Xxiv BOTANICAL TERMS AND DEFINITIONS. 
Cruciform, or Regular, (Cruciformis) polypetalous flowers are 
so called, when the petals are placed in the form of a cross. 
CucULLATE, or HoODED, {Cucullatum) applied to leaves when the 
edges meet in the lower part, and expand towards the 
upper ; (i. e. in the form of a cone). 
Culm, (Culmus) an herbaceous stem pecuHar to grasses, rushes, and 
some other plants allied to them. Culms are either hollow 
or solid, jointed or without joints, round or triangular, 
rough or smooth, hairy or downy, and bear both leaves 
and flowers. 
Cuneiforme, vide Wedge-shaped. 
Curled, (Crispim) applied to leaves when the border is large in 
proportion to the disk, and becomes in consequence waved 
or twisted into many irregular plates ; (this form of leaf is 
by many botanists considered to be caused by some disease.) 
Cuspidate, (Cuspidatum) applied to leaves terminating in sharp 
rigid spines; (example, the thistle.) 
Cuticle, {Cuticula) the outward covering of plants: every plant is 
covered by a skin or membrane analogous to the scaj;fskin 
that covers the human and other animal bodies. The cuticle 
or epidermis varies in thickness, being extremely delicate on 
some parts of a flower, (as the petals, &c.) and very thick, 
hard and coarse on the trunks of many trees. 
Cylindrical, applied to spikes of flowers having a cylindrical 
form ; to the tube of monopetalous flowers; also to aments, 
and to leaves having the form of a cylinder. 
Cyme, (Cyma) a form of inflorescence, the general appearance of 
which resembles an umbel and agrees with it in this 
respect, that its common stalks all spring from one centre, 
but difters in having those stalks alternately and variously 
divided. 
Deciduous, {Deciduum) leaves are so called when falling off" at the 
approacli of winter, as in most European trees and shrubs; 
applied also to stipules falling in the autumn ; to calyxes 
falling soon after the corolla has expanded; to tlie corolla 
when falling with the stamens. 
Decompound, or Doubly Compound, ( Decompositum) leaves 
are so called when the petioles instead of bearing leaflets, 
branch out into other petioles to which the leaflets are 
attached. 
Declined, (Declinatus) applied to stems when descending archwise, 
and then gradually curving upwards. 
