBroplea annulina, an'-ul-ln'd 

 (L. annulus, a ring), the cells 

 produce stellate spores, which in 

 spring first divide into two, then 

 into four or eight parts, becoming 

 zoospores ; the zoospores swim 

 about, then fix themselves and 

 give rise to young Confervse ; see 

 ' baculiform. ' 



Sphagnese, n. plu., sfag'rie>e (L. 

 and Gr. sphagnos, a kind of 

 fragrant moss), a Sub-order of 

 bog mosses, Ord. Musci or Bry- 

 acese, aquatic plants with spirally 

 imbricated leaves : Sphagnum, 

 n., sfdg'ntim, a genus of Musci, 

 whose species are found in bogs 



