A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Thalamus,-i (s.m.II), abl.sg. thalamo: the receptacle or torus of the flower; “the receptacle of a flower, the part on which the carpels are placed” (Lindley; Jackson) [> Gk. or L. thalamus,-i (s.m.II), an inner room, chamber or apartment, a hidden or private place, such as a bedchamber or marriage bed [or nursery, or a place where breeding takes place]; see receptacle;

- petala plurima distincta, staminaque thalamo inserta nec calyci accreta (DeCandolle), petals very many, distinct [i.e. separate] , also the stamens inserted on the thalamus [i.e. the receptacle] not adherent to the calyx.

- placentae 3 parietales, sepalis 3 exterioribus supra thalamum symetrice dispositis oppositae (DeCandolle), the placentae 3, parietal, opposite the outer 3 sepals above the thalamus [i.e. receptacle, or torus] symmetrically arranged.

- Bellidastrum est plantae genus, а Веllide dumtaxat diversum seminibus pappis instructis & thalamo floris non pyramidato (Michel.), Bellisastrum is a sort of plant, only different from Bellis by the seeds provided with pappi and the thalamus [i.e. seed-bed or receptacle] of the flower not pyramidate.

The Algae have a frond variously formed, and their fruit is either lodged in a Thalamus, or placed under the covering membrane (Willdenow).

The base, (basis,-is or -eos (s.f.III)), is the part on which the whole flower stands, and the fruit too, when the flower has faded. There are two kinds of base; viz. the Receptacle, (receptaculum), and the Fruit-bed (thalamus).

The fruit-bed, (thalamus,-i (s.m.II)), is a body more or less extended, enclosing in its substance the fruit, which cannot be seen till the former is separated from it. But if this is divided by thin vertical sections, the seed- cases may, by the help of a microscope, be seen in it. These seed- cases open on the upper surface of the Fruit-bed, and the seed is thrown out of very narrow openings in a manner visible to the naked eye. The following kinds of thalamus have been distinguished, viz.

1. The target, (pelta,-ae (s.f.I), is a thin, round or oblong fruit-bed, which is chiefly found in the genus Peltidea [a lichen; “a flat shield without any elevated rim” A. Eaton]. It is found commonly at the rim of the frond in these plants, and is covered by a tender skin, which becomes loose.

2. The shield, (scutella,-ae (s.f.I)), is a plate-shaped fruitbed, sometimes flat, sometimes convex, or even concave, furnished with a margin variously formed, which is proper only to the Algae .

3. The tubercle, (tuberculum,-i (s.n.II), is a convex fruitbed, which has no raised margin, but which bends itself outwards; otherwise it is either round, or long, or irregularly formed. It is also to be seen in the Algae.

4. The Trica,-ae (s.f.I) s. [= seu, ‘or’] Gyroma,-atis (s.n.II); this has the appearance of a saucer, differing only in having concentric or irregularly raised lines running into one another on its surface. It is peculiar to the genus Umbilicaria.

5. The Lirella (s.f.I), is a linear shaped fruit-bed with a furrow in the middle. It is found in the genus Opegrapha.

6. The Cistella,-ae (s.f.I) is shaped like a ball; its outer skin separates, and within it is filled with a powdery substance. When this is dispersed it appears hollow. It is found in some Algae, as Sphaerophorus.

7- The Orbiculus,-i (s.m.II) is a round fruit-bed, flat on both sides, in the substance of some fungi, as Nidularia (Willdenow).

Goniothalamus; Sphaerothalamus, a genus with ‘torus globosus,’ a globose torus.