A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Fork (Eng.noun) [> L. furca,-ae (s.f.I) (WIII)]: a structure with the long axis terminated by two or more terminal lobes or branches; “an instrument or implement consisting of a handle with a shank terminating in two or more prongs” (WIII); with terminal lobes like prongs, tines, fingers, branches; a forked process: furca,-ae (s.f.I), acc. sg. furcam, abl. sg. furca, nom. pl. furcae, acc. pl. furcas, dat. & abl. pl. furcis; see antheridium, ray;furca,-ae (s.f.I), acc. sg. furcam, abl. sg. furca, nom. pl. furcae, acc. pl. furcas, dat. & abl. pl. furcis; see antheridium, ray;

NOTE: a fork may be more than a dichotomous structure, but have more than two terminal lobes, e.g. the table utensil (fork) for dining has a standard four tines.

- antheridia solitaria ad furcas secundas et tertias (rarius primas) ramulorum primariorum nonnunquam ad ramulos secundarios posita, antheridia solitary, at second and third (rarely first) forks of the primary branchlets sometimes on secondary branchlets placed (Stearn 1983).

- capitula ad furcas secundas ramulorum posita, capitula placed on the secondary forks of the branchlets.

- frondes lineares iteratim dichotomae angulo acuto (40*-60*), rarissime pinnatim divisae 2-3 pollicares, furcis mediis 8 mm. longis, fronds linear repeatedly dichotomous at an acute angle (40*-60*) very rarely pinnately divided 2-3 inches long, with middle forks 8 mm long (Stearn).

- furcis late linearibus longe coalitis, parum divergentibus (Steph.), with the forks broadly linear, fused a long way, somewhat diverging.

- furcis brevibus, latis, ubique aequicrassa (Steph.), with the forks short, broad, everywhere equally thick.

- frons usque ad 4 mm longa, obcuneata, apice quadriloba, i.e. bis dichotoma, furcis brevibus, latis, ubique aequicrassa, sextuplo latior quam alta, antice plana (Steph.), frond to 4 mm long, obcuneate, at the apex 4-lobed, that is, twice dichotomous, with the forks short, wide, everywhere equally thick, six times wider than tall, antically flat. [note that here, the ‘wide’ and the ‘tall’ = deep, refers to the thickness of the frond].

NOTE: furcosus,-a,-um (adj.A), with many forks.