VOCABULARY, 
OR 
EXPLANATION OF BOTANICAL TERMS. 
A. 
A, in composition, signifies privation, or destitute of; as, acawlis, re- 
ferring to a plant without a caulis or stem. 
A\bor’tive flower. Falling off without producing any fruit. 
stamens, not furnished with anthers. 
pistil. Defective in some essential part. 
seed, not becoming perfect through want of the fertilizing in- 
fluence of the pollen. 
Abrupt’ leaf. A pinnate leaf with an odd or terminal leafet. 
Acal’yces, (from a, signifying without, and calyx, a flower cup.) A 
class in an ancient method of arrangement, consisting of plants 
without a calyx. 
Acau/les, (from a, wanting, and cawlis, a stem.) Including plants 
without stems, 
Acero’se leaf. Linear and permanent, as in the pine. 
Acic’ular. Needle shaped. 
A’cinus. A small berry which, with many others, composes the fruit 
of the mulberry and raspberry; the plural is acini. 
Acotyled’onous, (from a, without, and cotyledon, a seed lobe.) Plants 
destitute of seed lobes, and which consequently put forth no seminal 
or seed leaves, as mosses and ferns. 
Acu’leus, (from acus,aneedle.) A prickle, orsharp point; common to 
the rose and raspberry. It differs from the thorn, in being a prolon- 
gation of the outer bark of the plant, and unconnected with the wood. 
Prickles have been compared to the nails and claws of animals. 
Acu’minate. Abruptly sharp pointed, having the point curved towards 
one edge of the leaf, resembling an awl. 
Acute. More gradually sharp pointed than acuminate. An obtuse 
angle, or any other mathematical angle, is acute in botanical lan- 
guage. 
Adel’phous, (from the Greek adelphos,a brother or anequal.) Applied: 
to plants whose stamens are united by their filaments, whether in. 
one or two sets. 
Adnate. Growing together. 
Ad’versifo'lia, (from adversus, opposite, and foliwm, a leaf.) Plants. 
whose leaves stand opposite to each other, on the same stem or branch. 
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