A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Corculum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. corculo: the corcle, also corcule; plumule; “the embryo” (Lindley); 1. The embryo; 2. plumule, or plumule and radicle (Jackson) [> L. dim. cor, q.v., gen. sg. cordis (s.n.III), ‘heart;’ a little heart (as a term of endearment) (Lewis & Short)];

“Proper seed, Heart of the seed, Corculum, Cor seminis. The rudiment of the new plant” (S.Gray).

- “the embryo or corcule” (Barton).

-[semen] corculo nempe & lobo nunc uno, nunc duobus præditum (Dill.), the seed indeed provided with a plumule and sometimes with the lobe [i.e. cotyledon] one, sometimes two.

- [Cryptogamia] semina muscorum nuda sunt corcula absque cotyledonibus aut tunica, cum siccati reviviscant (Linn.), the seeds of “mosses” are naked, lacking a corcule (embryo), cotyledons or a tunic, when dried up they may revive.

- Ex his Mnium, Lycopodioides, sed praecipue Lichen perfectissìmam fructificationem habent: Mnii quidem capsulas pulverulentas nudas foeminini generis esse probabile est : Lycopodioides praeter capulas fariniferas foemineas per eadem spicas interspersas habet: Lichenis capitula farinifera a ceteris differunt, quod polycocca sint, scyphi autem seminiferi vere foeminini sunt, cum nudo etiam oculo seminum incrementa & plantas sui generis inde prognata appareant, sed in eo differunt a perfectiorum plantarum seminibus, quod persimplicem tantum dilatationem amplientur, corculo autem, unde radicis & germinis principium, careant & lobis seminalibus (Dill.);

From among these, Mnium, Lycopodioides, but especially Lichen, have a completely perfect fructification: in fact it is probable that the pulverulent [i.e. abounding in small particles], naked capsules of Mnium are of the female kind: in addition, Lycopodioides has fariniferous female capsules interspersed throughout the same spike: the fariniferous capitula of Lichen differ from the others, because they would be polycoccous [i.e. with many small spherical bodies], nevertheless the seminiferous scyphi [i.e. cups] are genuinely feminine [i.e. female], the increments [growth] of the seeds might be apparent even with the naked eye and for that reason they may appear to be plants produced of their own [unique] genus [kind or class], but in this they differ from the seeds of more perfect [i.e. completely developed] plants, because to a certain degree they [the scyphi-cups] may be increased a very simple [i.e. divisionless] enlargement, however, they would lack an embryo [corculum], the foundation of the root and ovary, and also the seminal lobes [i.e. cotyledons).

- ut earum propagatio simpliciori modo, vel per partículas ab iis secedentes, vel quiddam semini simile peragatur, tale vero, quale perfectìores plantas semen habent, corculo nempe & lobo nunc uno, nunc duobus praeditum, in Muscis & Filicibus non adesse,saltem hactenus non observatum afferò. (Dill.),

in what manner their propagation is accomplished in a simpler manner, either splitting off from them by means of particles, or by means of a kind of particle similar to a seed, in fact, just like they have such a seed in more perfect plants, provided with a corculum [i.e. embryo] and sometimes one, sometimes two lobes [i.e. cotyledons], I do not report it observed thus far; at least up to this time, in Mosses and Ferns.

Rostellum,-i (s.n.iI), abl.sg. rostello: [according to Linnaeus] “pars corculi simplex descendens” the simple descending part of the corculum [i.e.embryo]” (Barton); = radicle (radicula,-ae (s.f.I).