A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Albumen,-inis (s.n.III), acc. sg. albumen, abl. sing. albumine, nom.& acc. pl. albumina, gen. pl. albuminum, dat. & abl. pl. albuminibus: albumin, the white of an egg or eye; “the matter that is interposed between the skin of a seed and the embryo, or the vitellus if there is one. Matter deposited in the cells of the nucleus during the growth of the seed” (Lindley); “the nutritive material stored within the seed, and in many cases surrounding the embryo. (Note. Not to be confounded with animal Albumen.) Restricted by Van Tieghem to the result of the development of the Trophime, the central nucleus of the embryo-sac.” (Jackson); “any deposit of nutritive material accompanying the embryo” (Fernald 1950); considered to be an archaic form of endosperm (WIII); see ‘album;’ see endospermium,-ii (s.n.II), dat. & abl. sg. endospermio.

"This store of starchy or oily food-material accompanying the embryo, by which it is absorbed during germination, instead of during seed-formation as in exalbuminous seeds (semina exalbuminata) which lack such a separate store at maturity, may be abundant (albumen copiosum), or scanty (parcum) its substance mealy (farinaceum), oily (oleosum), fleshy, i.e. firm but easily cut (carnosum), mucilaginous (mucilaginosum) or even fluid (liquidum), cartilaginous (cartilagineum), horny (corneum), bony (osseum), hard (durum) or almost woody (subligneum), stony (scleroideum), solid (solidum), and uniform (aequabile), or hollow (cavum), with a central or ventral cavity (cavitate centrali vel ventrali exsculptum), or ruminate (ruminatum) by intrusions of the seed-coat (plicis irregularibus testae); see endopleura,-ae (s.f.I); see endosperm;

- albumen satis copiosum amylaceum (F. Muell.), the albumen quite copious, starchy.

- albumen copiosum carnosum nec farinaceum, albumen abundant fleshy not floury (Stearn).

- embryo intra albumen parcissimum mucilaginosum homotrope arcuatus, embryo within the very scanty mucilaginous albumen in the same direction as the seed curved (Stearn).

- albumen saepius farinosum embryone peripherico v. excentrico (B&H), the albumin more frequently farinose, with the embryo peripheral or off-center.

- embryo ratione albuminis longior in Menispermaceis pluribus et in generibus paucis aliorum Ordinum. (B&H),the embryo is in proportion to the albumin longer in many Menispermaceae and in a few genera of other Orders.

- embryo in albumine copioso insigniter ruminato parvus v. minutus (B&H), the embryo in a copious, remarkably ruminate albumen, [the embryo] small or minute.

- Embryo in basi albuminis cornei v. rarins carnosi minimus. (B&H), the embryo at the horney or more rarely fleshy base of the albumin, very small.

- embryo albuminis dimidium superans, (B&H), the embryo rising above half of the albumen.

- ab Anonaceis albumine non ruminato, from the Anonaceae by the albumin not ruminate (chewed-looking, ‘from plications of the seed-coat’).

- embryo in axi albuminis cylindricus, (B&H), the embryo in the axis of the albumin cylindric.

cinctus,-a,-um (part.A): encircled, girdled, enclosed, “used of albumen when surrounded by an annular embryo” (Jackson).

Medula,-ae (s.f.I) seminis (gen.sg. semen), “(obsol.) the albumen of seeds” (Lindley).

ruminatus,-a,-um (adj.A): ruminate, i.e. very uneven and looking as if chewed; “pierced by irregular passages, filled with coloring matter or minute dead cell-membranes, as the albumen of Nutmeg” [Myristica sp.] (Lindberg).

Perisperm, q.v., “the same as Albumen” (Lindley); “the ordinary albumen of a seed, restricted to that which is formed outside the embryo sac” (Jackson): perispermium,-ii (s.n.II), abl.sg. perispermio.

Vitellus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. vitello: “an old name for peculiar albumen which in some cases is deposited within the embryo-sac” (Jackson).

NOTE: the English spelling is [usually] ‘albumin “(from L. albumen) + -in; originally formed as F[rench] albumine” (WIII).

NOTE: albumen “1 the white of an egg, 2, egg albumin 2. archaic: endosperm 3 albumin” (WIII).

NOTE: Secundinae (pl.f.I) internae (adj.A), “an old term for Albumen of a seed” (Jackson); see secundina,-ae (s.f.I).

aliquot (adv.): (number indefinite, indeclinable) some, several, a few; in some quantity, somewhat; cf. paucus;

NOTE: the word (properly) comes before the modified word: aliquot diebus ante, several days before.

- numerus staminum semper mihi quinarius; Jacquino inconstans; in speciminibus vero ex nova Caledonia, flores aliquot decandros observavi. (Swartz), the number of the stamens with me is always in fives: inconsistent with Jacquinus; in specimens really from New Caledonia, I have observed some flowers decandrous [i.e. ten-stamened].

- [fungi] semel gregaria lecta aliquot exempla (variarum aetatum) e stercore vaccino pronata, in via graminosa umbrosa sylvatica (S&A), some colonial samples collected (of various life stages) once, prostrate from cow-dung, in a grassy, shaded sylvan path.

- parietibus aliquot cellularum tenuibus, with the walls of some [i.e. a few] cells thin [note the ‘aliquot’ modifies ‘cellularum’ not ‘parietibus.’

- aliquot folia, some or several leaves.

- Aliquot Diagnoses Muscorum novorum, several diagnoses of new mosses (J-E. Duby).

- seminibus aliquot ad sectionem Acutifoliae (R. S. Cowan) Torke & Mansano referenda, sed indumento adpresso, with the seeds somewhat to the section Acutifolia (R. S. Cowan) Torke & Mansano referred, but with indument appressed.

- cellulis laevibus aliquis vermicularibus aliquot basi rectangularibus with the cells smooth, some vermicular a few at the base rectangular.

- sporangia et non caduca et non papillata, sed aetate vel ante remissionem zoosporarum aliquot semi-papillatae, the sporangia both not caducous and not papillate, but with age or before release of the zoospores some are semi-papillate.

- semina rotunda, aliquot horum abortiva, seeds round, a few of these abortive.

- vaginae aliquot radicales emarcidae, unde caules quasi articulati (Swartz), the a few sheaths bearing roots, withered [but persistent], whence the stems as if articulated [i.e. jointed].

- capsula subrotunda, calyce coronata, post aliquot dies 3-gona evadit, tandem 3-alata; matura 3-fariam dehiscit; loculamentis 2-alatis, déciduis, 1-spermís (Swartz), capsule nearly round, crowned by the calyx, after a few days it becomes trigonous, finally 3-winged; the mature capsule dehisces in three places: with the locules 2-winged, deciduous, 1-seeded.