A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Acus,-eris (s.n.III), abl. sg acere: “the husk of grain and of pulse (beans); chaff” (Lewis & Short); the bran, awn, chaff; = acus,-us (s.f.IV), q.v., in the plural; see chaff;

      singular  plural

Nom.   acus    acera
Gen.   aceris  acerum
Dat.   aceri   aceribus
Acc.   acus    acera
Abl.   acere   aceribus

[term] acus,-eris, purgamentum frumenti, palea. [in English] ‘The Chaff.’ Porro Acus Plinio dicitur cum per se spica pinsitur; palea vero ubi cum stipula teritur in area (Ray), [the term] ‘acus,-eris,’ chaff [i.e. the discarded debris of the grain after threshing] of the grain, is the palea. [In English] ‘The Chaff.’ Long ago it was called by Pliny the ‘acus’ when the ear per se [i.e. itself] was threshed; but ‘chaff’ when, with the straw, it was treaded out on the threshing floor.

Acus,-us (s.f.IV), abl. sg. acu, nom. & acc. pl. acus, dat. & abl. pl. acubus: a needle or pin, as being pointed or sharpened; (in pl.) husks, chaff (= acus,-eris (s.n.III), q.v.; in dissections, a probe, a surgeon’s needle; in natural contexts, (pine-) needles, needle-like leaves; in Greek: rhaphis,-idos (s.f.III), a needle, pin; see needle;

- [fungi] Var. bb: ramulis tenuibus acubusque innata notis nonnullis discrepat (S&A), to thin twigs and [evergreen] needles adhering, [the variety] disagrees in some characters.

- in foliis, stipitibus, acubus etc. dejectis sylvarum hinc illinc (S&A), here and there on the fallen leaves, stalks, needles, etc. of forests.

- pilei in hac papillae subobsoletae: stipes gracilis, basi radiculis albis sericeis densis circumcirca in orbem radiatim expansis acubus Pinorum inhaerens (S&A), the papillae of the pileus, in this [species] is nearly undeveloped: the stipe is slender, with white, silky, dense radicles all around radially expanded into an orb [i.e. sphere], adhering to the needles of Pines.

- constanter nobis nonnisi in caudicibus, ramis acubusque languidis emortuisve Pini piceae dejectis (S&A), constantly by us only on the fallen stems, branches and needles, withered or dead, of Pinus picea.

- [Mycaena lactea var. pitya]: Crescit sylvis acerosis vel epigaea vel ramulis acubusve pineis innata passim frequens (S&A), it grows far and wide, frequent, springing up in evergreen [i.e. full of needle (leaves)] forests or on the ground or on branchlets or pine-needles.

- [fungi] gregarius in chrysalidibus emortuis putrescentibus, minime rarus nobis, parasitatur: parcior ad terram, inter acus pineas etc. (S&A), gregarious parasitic on rotten, dead chrysalides, the least rare with us; more moderate on the ground, among pine needles, etc.

- [fungi] legimus speciem raram in terra rasa acubus obtecta sub Abiete (S&A), we have collected the species scattered over polished [i.e. cleared] earth overspread with needles under Fir.

- [fungi] innascitur varietas haecce elegantula notabilis acubus Pinorum, inprimis Abietis, hinc illinc frequens (S&A), this particular elegant, remarkable variety grows here and there on the needles of Pines, especially fir [= Pinus abies L.].

NOTE: aquifolius,-a,-um (adj.A): not from aqua, but acus-folium: having pointed leaves; aquifolia ilex, Aquifolia,-ae or Aquifolium,-ii, the holly-tree, or the scarlet holm (Lewis & Short); aquifolius,-a,-um (adj.A): having prickly leaves; arbor aquifolia, the holly tree; made of holly-wood (Glare).