231? 
resembles a spike in having the flowers placed 
along a common peduncle, but differs from 
it in having partial peduncles : it also differs 
from a corymbus in the shortness and equal 
length of its peduncles, not forming a re- 
gular surface at the top, as in ribes rubrum, 
vitis, &c. 
6. Panicula, the tuft upon reeds, is when 
the flowers are dispersed upon peduncles va- 
riously subdivided ; or it is a sort of branch- 
ing spike, composed of several smaller spikes, 
attached along a common peduncle, as in 
avena, panicum, and several other grasses, 
and many other plants. When the partial 
peduncles diverge and hang loose, it is called 
a diffuse, and when they converge, it is 
called a close, panicle. 
7. Axillares, such flowers as proceed from 
the angle formed by the leaf and the stem, as 
is most common. 
8. Terminales, such flowers as terminate 
the stalk or branch. Every other mode of 
flowering is called the inflorescence, whether 
opposite to the leaves, lateral, single, double, 
erect, bending, Ac. 
Luxuriant, or double flowers, are con- 
sidered only as varieties. A luxuriant flower 
is supposed generally to be owing to super- 
abundant nourishment ; the luxuriant part is 
generally the corolla, but sometimes the calyx 
also. There are three degrees of luxuriant 
flowers, viz. 1. multiplicatus; 2. plenus; and 
3. prolifer. 
1. Flos multiplicatus is when tire petals of 
the corolla are only so far multiplied as to 
exclude part of the stamina; and is called 
duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate, Ac. ac- 
cording to the number of rows of petals. 
2. Flos plenus is when the corolla is so 
much multiplied as to exclude all the stamina, 
which is occasioned by the stamina turning 
petals, and the flower is often so crowded as 
to exclude or choke the pistillum also. There- 
fore, as the essential parts of generation are 
thus wholly or in part destroyed, the plants 
become barren and imperfect, and no seed, 
or very little, can be expected from them. 
Flowers with one petal are not very subject 
to fullness ; when they are, it generally 
arises from an increase of the divisions of the 
petal. It is most usual in flowers of many 
petals, where it arises various ways ; some- 
times bv multiplication of the petals only, 
sometimes of the calyx or nectariunj, and 
sometimes of all. Compound flowers are 
also subject to luxuriance, arising several ways. 
3. Flos prolifer is when one flower grows 
out of another ; this generally happens in full 
flowers, from their greater luxuriancy. In 
simple flowers it rises from the centre, and 
proceeds from the pistillum, shooting up into 
another flower, standing on a single foot- 
stalk. In aggregate flowers (properly so 
called) many footstalked flowers are produced 
jout of one common ■ calyx. In umbellate 
flowers, a second umbel proceeds from the 
centre of the first umbel, producing little 
umbels, which by a greater exertion of lux- 
uriancy, may produce others with little um- 
bels, and thus may produce several heads of 
flowers, each growing out of that immediately 
below it, furnished with 1 ittle umbels variously 
compounded. A prolilic flower is also called 
leafy (frondosus,) when it produces branches 
■with flowers and leaves ; which, though rare, 
sometimes happens in rosa, anemone, mo- 
jiarda, and others. As in luxuriant flowers 
BOTANY, 
many parts of the natural character are de- 
ficient in the whole, or in any part, they can 
only be distinguished by the general habit, 
and by such parts as remain in the natural 
state ; as very often by the calyx, and in the 
polypetalous flowers, the lowest series or 
rows of petals remain the same, as in rosa, 
papaver, nigella, Ac. 
4. Flos mutilatus is the opposite imper- 
fection, being such a flower as occasionally 
is deprived of all, or the greatest part of the 
petals, yet bears seeds, as in some species of 
tussilago, campanula, Ac. This term is op- 
posed to luxuriance, and is supposed by Lin- 
naeus to be caused by a defect of heat, though 
it may also happen from other causes. 
VII. The habit of plants, by which an- 
tient botanists meant the whole external ap- 
pearance of every part, whereby they were 
arranged in their several systems, is by Lin- 
nxus applied to the agreement of plants 
of the same genus, or natural order, chiefly 
in the following circumstances : 
1. Gemmation. The structure and dispo- 
sition of the bulb, as solid, coated, scaly, 
stem. Also of the bud ; its origin petioled, 
stipuled, cortical ; its contents leafy, floral, 
common. 
2. V ernation. The complication of the 
leaves within the bud, as conduplicate or 
doubled together ; convolute or rolled to- 
gether ; involute or rolled in ; revolute or 
rolled back; imbricated or tiled ; equitantor 
riding ; obvolute or rolled against each other ; 
plaited or folded over ; spiral or coiled like 
a watch-spring, one end in the centre. 
3. /Estivation. The slate of the bud in 
summer, as convolute, imbricated, condupli- 
cate, valved, unequally valved. 
4. Tortion. The twisting or bending of 
the parts, as uniform, dissimilar, from the 
right, from the left, reciprocal, resupine, 
spiral. 
5. Nuptials. Male, female, androgynous, 
hermaphrodite. 
6. Semination. The shape and other cir- 
cumstances of the seed, as tail, wing, tuft, 
awn, hooks, gluten, curvature. Also of the 
pericarpium ; as berrying, inflation, viscosity, 
elasticity, structure. 
7. Placentation. The number and dispo- 
sition of the cotyledons; or if wanting. 
8. Variation. Of colour, size, pubesence, 
age. 1. External: plaited, bundled, broad- 
leaved, curled, awnless. 2. Internal : mu- 
tilated, great-flowered, luxuriant, crested, 
viviparous, bulb-bearing. By variation or 
variety, are meant such differences as are 
only incidental to vegetables, and are notfound 
constant and unchangeable; that is, where 
plants raised from the same seed, by some 
accidental cause differ in their form and ap- 
pearance from the true character of the spe- 
cies to which they belong ; which cause being 
removed, the plant is restored to its true spe- 
cific character; and these incidental varieties 
chiefly arise by difference of soil or culture 
in some of the above circumstances. And 
though it is as necessary to collect varieties 
under their proper species, as the species 
under their proper genera, yet it is often 
more difficult: 1st, from the difficulty of 
ascertaining the genus, and, 2dly, from the 
danger of confounding the species; and 
sometimes some parts of the specitic cha- 
racter itself are also subject to variety, par- 
ti«ularly the leaves ; though in general the 
true specific character is constant and un- 
changeable, arising only from circumstances 
in which plants of the same genus are found 
to disagree, which distinctions are commonly 
taken with most certainty from. the. parts ex- 
plained in this section. 
VIII. The hybernaculum, winter lodg- 
ment, is that part of a plant which defends 
the embryo or future shoot from external in- 
juries during the winter, and is either a bulb 
or a bud. 
i. A bulb* bulbils, is a large sort of bud 
produced under ground,, placed upon the 
caudex of certain herbaceous plants, lienee 
called bulbous plants,, all of which are peren- 
nial, that is, perpetuated by their bulbs or 
ground buds, as well as by seeds ; they are 
therefore improperly called roots, being onlv 
the hybernacJe of the future shoot. Bulbs are 
of the following sorts : 
1. Squamous, consisting of scales laid over 
each other like tiles, as in the lily. 
2. Solid, consisting of a close substance, as. 
in tulips. 
3. Coated, consisting of many coats infold- 
ing each other, as in onions. 
4. Cauline, produced not only from, the 
sides of the principal bulb, called a sucker or 
offset, but from other parts of the stem ; as 
in crow or wild garlic, and in some species of 
onion, hence called bulbiferous, where they 
are produced at the origin of the umbel of 
flowers. 
ii. A bud, gemma, is the embryo of the 
plant, seated upon the stem of the brandies, 
covered with scales. In general there are 
three sorts of buds: that coiftaining the, 
flower only, as in poplar, ash, Ac. where the 
leaf-buds and flower-buds are distinct; that 
containing the leaves only, as in birch, Ac. ; 
and that containing both flower and leaves, 
as in the generality of plants; and these 
last sometimes contain leaves and male 
flowers, sometimes leaves and female flowers, 
sometimes leaves and hermaphrodite flowers. 
Annual plants are only renewed from seeds; 
and several other plants, both trees and 
shrubs, have no winter buds. It is also ob- 
served in hot countries, that few plants have- 
buds; or at least that they are without that 
scaly covering which seems essential to & 
bud, and constitutes the hybernacie ; instead 
whereof are protruded small featherlike 
branches from the wings of the leaves, (de- 
fence and protection from cold not being 
necessary ;) whereas, in cold countries most 
plants have buds, which are wrapped up ad 
the winter, in readiness to greet the approach- 
ing spring. 
Analogous to the protection afforded by 
the bulls, is the sleep of plants, which, ac- 
cording to Linnaeus, happens various ways ; 
as by converging, including, surrounding, 
fortifying, canduplicating, involving, diverg* 
ing, depending, inverting, imbricating. This, 
disposition in plants is very remarkable in 
chickweed, pimpernell, dandelion, goal’s- 
beard, Ac. which expand their flowers only 
at certain times of the day, and shut them up 
at the approach of night or a storm ; from 
which may be prognosticated a change of 
weather. In many plants, not only the 
flowers, but the young shoots, are defended 
from external injuries by the nearest leaves 
converging and inclosing the tender rudi- 
ments. — Thus we have delineated the prin- 
cipal outlines of plants ; hut a wore parte- 
