A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Lamina,-ae (s.f.I): blade, the flattened part of the thallus of the larger sea-weeds; the flattened part of a leaf, sepal or petal, as the expanded blade above the petiole (stipe) in a fern frond; the leaf blade as distinguished from the costa or midrib, middle nerve; “ “the blade of a leaf; that expanded part which terminates the petiole if there be one” (Lindley); a glass 'slide' or plate [> L. lamina,-ae, s.f.I, a plate or thin piece of material, such as metal, a plate of iron, the blade of a sword; lamella,-ae (s.f.I), q.v. is the diminutive of lamina]; cf. tabula,-ae (s.f.I), septum,i (s.n.II); also, in mosses, the ala,-ae (s.f.I), q.v., or 'wing;' see limb; see gill;

NOTE: “lamellae, laminae, lamellulae: “the gills of Fungals; vertical, membranous, radiating, or branching plates belonging to a pileus” (Lindley).

[algae] The lamina or blade in macroscopic algae, e.g. seaweeds, is a generally flattened structure that typically forms the principal bulk of the thallus. It is often developed into specialised organs such as flotation bladders and reproductive organs. The lamina is typically an expansion of the stipe which in term is attached to the substrate by the holdfast (Wikipedia, “lamina (algae);”

- lamina vitrea (adj.A), glass slide;

- in the leaf of Fissidens (moss): a) lamina apicalis (adj.B), apical lamina extending from the sheathing lamina to the apex (adaxial side); b) lamina dorsalis (adj.B), dorsal lamina (on the abaxial side extending the entire leaf length); c) lamina vaginans (part.B), gen. sing. laminae vaginantis, sheathing or vaginant lamina (on the adaxial side); see apical lamina.

- lamina a basi apicem versus gradatim attenuata, with the blade from the base to the apex gradually attenuated.

- differt ab omnibus speciebus austrobrasiliensibus contextu laminae abaxialiter hirsuto; it differs from all South Brasilian species by the tissue of the lamina abaxially hirsute.

- LEPIDOGYNE [Orchideae] Sépala libera, conniventia. Labellum basi columnae adnatum, lobis lateralibus eam amplectentibus, lamina angusta, recurva. Columna antice lamina erecta instructa(B&H), the sepals free, connivent. The labellum at the base fused to the columns, with the lateral lobes encircling it, the lamina narrow, recurved. The column antically provided with an erect blade.

- pétala parva, unguibus columnae adnatis, laminis transverse oblongis. Labellum saepe basi columnae adnatum, lamina divaricato-2-loba(B&H), petals small, with the claws fused to the column, with the laminae transversely oblong. The labellum often at the base fused to the column, the lamina divaricately 2-lobed.

- [Asclepiadeae] interioris squamae 5 basi tubo stamineo adnatee, lamina libera lata membranacea v. subcornea,plana v. intus concava v. saccata, v. extus concavo-peltata v. extrorsum cucullata (B&H), the scales of the interior 5, at the base adnate to the stamineal tube, with the free lamina broad, membranaceous or somewhat horn-like, flat or concave inside or saccate, or outside concave-peltate or toward the outside cucullate.

- anthera antico lamina suborbiculari glandulosa instructa (B&H), the anthers antically provided with a suborbicular, glandulose blade [i.e. flattened part].

- labelli lamina 3-partita (B&H), the blade of the labellum three-parted.

Lamina proligera (adj.A), also the lamina sporigera (adj.A): “a term among Lichens. ‘a distinct body containing the sporules, separating from the apothecia, often very convex and variable in form, and mostly dissolving into a gelatinous mass’ (Grev). The waxy plate or disk occupying the center of the apothecium” (Lindley); 'offspring- or spore-bearing plate', same as 'discus,' the hymenium of a discocarp, in the older terminology (S&D).

Thalamnium,-ii (s.n.II), abl.sg. thalamnio: “the disk or Lamina prolifera in Lichens” (Jackson).

NOTE: “lamellae, laminae, lamellulae: “the gills of Fungals; vertical, membranous, radiating, or branching plates belonging to a pileus” (Lindley).

NOTE: in mosses, the lamina of a leaf is also called the limb: limbus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. limbo, q.v.

NOTE: in mosses, in the older literature, ‘wing,’ ala,-ae (s.f.I) was used of the laminae of mosses;

- (moss) altera ala magis minusve inflexa,(DozyMoeken), one lamina more or less inflexed.

NOTE: in illustrations, used as ‘plate,’ such as engraved plates, = tabula,-ae (s.f.I), q.v., abl. sg. tabula, ‘plate;’

- tandem figuras etiam , aeneis insculptas laminis, adjunxi, in loco Vegetabilium natali delinéatas. Sunt illae talium, qua antehac aut omnino non, aut minus accurate aere expressa fuerunt (Swartz), finally, I have added the figures also, engraved on copper plates, drawn in the native place of the plants. These are of such a kind, that before the present time were either not at all, or were less accurately represented in copper.

NOTE: the complex leaf laminae of species in the moss genus Fissidens is explained as follows:

“Some authors, for example, Dixon and Nyholm, have used the term ‘sheathing laminae’ for the conduplicate portion that we call the ‘vaginant laminae.’ This conduplicate, sheathing part of the leaf actually consists of a single, separate lamina variously attached to the leaf proper. Robinson has used the term ‘lesser lamina’ for this feature (Smithsonian Contr. Sci. 27:1-88, 1976). We refer to the part of the leaf extending beyond the vaginant laminae as the ‘apical lamina;’ this is a loosely applied designation useful in description, referring to the whole upper portion of the leaf on both sides of the costa. It is sometimes convenient to speak of the lamina on the lower (abaxial) side of the costa as the ‘dorsal lamina;’ this lamina extends the entire length of the leaf. (Lindberg, Braithwaite, and others have used the term ‘superior lamina’ for the entire length of the leaf on the adaxial side and ‘inferior lamina’ for the corresponding portion on the abaxial side)” (C&A); see ‘vaginant lamina;’

- [Fissidentaceae] Folia amplexicaulia, dorso et apice in laminam ultra folii apicem producta, quare in folio tres partes distinguuntur:

1. folii lamina vera horizontalis;

2. lamina dorsalis, e nervi dorso nata verticalis;

3. lamina apicalis, lamina praecedens ultra folii laminam veram horizontalem in utroque nervi latere anceps producta (C. Mueller), leaves amplexicaul [i.e. clasping the stem], on the back and apex prolonged into a lamina beyond the apex of the leaf, (for which reason three parts are distinguished in the leaf):

1. the true lamina of the leaf is horizontal.

2. the dorsal lamina is vertical, borne from the back of the nerve [i.e. costa];

3. the apical lamina, the preceding lamina ancipitous[i.e. two edged or sided] prolonged beyond the true, horizontal lamina of the leaf, on each of the two sides of the costa.

Habitus proprius lamina folii triplici speciosissimus distinctissimus (C. Mueller), the habit is most splendid, most distinctive, made special by the threefold lamina of the leaf.