294 
BOTANICAL TERMS. 
31oncecious; when the male and female 
flowers are separate, but on the same plant, as 
in the hazel, and the cucumber ; this pecu- 
liarity distinguishes the twenty-first Linnasan 
class Monoecia. 
JMonogynous ; having one style or stigma. 
Monopetalous ; when the petals cohere by 
their margins so as to form a tube, as in 
gentians, phloxes, primroses, &c. 
JXectarotheca ; a term applied to the hollow 
spur at the base of the petals of some flowers. 
Nectarostigma ; a term applied to such 
shining secreting spaces as are found at the 
base of the petals of Ranunculus. 
Nucamentum ; an old term for the catkin. 
Octandrous ; having eight stamens : this 
peculiarity distinguishes the eighth Linnaean 
class Octandria. 
Operculate ; applied to the calyx when it 
coheres in the form of a cap or lid, and is 
pushed off by the growth of the interior part 
of the flower, without any lateral rupture, as 
in Encalypta. 
Orbiculus; a thick solid appendage to some 
flowers, covering the ovarium, as in Stapelia. 
It is also applied to the round flat cavity (hy- 
menium) which contains the spores or seeds of 
some fungi, as in Nidularia. 
Ovary (ovarium) ; a hollow case at the 
base of the pistil, enclosing the ovules ; this 
part ultimately becomes the fruit ; it is called 
inferior when situated below the calyx, as in 
the apples ; and superior when situated above 
or within the calyx, as in primrose. 
Pailletti ; a term applied to the membra- 
nous bracts (palece) stationed between the 
florets in composite flowers. 
Palate ; the lower surface of the throat of 
personate flowers ; it is elevated in two ridges, 
and divided by a depression resembling the sinus 
of the lip; this may be seen in Antirrhinum. 
* Palece; the membranous bracts found be- 
tween the florets in composite flowers ; the 
term is also applied to the bracts or parts which 
take the place of a corolla in grasses. 
Paleolce; a term applied to the hypogynous 
scales of grasses. 
Panicle ; this is applied where the axis 
bears branches of flowers (the raceme being 
separate flowers produced from the axis) : this 
form is a simple panicle ; a deliquescent 
panicle is when the axis is broken up into 
different branches. 
Pappus ; the calyx of composite plants ; it 
is usually hairy, sometimes feathery, or bristly, 
or chaffy. 
Papilionaceous ; butterfly-shaped, a fanci- 
ful term applied to flowers shaped like those 
of the sweet pea or lupin. 
Pedicels ; the ultimate ramifications of a 
branched flower stem, which bear the indi- 
vidual flowers. 
Pediculus ; a term applied to the filament. 
Peduncle; the stalk which supports a 
solitary flower ; it never bears leaves, but 
sometimes bracts. 
Pentandrous ; having five stamens; this 
peculiarity distinguishes the fifth Linnaean 
class Pentandria. 
Pentagynous ; having five styles. 
Perianth ; the calyx and corolla combined ; 
applied in cases where these cannot be easily dis- 
tinguished, as, for instance, in the tulip, lily, &c. 
Perigonium; a term applied to the palea} 
in grasses and allied plants. 
Perigynium ; two confluent bracts enclos- 
ing the pistil, as in the flowers of Carex. 
Perigynous ; applied to stamens' when 
apparently inserted into the calyx or some 
part surrounding the ovary, but where they 
really cohere with these parts for a certain 
length : not an accurate term. 
Perisporum ; a term applied to certain 
filiform appendages of the flowers of cypera- 
ceous plants, analogous to the hypogynous 
scales in grasses. 
Peristachyum ; a term applied by some to 
the glumes of grasses. 
Personate : labiate, with the palate of the 
lower lip pressed against the upper lip. 
Petal ; one of the parts or divisions of a 
corolla ; a geranium has five petals, a single 
wall-flower four, and so on. Double flowers 
are formed from a multiplication of petals 
beyond the ordinary number. 
Phyllum ; a term proposed instead of sepal 
for the divisions of the calyx. 
Pistil ; the female organ of the flower, the 
central part of an hermaphrodite flower : it 
usually consists of three parts ; the ovary or 
young seed vessel, the style, and the stigma, 
or active part. 
Ploranthium ; a term applied to the recep- 
tacle of composite plants. 
Poculiform (pc cull for mis) ; nearly the 
same as campanulate ; cup-shaped, with a 
hemispherical base, and upright limb. 
Poingon ; a French term for spadix. 
Pollen ; the powdery substance, or fertilis- 
ing dust contained in the cells of the anther. 
Polyadelphous ; when the stamens are 
collected or joined at the base into many 
bundles : this peculiarity distinguishes the 
eighteenth Linnaaan class Polyadelphia. 
Polyandrous J having many stamens, an 
indefinite number (above 20) : this peculiarity 
distinguishes the thirteenth Linmean class 
Polyandria. 
Polypetalous ; where the divisions or petals 
of the flowers are all distinct ; it is a term of 
distinction from monopetalous, in which the 
petals are united together into a tube. The 
ranunculus is a polypetalous flower. 
Raceme ; an arrangement of flowers along 
