48 



NOMENCLATURE. 



(31.) Ill like manner, the pricking-apex (apex pungens), 

 needs no further explanation. 



IX. Duration of Plants, and of their Individual Parts. 



57. 



Persistent (persistens), is the epithet given to a part, when 

 it continues to exist beyond the time at which, according to 

 the laws of vegetation, it ought to wither or fall. With 

 respect to leaves, this is also called their property of being 

 perennial (perennans), when they are observed to be always 

 green, Sempervirens has the same meaning. 



There are also parts, which, towards the time of their pro- 

 bable fall or decay, grow with increased vigour. We then 

 use the terms accrescens, or auctus. Every change from the 

 progress of vegetation, is denoted by the addition of demum, 

 or tetate : Apothecia demum angulosa ; capsuld atate auctd. 



The opposite of persistent is decaying, for which we have, 

 in the Latin technical language, two different terms. 



An organ, or part, is said to be caducus, when it loosens 

 itself very speedily in a joint at the base, as the calyx of 

 Papaver and Chelidonium ; deciduus, again, is the term used, 

 when, without releasing itself at one joint, the part falls at the 

 same time with other neighbouring organs. 



Decaying (marcescens, marcidus), consists in a withering 

 of the part, without a falling off. The disappearance of a 

 part is expressed by evanescens. 



59. 



With respect to the earher, cotemporaneous, or later ap- 

 pearance of particular parts, in relation to others, the follow- 

 ing expressions are used. Parts are called early {pracox), 

 when they shoot out, or come to perfection before others ; 

 coeval (cocetaneus), when this happens at the same time ; 



