A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Ament, catkin; “a catkin. A deciduous spike of unisexual apelatous flowers” (Lindley); “a spike of flowers usually bracteate, and frequently deciduous” (Jackson); catkin, or dry scaly spike, usually unisexual, such as the inflorescence of willows [Salix], birches [Betula], [Alder (Alnus)] etc., and at least the staminate inflorescence in hickories [Carya] and some other genera” (Fernald 1950); “a unisexual spike or elongate axis with simple dichasia that falls as a unit after flowering or fruiting;” flowers sessile” (Radford et al., 1974): amentum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. amento, nom. & acc. pl. amenta, dat. & abl. pl. amentis; see catkin; see spike;

- amenta villosa erecta densa ante foliorum evolutionem prodeuntia, catkins villous erect dense before unfolding of leaves produced (Stearn).

- amenta gemmulifera, female catkins.

- praeter ligna alias etiam quisquilias varias epigaeas occupat: ita v. c. praegrandem in amentis populinis dejectis putrefactis vidimus etc. (S&A), in addition to woods, it occupies also various refuse lying on the ground: thus very large [vidi cultam, I have seen it grown] on the rotted, fallen catkins of Poplar.

- [Hippomane] Mense fere exacto, primo amento delapso, cicatricem relinquente, amenta minora baseos elongantur, florentque (Swartz), almost at the close of the month, when the ament first has fallen away, leaving a scar behind, the smaller aments of the bases are elongated, and they flower.

NOTE: nucamentum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. nucamento: “(obsol.) an amentum or catkin” (Lindley).

“The Amentum t, or Ament, called also Catkin, is a species of calyx, which consists of a great number of chaffy scales, that are dispersed along a slender thread, or receptacle” (Barton).

“Linnatus defines the ament to be a composition of a calyx, and a common receptacle. The squamae, or scales, Which form this species of calyx, are mixed alternately with the flowers, and resemble the chaff in an ear of corn” (Barton).