71 
Decuji'uent, Decu-m'ben's — Applied to 
stems when they recline upon the 
surface of the eai'th, but have a ten* 
dency to rise again towards their ex- 
tremities. 
Decur'rknt, Decurhenh— C ontinued down- 
wards, as &lie blade of the leaves of 
some plants, forming a wing-like ap- 
pendage to the stem. (See Aoacia 
i/ecurtma, the Green Wattle, the bark 
of which is so largelyuscd for tanning.) 
Decuk'sivelv-pinn’ate — A form of pin- 
niitiKed leaf. (See, for oxainx>le, 
Aff'/nini/fay.) 
Decus'sate, JdECUSHA'ruyi— Synonym for 
*• lirachiate,” hut \isualiy applied to 
leaves when tliey are arranged in 
alternating ])aii’s, forming four lines. 
DB'FiNiTiii — Api>licd to the stamens when 
they do not exceed twelve in number 
and are conataut in the same species. 
Deflex'ed, Ukfi.exus— B ending gradually 
downward through the whole length. 
Defoumis, Deformed—As the leaves of 
the Beach, by A’xoase/fs deformans. 
Dehts'cexok— T he manner in which an 
organ, closed at first, ultimately 
bursts ; but more especially applied 
where the bursting is with regularity 
along particular lines of .suture, as in 
the antliers fur discharge of the pollen ; 
in many peiicarps for the escape of the 
seeds. i 
Deliq^ks'cent — A pplied to certain fungi 
which soon dissolve, and to the branches | 
of inftoresccjice wh m all trace of the I 
princii>al axis is lost in the ramifica- 
tions. ! 
DEr/xoin, Beltoi'dens — K eseinbling the 1 
Greek letter /.v, a]>plied to succulent i 
leaves, whose transverse sections have | 
a resemblance to a A. ] 
Demeu'sus — D rowned. Applied to those ! 
>arts of an aquatic wliich are constantly ! 
)olow the surface of tire water. 
Dexis'sus — H drigmg down. 
De.mul'oent — Having the property of 
softening anything. This iwoperty is 
taken ii<lvantage of for forming the 
leaves of the common Mallow into 
poultices. 
Dexj) 1 u'ticus, Dkxdroi'des — I n form re- 
•seinbiiug a tree. 
DKNnuo'Looy— That part of botany which | 
treats of trees. , 
Dex'ta'I’K, i>’A'TATUs— Toothed, having | 
t.i'iangular teeth. Dkxtate-crenate— | 
Having roundel or j)ointed teeth. i 
Dextate-seukate— H aving tapering, 1 
fihru'p jjointe.'i Ir oLli jn’ojecting or | 
carved towards the ti]> of a leaf like j 
the teeth of a saw. ! 
Dex'trieice- -B owder ni.ule to scour the j 
teelii. The gum of some Acacoas are | 
used for this purpose. 
Dexu d.Vtis Made naked. 
Depaupera'tub — X.. ip')verishod, starved. i 
Deeex'oexs — llangiiig down, pendent. 
Dki'LA'nate— B lattcn cl or expanded. 
Depres'sus — M hei e the longitudinal exten- . 
sion is much »maller thfiii the ti'ans- 
verse. Blattenod vertically. 
Deter'.\[INAte — An inflorescence is said to 
be terminal or determinate w'hen the 
main stem and ijrlncipal branches end 
in a flower or inth)rescence. 
Deus'tcs— H aving the appearance of being 
scorched. (See JJtJ<oiiic{ef na deasta.) 
Devexus — Siielving downwards, as Tra- 
7netes der€:ra. 
Dex'thixk, or VnoETABi.B Mucilage — A 
gummy substance, between mucilage 
and starch, and is one of the principal 
organized cell-contents. 
Dextroh'sum — Towards the right hand; 
applied to a spiral whose successive 
G»)n\ohitions would appear to a person, 
plfiicid in its axis, to vise from left to 
right. An e.xanq^le is furnished by the 
Hop plant, Jfinuiilvs /iipuius. 
Di, in compounds, signifies two. Thus, 
Diauelphls, where the stamens are 
unite<l into two distinct bundles; 
I)iAxnRUS, flower containing only 
two stamens ; Dichotomus, whore any 
part fork.s or subdivides into two 
bnuicho.-i, and oach of these again into 
two others. 
Di'a lypj :talous— A modem word some- 
times used for the better known 
“PolypeLalous.” 
Diaph'axocb— Nearly transparent. (Seethe 
pretty little fern,. 
Diaphore'tic— Broinoting perspiratii»n. A 
decocti<in made of the flowers of the 
European Klder has been made for this 
purpose. 
DiAURHOi'A.— A ]jurging or looseness of the 
l^owels. Many of our native jdants are 
used as a remedy in this complaint, 
parfcictdavly the lilucalypt gum. 
DicuLAMYn'EOt'S — When the perianth is 
double, both calyx and corolla being 
present and distinct. 
DiCliOiibiMOCS Blaxts— Those in which the 
stigma is not ripe at the same tiino as 
the anther is. These, again, may 
be — [a] Bro^androus — l>icfifnjamia 
a)tdrofji/na, Sprengcl, in which the 
autbets are rit'e before the stigtra ; 
(?>) Bi'cibgyp'iiis — Jdchof/amiif. (jimaU’ 
fi/a, Sjjrengel, in which the stigma is 
lipo before the anther. 
Dicle'bium — A fcuiD compofiod of an 
indehiscent niie-seeded pericarp, in- 
veued by a persistent and indurated 
perianth. Bur e\;».mples Kce Marvel of 
Bern [Mtrnhf/is), Sjnuarin, and F^ahola. 
DlCLi'xis—i laving the male and female 
tugan.s iji riilfei eut flowers. 
Dicotvledo.xb' — The nan o of the first of 
the two groat chi-s.'so.^ of plnenogamous 
plants. T'he^ few iiioat constant 
cUaracleis wliicli separate Uio Dic\)ty- 
le-dons fnjm Mouf.cotyledqn.s are con- 
sidered tt» be the tollowing: — Stem, 
w hen j'orennial, consisthig of a pith in 
the centre, of one or more concentric 
circles of Woody tissue, and of the bark 
on the r>utside. Embiyo with two or 
more cotyledons, the young stem in 
genuination pruceedmg from between 
the two lobes of the embryo or from a 
notch at its summit. 
