A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

membranaceous (Eng.noun), membranous, skin-like; thin, pliable and often somewhat transparent, as in leaves; “thin and semi-transparent, like a fine membrane; as the leaves of Mosses” (Lindley); “thin rather soft, and more or less translucent and pliable” (Fernald 1950);(in fungi) “like a thin skin or parchment” (Ainsworth & Bosby): membranaceus,-a,-um (adj.A) [> L. membranaceus,-a,-um (adj.A) of skin or membrane, skinny, membranaceous; like a skin or membrane (Lewis & Short); see papery; cf. chartaceous, made of paper, paperlike; cf. herbaceus,-a,-um (adj.A), merely green, or thin, green, and cellular, as the tissue of membranous leaves; cf. scariosus,-a,-um (adj.A), scarius,-a,-um (adj.A): scarious, i.e. of thin, dry, membranous texture (and not green), papery, as in a bract;

“Professor Ludwig defines leaves to be fibrous and cellular processes of the plant, which are of various figures, but generally extended into a plain membranaceous, or skinny substance” (Barton) [skinny = “of the nature of or like skin; membranous” WIII).

- semina majuscula, 3-alata v. aptera, chalaza alisque suberosis v. membranaceis (B&H), seeds rather big, 3-alate or without wings, chalaza and wings corky or membranaceous.

- peridium atque stratum membranaceum, peridium and also membranaceous layer.

- volva fibrillose vel membranacea, with the volva hairy (fibrillose) or membranous.

- testa membranacea saepeque pericarpio adhaerente, rarius crassiore (B&H), test membranaceous and often with the pericarp adhering, more rarely thicker.

- semina majuscula, 3-alata v. aptera, chalaza alisque suberosis v. membranaceis (B&H), seeds rather big, 3-alate or without wings, chalaza and wings corky or membranaceous.

- fila membranacea, tenuissima, pellucido-articulata, aequalia, ramosa (Agardh), fila membranous, very thin, pellucid-jointed, all equal, branched.

- testa crassiuscula v. membranacea, apice angustata (B&H), the test somewhat thick or membranous, narrowed at the apex.

- coronae squamae membranaceae planae, simplices, tubo stamineo rarius corollae affixae (B&H), the scales of the corona membranous, flat, undivided, to the stamineal tube, more rarely to the corolla attached.

- in quadam specie pappus in circuitu seminum, membranaceus ;tandem nullus (Necker), in a certain kind, the pappus on the circumference of the seeds, is membranous; in the end, none.

- squamae, coarctata, in ambitu florum minime membranácea (Necker), the scales pressed close together, on the periphery of the flowers the least membranous.

- semina feminarum, fertilia, margine membranácea (Necker), the seeds of the female [i.e. florets], fertile, with a membranous margin.

hymenodes,-is (adj.B): “having a membranous texture” (Lindley; Jackson).

Erodium hymenodes.

Mycelium membranaceum (adj.A), abl. sg. mycelio membranaceo: “the layer formed by the interweaving of the hyphae” (Jackson).

pellucido-membranaceus,-a,-um (adj.A): transparent-membranaceous, with a transparent membrane;

- sepalis marginem exteriorem versus late pellucido - membranaceis (Boissier), with the sepals toward the exterior margin broadly transparent-membranous.

- semireticulatus,-a,-um (adj.A): “when one of several layers is netted, the others membranous” (Jackson).

scariosus,-a,-um (adj.A), scarius,-a,-um (adj.A): scarious; (bryology) “dry, thin and scale-like or membranous” (Magill 1990).