GLOSSARY OF SCIENTIFIC WORDS USED IN THIS VOLUME

GLOSSARY.

A clear definition of scientific terms involves an exact knowledge of several languages, and when translated into technical phraseology these definitions often appear to me to be as difficult to a simple comprehension as the original words they purport to explain.

I have endeavoured therefore, in this glossary, to put scientific terms into plain words as clearly as was consistent with the facts, and not by any means to attempt a really exhaustive scientific definition.

A

Absciss—A term applied to a layer of separating cells.

Absorption—Taking in food by diffusion.

Accessory—Anything additional.

Acetic—Applied to an acid, sour.

Achene—A small dry indehiscent fruit with a leathery coat.

Adaptation—As applied to plant-life meaning the structure of the plant becoming most fitted to its environment.

Adventitious—Not developed in regular order.

Aerial—Inhabiting or existing in the air.

Æstivation—The arrangement of the parts of the flower in the bud.

Albumen—Reserve material contained in the seed, analogous to the white of an egg.

Alchemilla—A genus of rosaceous plants with small green flowers.

Allium—The onion genus.

Altitude—Height.

Ampelopsis—A genus of climbing plants allied to the vine whose leaves are brilliantly coloured in autumn.

Anemophilous—Pollinated by the wind.

Animalcule—Microscopic insect life.

Annual—A plant whose duration of life is one season: Ex. mignonette.

Anthea—A genus of sea-anemones.

Anther—The dilated end of the stamen in which the pollen grains are developed.

Antheridium—The case containing the antherozoids in cryptogamic plants.

Antherozoides—The male cell, or active member in fertilisation of cryptogams.

Antirrhinum—The snap-dragon genus.

Antiseptic—Counteracting decay or putrefaction.

Apocarpous—Applied to the pistil when the carpels are distinct or when the pistil consists of one carpel.

Appendages—Something hanging or appended, extra.

Aquatic—Relating to water.

Araucaria—The generic name of the monkey-puzzle tree.

Archegonium—The flask-shaped organ containing the female cell in the cryptogams.

Arid—Dry and waterless.

Arillus—An out-growth from the funicle (or seed-coat).

Aristolochia—A genus of climbing plants with curious “prison” flowers which attract and retain insects.

Arum—A genus of poisonous plants with an inflorescence consisting of spadix and spathe.

Asexual—Not sexual.

Asparagus—A genus of edible vegetables and climbing plants.

Assimilation—The conversion of crude food into protoplasm.

Aster—The generic name of the Michaelmas daisies.

Avena—The generic name of the oat.

Awn—The beard of barley and other corn.

Axillary—Growing in the axil of the leaf.

B

Bacteria—Minute one-celled living atoms, the cause of most contagious diseases.

Bamboo—A giant grass.

Banana—The fruit of the genus Musa.

Bark—The rough external part of a stem.

Barm—Same as yeast.

Bast—The fibrous tissue between the bark and the wood of a dicotyledonous stem.

Begonia—A genus of plants with bright flowers and oblique or one-sided leaves.

Betula—Generic name of the birch-tree.

Biennial—A plant whose duration of life is two seasons: Ex. Beetroot.

Bifacial—With upper and lower sides structurally different: Ex. laurel leaf.

Bignonia—A genus of flowering climbing plants.

Blade—The broad part of the leaf.

Bougainvillia—A genus of climbing tropical plants with bright pink bracts and small yellowish flowers.

Bulb—A dormant bud surrounded with fleshy scales.

Bulbils—Small bulbs.

Bunium—A genus of tuberous Umbelliferæ, earthnut.

Buoyant—Light, able to float in air or water.

Button-wood—A term applied in America to the plane tree.

C

Cacti—A family of succulent plants usually devoid of leaves.

Caducous—Quickly dropping off.

Calceolaria—A genus of herbaceous garden plants with pouched flowers.

Calcium—An element present in all calcareous rocks.

Calyptra—The hood of a moss-fruit.

Calyx—The outer whorl of the flower or floral envelope, cup-shaped.

Cambium-layer—A layer of active growing tissue.

Campanula—A genus of Alpine and herbaceous plants with bell-shaped flowers.

Camphor—A drug obtained by dry distillation of the leaves and stems of Camphora officinarum.

Capillary—Fine and minute, hair-like.

Carbon-dioxide—Symbol CO₂. A gas existing in small quantities in the air, otherwise called carbonic-acid gas.

Carbon-monoxide—A poisonous gas whose molecule is composed of one atom of carbon and one atom of oxygen.

Carex—A genus of sedge-like plants.

Carpel—A pistillate leaf, one of the component parts of the pistil.

Caterpillar—The form of an insect after it is hatched, first stage.

Catkin—A spike of staminate or pistillate flowers usually pendulous.

Checkered—Outlined into a square-like pattern.

Chevaux de frise—An obstacle consisting of iron spikes set in a framework of iron.

Chlorophyll—The green colouring matter of leaves and stems.

Cholera—A contagious disease.

Chrysalis—pl. Chrysalides. The form assumed by some insects before they reach the winged state.

Chrysanthemum—A genus of showy flowering plants belonging to the Compositæ.

Cinchona—A genus of trees yielding quinine.

Circumnutation—The rotating motion made by the growing point of the stem and leaf.

Cissus—A genus of vine-like plants often with brilliant coloured leaves.

Climatic—Influenced by a climate.

Coalesce—To fuse, cohering of parts not usually joined.

Cocos-de-mer—The large double cocoa-nut tree of the Seychelles Isles.

Collomia—A genus of plants whose seeds are remarkable for the spiral fibres which expand elastically when wetted.

Compositæ—A group of plants having an inflorescence of florets arranged upon a common receptacle or head.

Concentric—A number of rings having a common centre.

Cone—The hard woody fruits of the fir-tree.

Coniferous—Fir-like, or cone-like; belonging to the cone-bearing family.

Continuity—Unbroken succession.

Corolla—The second whorl of the floral envelope usually brightly coloured.

Corpuscles—Grains or granular.

Correlation—i.e., connection, interdependence.

Cortex—The bark or outer covering of stems.

Cotyledon—A seed leaf.

Cruciferæ—A group of plants having their petals arranged crosswise, with six stamens two of which are longer than the others.

Cryptogamic—Relating to flowerless plants.

Culm—The straw-like stems of the grasses.

Cuscuta—The dodder genus, parasitic upon flax and clovers, &c.

Cuticle—The exterior and thickened part of the epidermis.

Cyclamen—Dwarf primulaceous plants with shortened stems (corms).

D

Dahlia—A genus of tuberous-rooted plants.

Darlingtonia—A genus of Californian plants related to the side-saddle plants.

Datura—The generic name of the thorn-apple.

Débris—Remains, rubbish.

Deciduous—Applied to plants, the leaves of which fall off in autumn.

Dehiscent—Splitting open when ripe.

Deodar—A tree allied to the cedar of Lebanon.

Dentaria—A cruciferous plant bearing bulbils in the axils of the leaves.

Diagrammatic—Drawn to illustrate a statement.

Dicotyledon—A plant whose embryo has two primary seed-leaves.

Diffusion—The intermingling of fluids (gases or liquids).

Diœcious—When the pistillate flowers and staminate flowers are borne upon separate plants of the same species.

Dispersion—Scattering.

Drosera—The generic name of the sundews.

E

Elastic—Springy.

Embryo—The future plant contained in the substance of the seed.

Embryo-sac—The cavity in the substance of the nucellus, containing the egg-cell, which after fertilisation becomes the embryo.

Endocarp—The inside layer of the pericarp.

Entomophilous—Pollinated by insects.

Epicarp—The outside layer of the pericarp.

Epidermis—A layer of generally flattened cells forming the skin of the plant.

Epigean—Developed like the cotyledons of mustard, above ground.

Epipetalous—Growing upon the petals.

Erysipelas—A disease of the blood causing a red eruption.

Eucalyptus—The generic name of the Australian blue gum tree.

Euonomin—A dry extract made from the root-bark of Euonymus altro-purpureus, a North American shrub.

Euonymus—A genus of shrubs and hedgerow trees.

Euphorbia—The spurge genus.

Exogen—Growing by addition to outside of wood and inside of bark, synonymous with dicotyledon.

F

Fermentation—Changes that take place in wort when barm or yeast is added, or when fluids are exposed to the air. See Yeast.

Fertilised—Completion of the act of fertilisation, i.e., fusion of the male element contained in the pollen tube with the egg cell of the ovule.

Fibrous—Meaning a structure of fine loose filaments or hairs, i.e., young rootlets.

Fibro-vascular—A compound tissue of fibres and vessels.

Filament—A thread-like fibre.

Flaccid—Want of firmness, soft and lax.

Fructification—The fruit system of a plant.

Fuchsia—A genus of exotic flowering plants having a petaloid calyx.

Function—As applied to plant-life, meaning the use and lifework of the members of a plant.

Fungoid—Growth like a fungus.

G

Gamopetalous—Petals united.

Gamosepalous—Sepals united.

Genesis—Creation, production.

Germinate—The change of the seed from the dormant state to the active growing stage.

Gloxinia—A genus of popular hothouse plants with large handsome flowers.

H

Habitat—The natural abode of a plant.

Herbaceous—Applied to plants which do not form a hard woody stem.

Herbarium—A collection of dried plants.

Hexagonal—A six-sided and angled figure.

Hibernating—Sleeping, a dormant condition.

Hilum—The black scar on a bean seed.

Hippuris—A genus of aquatic flowering plants.

Horizontal—Parallel to the horizon level.

Hoya—A genus of tropical climbing plants.

Hyacinths—Bulbous plants.

Hydrangea—A genus of flowering shrubs.

Hygienic—Relating to the preservation of health.

Hygrometric—Moisture and its influence.

Hygroscopic—Applied to the film of water surrounding the particles of the soil.

Hypericum—The generic name of the St. John’s wort.

Hyphæ—Filaments or threads of the fungus spawn.

Hypogean—Development of the cotyledons under ground.

I

Impatiens—The generic name of the balsam.

Impervious—Not to be penetrated by water.

Insectivorous—Catching and killing insects, plants that have this power and can absorb the decomposed insects.

Insoluble—Substances that do not dissolve in water.

Intercellular—Spaces between the cells.

Internode—The space between two nodes.

Involucre—A whorl of bracts.

Iodine—A soluble substance extracted from kelp and used as a test for starch.

L

Laburnum—Yellow-flowered trees allied to the Pea family (Leguminosæ).

Legume—The dehiscent fruit of the pea family, a pod.

Leguminosæ—A family of plants having for their fruit a legume or pod, i.e., Pea, Laburnum.

Lenticels—Minute pores in the bark.

Liane—A hanging root or stem.

Liber—The inner bark, same as phloëm.

Linnæa—A genus of dwarf trailing plants.

Luscious—Sweet and succulent.

M

Magnesium—The metallic base of magnesia.

Magnolia—A genus of flowering shrubs and trees.

Mahonia—A genus of evergreen shrubs belonging to the barberry family.

Martynia—A genus of plants having capsules with long curved hooks.

Melampyrum—A genus of dwarf flowering plants partly parasitic.

Membranous—Thin and destitute of green colour usually applied to bracts.

Mesocarp—The central layer of the pericarp.

Mesophyll—The ground tissue of the leaf.

Metabolism—Changes which take place in protoplasm and which it causes in other substances.

Microbes—A term applied to one-celled plant atoms, like bacteria.

Micropyle—A small pore in the coats of the ovule through which the pollen tube passes.

Modicum—Moderate sized; a small quantity.

Monocotyledon—A plant whose seed is furnished with one seed leaf.

Monœcious—Applied to a plant when the stamens and pistil are in distinct flowers.

Monstera—A genus of climbing aroids with edible fruit.

Mucilaginous—Sticky, gumlike, secreting mucilage.

Mucuna—A genus of Brazilian Leguminosæ, yielding the cowage (consisting of intensely irritating hairs), of the Materia Medica.

Mutualism—Interchange of some advantage, botanically applied to the union of two dissimilar plants which live in close contact with each other to their mutual benefit.

Mycelium—The root-like colourless filaments of fungi.

Mycetozoa—A term applied to the slime-fungi.

N

Nectary—A honey secreting gland or spur.

Nemophila—A genus of dwarf annual flowering plants.

Nepenthes—A genus of plants having as a prolongation of the midrib of the leaves, ascidia or pitchers.

Nocturnal—Happening by night.

Node—The exact point on the stem from which the leaf is developed.

Normal—Regular, unaffected by any modification.

Noxious—Hurtful or poisonous.

Nucellus—The internal tissue of the ovule within which the embryo-sac is embedded.

Nutrition—The process and function of taking in food for the purpose of growth and to replace waste.

O

Orchis—A genus of the orchid family growing in the soil.

Osmosis—The passage of fluids through a membrane.

Ovary—The ovule case, that part of the carpel that bears ovules.

Ovule—The structure which after fertilisation forms the seed.

Ovum—The egg cell of the ovule.

Oxalis—The generic name of the wood sorrel.

Oxygen—A gas, one of the constituents of the atmosphere.

P

Palisade-tissue—A tissue of oblong cells placed side by side at right angles to the flat surface of the leaf.

Papilionaceous—Butterfly shaped.

Pappus—A light hairy development from the calyx of some plants.

Parasitic—The habit of growing upon and deriving nourishment from another plant.

Pellucid—Shining and transparent.

Perennial—Plants that live for an indefinite period.

Perianth—A term used when there is no distinction between calyx and corolla.

Pericarp—The ripened walls of the ovary constituting the structure of the fruit.

Persistent—Applied to the parts of the flower that remain on for some time.

Petunia—A genus of Brazilian Solanaceæ.

Philodendron—A genus of aroids usually climbers.

Phleum—A grass.

Phloëm—The inner bark, containing sieve-tubes.

Phosphate—A salt formed by the union of phosphoric acid with some base.

Phyllotaxis—The law of leaf arrangement.

Physalis—The generic name of the winter cherry.

Physiological—Having reference to the function or life work of the plant.

Picea—A genus of the Conifer family.

Pinetum—A garden devoted to the culture of pine-trees.

Pinguicula—The generic name of the butterworts.

Pinus—A genus of the Conifer family.

Pistil—The female part of the flower consisting of ovary, style, and stigma.

Pistillate—Applied to flowers having the pistil only.

Pith—The soft tissue in the centre of the stem.

Plumbago—The generic name of the leadworts, small flowering plants and shrubs.

Plumule—The first stem shoot of the germinating seed.

Poa—A grass.

Poinsettia—A genus of Mexican plants having bright scarlet bracts and small flowers.

Pollard—A tree trunk with its branches cut short.

Pollen—The fertilising or male part of the flower.

Pollination—The act of conveying the pollen from the stamen to the stigma.

Polypetalous—Separate or many petals.

Polysepalous—Separate or many sepals.

Polytrichum—The generic name of the hair moss.

Potassium—The metallic base of potash.

Proboscis—The feeling and feeding organ of an insect.

Prothallus—The first growth when the spore of a fern germinates.

Protococcus—A genus of unicellular plants forming a green stain upon trees, &c.

Protonema—The first growth of the moss-spore.

Protoplasm—A highly complex substance forming the essential part of all living cells, and to which all life growth is due.

Prototypes—First forms of plant-life.

Psamma—A genus of the grass family.

Pseudo-bulb—A swollen stem common in the epiphytic orchids.

Pteris—The generic name of the bracken fern.

Q

Quiescent—Inactive, dormant.

Quinine—An alkaloid extracted from the cinchona trees.

R

Radicle—The first formed root when a seed germinates.

Rafflesia—A genus of brown leafless parasites.

Receptacle—That part of the stalk on which the flower is developed.

Resin—A secretion from certain trees which hardens on exposure.

Respiration—The process of breathing.

Rhinanthus—The generic name of the yellow-rattle (a root parasite).

Rhododendron—A genus of popular flowering shrubs and dwarf trees.

Root-cap—A loose covering of tissue that protects the extreme point of the growing root.

Root-hairs—The delicate unicellular hairs found on the young root.

S

Salicine—A substance obtained from the bark of willows, soluble in water and alcohol, and crystallising in bright white needles.

Salvia—A genus of labiate plants.

Samara—Winged fruit.

Saprophyte—Plants that live upon decaying organic matter.

Sarracenia—The generic name of the North American side-saddle plants.

Saxifraga—A genus of dwarf Alpine plants.

Scales—Rudimentary leaves.

Secretion—Applied to substances like resin and honey, the production of assimilation and metabolism.

Sedum—A genus of succulent Alpine plants.

Soluble—Any substance that dissolves in water.

Spadix—The inflorescence of the Aroideæ.

Spathe—The bract of the Aroideæ.

Sporangium—The spore-case of some of the cryptogamia.

Spurious—False.

Stapelia—A genus of succulent plants, very poisonous and fœtid.

Starch—Colourless grains, a product of assimilation in the leaf.

Stigma—The receptive part of the pistil.

Stipa—A genus of the grass family.

Stipules—Small outgrowths at the base of the petiole.

Stomata—Minute pores in the epidermis of the leaf or green stem.

Sulphate—A salt formed by the combination of sulphuric acid with some base.

Sycamore—The plane tree of Scotland, Acer pseudoplatanus.

Symbiosis—Mutualism, a living for one another, interchange of benefits by united growth.

Syncarpous—United carpels.

T

Tannin—A substance widely diffused through the leaves and stems of plants, of an astringent character.

Tap-root—A root that forms an unbranched tapering axis: Ex., carrot.

Tendril—A coiled or hooked filament modified to assist plants to climb.

Tentacles—The glandular and feeler-like hairs of the sundew.

Terminal—At the apex or end.

Testa—The skin of seed.

Tigellum—The first stalk of the seed bearing the cotyledons.

Tillandsia—A New World genus of perching or epiphytic plants.

Tissue—A group of cells; having a common origin.

Tormentilla—A genus of small creeping rosaceous plants.

Transpiration—The giving off of water vapour from the surface of leaves and stems.

Tricyrtis—The generic name of the toad-lily.

Tuber—A fleshy root or succulent underground stem.

U

Umbelliferæ—A group of plants having an umbellate arrangement of the inflorescence or flower-head.

V

Vallisneria—A genus of aquatic flowering plants.

Valved—Having valves, e.g., anther of the barberry.

Vapour—Gas into which most liquids and solids are converted by heat.

Vasculum—A little vessel or box for collecting botanical and other specimens.

Venation—The arrangement of veins in a leaf.

W

Weigelia—A genus of flowering shrubs allied to Honeysuckle.

Whorl—An arrangement of leaves or parts of the flower in rings.

Wort—Sweet unfermented new beer.

Y

Yeast—A unicellular plant that sets up fermentation under certain conditions.