INTRODUCTION TO BOTANY. 
227 
Mucro. A stiffj straight terminal point to any part. 
Hook, Hamits , Rostellum , Uncus . A crooked point. 
Glochis. Fine, stiff hair, with branches bent back. 
Sting, Stimulus. Fine hair, rather stiff, causing an itch- 
ing when touched. Urtica. 
IT Scale, Squama , — lepis. A small, membranaceous, or 
scarious appendage to any part. 
Chaff, Palece. Small scales intermixed among dowrets 
or seeds. 
Striga. A narrow, long scale, approaching to a hair. 
CHARACTERS. 
The authors of the Linnsean school have introduced 
the uses of characters to denote terms that often occur. 
The following are those most usually employed, as being 
found in most printing-houses, and not requiring any extra 
expense of casting on purpose. 
©. An annual plant; because the earth takes a year to 
perform its motion round the sun. 
c?. A biennial plant; because Mars takes nearly two 
years to perform its revolution. 
"V- . A perennial plant; because Jupiter takes several 
years to perform its revolution. 
\ , A tree or shrub ; because Saturn takes nearly thirty 
years to perform its revolution. 
d. A male individual among plants. 
$ . A female individual. 
? • An hermaphrodite plant. 
*f. A plant not seen by the author, and therefore in- 
serted with some degree of doubt. 
I. II. to XII. are used to express the months in which 
the plants flower, beginning with January. 
De Candolle has introduced a greater number of cha- 
racters, but as they are not yet current among other writers, 
they do not require any notice to be taken of them, espe- 
cially as contractions are at all times far superior to cha- 
racters, and more convenient for printing. 
