Awl-shaped. — subulate. — Thick at the base, and gradually 
attenuated to a sharp point. 
Awn. — Arista. — A terminating spine or appendage. 
Axilla. — The axilla or axil is the angle which the leaf-stalk 
forms with the upper part of the stem or branch, and 
which always contains a bud. 
Axillary. — Situated or issuing from an axilla. 
Bark.— The bark is the outer or external portion of the stem, 
encircling or enclosing the wood or pith. 
Barren Flowers. — Barren flowers are flowers that produce 
anthers but not pistils. Of this there are three cases ; 
first, when flowers containing stamens only, and flowers 
containing pistils only, are produced on the same plant. 
In this case the plant is said to be monoecious, as in 
Corylus and Alnus ; secondly when flowers containing 
stamens only, and flowers containing pistils only, are 
produced on different plants. In this case the plant is 
said to be dioecious, as in Humulus Lupulus ; thirdly 
when hermaphrodite flowers, and flowers containing 
stamens and pistils separately, are produced on the 
same plant. In this case the plant is said to be poly- 
gamous, as in Atriplex. 
Beak. — The beak is an appendage of the persistent style, elon- 
gated but not feathered. It is exemplified in the genus 
Scandix and several others of the umbelliferae. 
Beard. — The beard is a tuft of fine hairs or bristles, issuing in 
most cases, from the calyx or corolla, but sometimes, 
from the other parts of the flower also; as in Thymus, 
Iris, Periploca. The aggregate of the awns of an ear 
of barley, or of any other grasses, is sometimes called 
to beard. 
Berry. — The berry is a soft and pulpy pericarp, containing one 
or more seeds, but not separating into regular valves, 
nor enclosing a capsule. It is exemplified in the very 
familiar case of the Currant and Gooseberry. 
Biennials. — Biennials are plants living for the space of two 
years only, that is, if growing in their natural habitats 
and left to themselves. The Carraway, Carrot, and 
Celery are examples. The first year they fix them- 
selves in the soil by the root, but send up no stem. 
The second year they send up a stem, produce flower 
and fruit, and perish. Thus they belong to the class 
of plants called monocarpous, that is, plants flowering 
or producing fruit but once. The production of the 
flower has exhausted their vitality, and numbered the 
days of their existence ; restricting the annual to one 
year, the biennial to two years, and giving to others, 
as to Agave Americana and the Talipot Palm, an in- 
definite number of years. They owe their death to 
the process of their fructification, which, if retarded, 
prolongs, and if accelerated, shortens their existence. 
Wheat sown in the spring lives but six months; but 
sown in the autumn it lives twelve. Biennials put 
into situations unduly warm become annuals ; put into 
situations unduly cold, they become triennials. The 
Agave Americana in its native climate flowers after 
a period of only four or five years, but in the climate 
of England it does not flower till after a period of fifty 
or of a hundred years. Thus the terms of the dura- 
tion of these plants may be either abridged or pro- 
tracted by the contrivances of art. 
Bigeminate. — Twice paired. In compound leaves, when near 
the common leaf-stalk there is a single pair of secon- 
dary leaf-stalk, each of which support a pair of oppo- 
site leaflets. 
Bilabiate. — Having two lips. 
Bilocular. — Having two cells. 
Binate. — Applied to a compound leaf consisting of two leaf- 
lets only, inserted at the same point on one leaf-stalk. 
Bipinnate. — In compound leaves, when the secondary leaf- 
stalks are arranged in pairs on the common leaf-stalk, 
and each secondary leaf-stalk is pinnate. 
Biternate. — In compound leaves, when the common foot- 
stalk supports three secondary leaf-stalks on its apex, 
and each of these support three leaflets. 
Bitten Root. — The bitten or truncated root is a root tapering 
gradually, like the spindle-shaped root, but termina- 
ting abruptly, as if the extremity were cut or bitten 
off. It exemplified in the plant called devil’s-bit, or 
devil’s-bit Scabious . — Scabiosa Succisa. 
Boyaux — A term introduced by M. Adolphe Brongniart, to 
denote the tubes that issue from the grains of pollen 
upon their contact with the stigma, and descend through 
the style by elongation, till they reach the ovary, car- 
rying with them the materiel, or principle, of fecunda- 
tion. In the books of English writers they are usually 
called pollen tubes. 
Bracte. — The bracte is a floral leaf situated on the pedun- 
cle or common axis of the fructification, and often 
so near to the flower as to be mistaken at first sight 
for its calyx. This is particularly the case in the genus 
Nigella and some species of Helleborus, in which, how- 
ever, it is known not to be a calyx, from its protracted 
duration, which is generally equal to that of the other 
leaves of the plant ; whereas the calyx either fades 
with the flower, or, at the latest, when the fruit has 
reached maturity. But though the bracte is situated 
for the most part on the stem or peduncle, yet there 
are cases in which it is situated also on the calyx as 
in several species of Mussenda. ( Smith's Introd. 222,) 
and even on the fruit itself, as in Mespilus Germanica, 
and some of our varieties of Pears. ( Keith's Phil. Bat. 
ii. 2.94.) 
Branches. — The branches are the divisions of the trunk or 
caudex ascendens, originating generally on the upper 
extremity, but often also along the sides. The pri- 
mary divisions are again sub-divided into secondary 
divisions, and these again into still smaller divisions, 
till they terminate at last in slender twigs. 
Bristles. — Bristles are short, stiff, and sharp-pointed hairs, 
with which the stem and leaves of certain species of 
plants are densely crowded, as those of Borage and 
Viper's Bugloss. 
Buds. — Buds are small and ovate or conical-shaped substances 
issuing from the axil of the leaves or the extremity of 
the branches, and containing the rudiments of future 
branches, leaves, or fruit, but not detaching themsel ves 
spontaneously from the plant, and forming new in- 
dividuals. 
Bulb. — Bulbous roots are those which consist of one globe or 
head, from the under surface of which many fibres 
descend. They are of three kinds ; in the Crocus sa- 
tivus, solid; in the Scilla maritima, scaly: and in the 
Allium Cepa, coated. 
Bunches or Tumours. — Bunches or tumours are partial and 
irregular enlargements of the organs of the vegetable 
body, affecting the root, stem, branch, bud, leaf ; and 
disfiguring but not always injuring the plant. They 
are very generally caused by the puncture of insects in 
the depositing of their eggs. 
Caducous. — Applied to leaves falling off before the end of the 
summer; to corollas, continuing only until expanded ; 
and to calyces, falling off at the opening of the flower. 
Calycine.— Attached or belonging to the calyx. 
Calyculate. — Applied to calyx, when there is a lesser one at 
the base of the great one. 
Calyptra.— The calyptraor veil, is a fine and membranaceous 
integument in the shape of a hollow cone or extin- 
guisher, that marks the urn-shaped capsule of the 
mosses to the summit of which it is attached. 
Calyx. — The calyx, an appellation borrowed from the Greek 
term Kakv\ which signifies an unexpanded blossom 
or its covering — is the exterior envelop of the flower — 
that is, where two envelopes are present — encom- 
passing and protecting the interior parts. It may be 
perceived very distinctly in a Rose not yet fully blown. 
