5S0 
■present) on each side the base of lire footstalk 
•of leaves and flowers, at the first appearance, 
for the purpose of support. They are placed 
either single or double, and sometimes on the 
inside, as in the lig and mulberry; or on the 
outside, as in the birch, lime, and papiliona- 
ceous (lowers. They are also either sitting, 
extended downwards, or sheathing along the 
stem, as in the plane-tree. As to duration, 
they sometimes fall before the leaves, and 
sometimes are equally persistent. They often 
afford a good distinction for the species. 
4. Cirrlfus, a clasper or tendril, is the fine 
spiral string or fibre by which plants fasten 
themselves to some other body for support. 
They are sometimes placed opposite to the 
leaves ; sometimes at the side of the foot- 
stalks of the leaves; sometimes they issue 
from the leaves themselves; and sometimes 
they put out roots, as in ivy, &c. 
5. Tubes, a term applied to the hair, down, 
wool, beard, bristles, glands, and several 
other appearances on different parts of plants, 
serving the double purpose of defence and 
vessels of secretion. 
(]. Anna, the defensive weapons of plants, 
as thorns, prickles, Sec. 
7. Brae tea, the floral leaves, mean not 
only those leaves situated on the stalk nearest 
to the lower parts of the flower, but those 
which sometimes terminate the flower-stalk, 
being composed of large bracteae, resembling 
a bush of hair. They are then called bracte® 
comos®, as in crown-imperial, lavender, and 
some species of sage. 
V. The fructitication, or mode of fruit- 
bearing, consists of the calyx, corolla, sta- 
mina, pistillum, pericarpium, seinina, and 
receptaculum, which are afterwards ex- 
plained. 
VI. The inflorescence, or mode by which 
flowers are joined to their several peduncles, 
whether common or partial. 
i. A flower, in the sexual system, has a 
very different signification from the same 
term of former botanists ; for if the anther® 
and stigma are present, though the calyx, 
corolla, filaments of the stamina, and style of 
the pistillum, be wanting, it is still a flower ; 
and if all the parts are present, it is a com- 
plete flower. The seed also constitutes the 
fruit, whether there is a pericarpium or not. 
ii. Complete flowers are either simple or 
aggregate ; simple, when no part of the 
fructification is common to many flowers or 
florets, but is confined to one only; aggre- 
gate, when the flower consists of many 
florets collected into a head, by means of 
some part of the fructification common to 
them all, as by a common receptacle, or 
common calyx"; as in dipsacus, scabiosa, 
&c. From the different structure, disposition, 
and other circumstances of the receptacle or 
calyx, being the only part common to aggre- 
gate flowers, arise seven subdivisions. 
1 . Aggregate flowers, properly so called, 
are formed by the union of several lesser 
flowers, placed on partial peduncles on a 
common dilated receptacle, and within a 
common perianthium ; and in those flowers 
where each floret has its proper calyx, that 
is also a perianthium. A flower is said to be 
radiate, when the florets in the radius or cir- 
cumference differ from those in the disk; in 
which case they are generally larger, and 
are called semiflorets, from their difference 
ij.i form, and in distinction from those of the 
BOTANY. 
disk, which are called proper florets; and 
they also differ as to sex, which gives rise to 
several of the orders in the class syngenesia, 
which contains the compound flowers. 
2. Compound aggregate flowers consist 
also of several florets, placed sitting (or with- 
out partial peduncles) on a common dilated 
receptacle, and within a common perianthium; 
and where each floret has its proper calyx, it 
is also a perianthium. Compound flowers 
also admit of a further description, viz. each 
floret consists of a single petal, with generally 
five divisions, and having live stamina dis- 
tinct at the base, but united at the top by the 
anthera 1 into a cylinder, through which passes 
the style of the pistillum, longer than the 
stamina, and crowned by a stigma with two 
divisions rolled backwards, and having a 
single seed placed upon the receptacle under 
each floret. This is the general character ot 
a compound flower, to which there are a few 
exceptions ; it also differs when the flower is 
radiate ; but the essential character of a re- 
gular floret consists -in the anther® being 
united so as to form a cylinder, and having a 
single seed placed upon the receptacle under 
each floret. 
3. Umbellate aggregate are when the 
flower consists of many florets placed on fas- 
tigiate peduncles proceeding from the same 
stem or receptacle, and which, though of 
different lengths, rise to such a height as to 
form a regular head or umbel, whether flat, 
convex, or concave. Both the common and 
partial calyx Linnaeus calls an involucrum. 
It is called a simple umbel when it has no 
lesser divisions; a compound umbel when 
each peduncle is subdivided at its extremity 
into many lesser peduncles for supporting the 
flowers, so as to form several little umbellas, 
uniting in one head; the whole together is 
called an universal umbel, and the little um- 
bellas are called partial umbels. In some 
genera, that have radiated umbels, the florets 
of the centre and those of the circumference 
differ both as to sex and size ; but in general 
each have five petals, five stamina, and two 
styles ; or one that is bifid, with a gennen 
placed beneath, and two naked seeds, which 
when ripe, separate below, but remain con- 
nected at the top. 
4. Cymous aggregate, (from cyma, a 
sprout,) called by Linnaeus a receptacle, is 
when several fastigiate peduncles proceed 
from the same centre like the umbel, and 
rise to nearly an even height ; bat unlike the 
umbel, the secondary or partial peduncles 
proceed without any regular order, as in 
sambucus, viburnum, &c. 
5. Amentaceous aggregate are such flow- 
ers as have a long common receptacle, along 
which are disposed squamae or scales, which 
form that sort of calyx called amentum or 
catkin, as in corylus, pinus, juglans. See. 
Amentaceous flowers generally want the pe- 
tals, and all of them are of the classes monoecia 
and dioecia. 
6. Glumose aggregate are such flowers as 
proceed from a common husky calyx belong- 
ing to grasses, called gluma; many of which 
are placed on a common receptacle called 
rachis, collecting the florets into the spike, as 
triticum, hordeum, secale, folium, &c. 
7. Spadiceous aggregate are also such 
flowers as have a common receptacle pro- 
truded from within a common calyx, called 
spatha, along which are disposed several 
florets. Such a receptacle is called spadix ; 
and is either branched, as ,in plimnix, or sim- 
ple, as in narcissus, &c. In this last case, 
the florets may be disposed either all round 
it, as in calla, dracontium, pothos. See. on the 
lower side of it, as in* arum, &c. or in two 
sides, as in zostera, See. T hese flowers have 
generally no partial calyx. 
Under the head ot inflorescence might 
also be mentioned the sexes of plants. There 
are, besides the above, several other modes 
of flowering, properly so called, that come 
under the general term inflorescence, and 
often afford the best marks to discriminate 
the species. They are chiefly expressed as 
follows: 
1. Verticillus, a whorl, when the flowers 
are placed in whorls at each joint round the 
common stalk: they have very short partial 
peduncles, are all of the labiated kind, and 
have either two or four stamina, and four 
naked seeds, as in salvia, marubium, menlha. 
Sec. A verticil lias several distinctions, as 
naked, bractecl &c. and all those genera with 
four stamina are of the class didynamia, as is 
seen in mint, thyme, &c ^ 
2. Capitulum, a little head, is when many 
flowers are connected into nearly a globular 
form or head, on the summit of the common 
stalk, sometimes with and sometimes without 
partial peduncles, as in gomphrena. Sec. and 
is distinguished by its shape and other cir- 
cumstances. Under capitulum is now intro- 
duced the term fasciculus, (a little bundle,) 
which was formerly considered as distinct. 
It means when the peduncles are erect, 
parallel, approaching each other, and raised 
to the same height, as in sweet-william, 
where they generally proceed from different 
parts of tiie common stalk, opposite to each 
other. 
3. Spica, a spike, is when the flowers, hav- 
ing no partial peduncles, are arranged alter- 
nately around a common simple peduncle. 
It is called spica secunda, (a single-rowed 
spike,) when die flowers are all turned one 
way, following each other; and spica dis- 
ticha, (a double-rowed spike,) when the> 
flowers stand pointing two ways, as in lolium, 
&c. ; and it is distinguished by shape and 
other circumstances. 
4. Gorymbus, a cluster of ivy-berries, when 
the lesser peduncles of the flowers proceed 
from different parts of the common peduncle 
or stalk ; and though of unequal lengths, 
and sometimes single, sometimes branched, 
yet form a regular surface at the top, as in 
the siliquose plants. The corymbus may be 
supposed to be formed from a spike, by adding 
partial peduncles to the flowers, and seems 
to be the mean between the racemus and um- 
bel la, the peduncles rising gradually from 
different parts of the common stalk, like 
those of the raceme, and proceeding to a 
proportionable height like those of the um- 
bel. 
5. Thyrsus, a young stalk, a mode of 
flowering resembling the cone of a pine. 
Linnseus defines it a panicle contracted into 
an ovate or egg-shaped form ; the lower pe- 
duncles, which are longer, horizontally ; and 
the upper, which are shorter, mount verti- 
cally, as svringa, Sec. 
. Racemus, a bunch of grapes, is when 
the flowers are placed on short partial pe- 
duncles, proceeding as little lateral branches 
from and along the common peduncle. At 
