GLOSSARY OF BOTANICAL TERMS 



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sometimes oily or waxen exudation 

 from a plant. The milky juices of 

 sumacs, lettuce, milkweeds, spurges, 



Figure 38. — Four common leaf out- 

 lines (see also Figures 34, 43, 44, 

 62, 63, and 73) ; A, Linear; B, lan- 

 ceolate ; C, oblanceolate ; D, spatu- 

 late 



and polygalas, the resin of a pine, 

 mastic of a pistache, and the caout- 

 chouc or crude rubber of the rubber 

 tree are familiar examples of latices. 



L. c, or loc. cit.: In the place cited 

 (Latin, loco citato). 



Leaflet: A single division of a com- 

 pound leaf. Ashes, boxelders, clo- 

 vers, locos, lupines, meadowrues, 

 mesquite, and polemoniums are fa- 

 miliar illustrations of plants having 

 leaflets. 



Leg.: Collected; also, sometimes, ex- 

 plains or interprets (Latin, legit). 



Legume : A simple pod, 1-carpelled and 

 usually dry, splitting (dehiscing) 

 along the back into two valves or 

 parts ; the fruit of any leguminous 

 plant, i. e., a member of the pea 

 family (Fabacese) or families close- 

 ly related thereto (Csesalpiniacese, 

 etc. ) ; also a plant belonging to these 

 leguminous families or subfamilies. 



Leguminous: Of or pertaining to the 

 natural family Fabacese (or Legu- 

 minosee), to which the cultivated 

 peas and beans belong; having the 

 characteristics of a plant of the pea, 

 or legume, family. 



Lemmas: The so-called "flowering 

 glumes " of grasses (fig. 39, A, c and 

 B, d) ; the chaffy bracts, which, to- 

 gether with the paleas, inclose the 

 stamens and pistils or essential 

 floral organs. A 1-flowered grass 

 spikelet has, of course, one lemma 

 only, a 2-flowered spikelet has two 

 lemmas, and so on. 



Lenticular: Resembling a lens in shape, 

 appearance, or characteristics. 



Lepidote: Covered with scurfy scales. 

 The buffaloberries (Lepargyrcea 

 spp.) and silverberry (Elaeagnus) 



furnish familiar examples of lepi- 

 dote foliage. 



Ligneous: Woody. 



Ligulate : Provided with a ligule ; of or 

 pertaining to a ligule. Occasionally 

 also used as a synonym of lorate. 



Ligule: The projecting, usually tongue- 

 like, membranous end of the lining 

 of the leaf sheath, seen at the base 

 of the leaf blade, between it and the 

 stalk, and a very characteristic fea- 

 ture of the grass family. (Fig. 37, 

 c.) The ligule is quite constant in 

 a given species and is often an im- 

 portant means of distinguishing 

 grasses; sometimes it is reduced to 

 a mere fringe of hairs or to a hard- 

 ened ring. Some botanists call the 

 rays of composite flower heads 

 ligules. 



Limb : Literally, a border or edge ; spe- 

 cifically, a free portion, especially 

 the upper, spreading part of a gamo- 

 petalous corolla, in distinction to the 

 tube, or tubular, basal portion. 



Linear: Linelike, narrow and flat, with 

 the margins parallel. (Fig. 38, A.) 

 Most grass leaves are linear or 

 nearly so. 



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Figure 39. — A, Incomplete spikelet of 

 blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis): a. 

 first glume ; 6, second glume ; c, lemma ; 

 B, spikelet of timothy (Phhum pro- 

 tense) ; a, b, c, d, floret ; a, anthers ; 6, 

 filaments ; c. stigmas (plumose) : d, 

 lemma; e, glumes (aristate and ciliate) 



Lip: The upper or the lower division 

 of a 2-lipped (bilabiate) corolla or 

 calyx ;\he peculiar, enlarged, appar- 

 ently lower (but technically upper) 



