A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

gelatinous (Eng.adj.), jelly-like in texture; “having the consistence or appearance of jelly” (Jackson); (fungi) “jellylike; applied to tissues the hyphae of which become partially dissolved and glutinous in wet weather and when mounted in water under the microscope appear more transparent and wider, looser form one another than in normal tissue” (S&D): gelineus,-a,-um (adj.A), gelatinus,-a,-um (adj.A), gelatinosus,-a,-um (adj.A); see mucilaginous, ‘slimy or mucilage-like;’ cf. mucilaginous,-a,-um (adj.A), mucosus,-s,-um (adj.A);

tremelloideus,-a,-um (adj.A), tremellosus, -a,-um (adj.A) refer to the jelly fungi or Tremellales, all of which have gelatinous flesh and fruiting bodies; see Tremella,-ae (s.f.I), hence tremelline, tremellose; see tremelloideus,-a,-um (adj.A).

NOTE: the positive use of ‘gelatinous’ as an edible jelly, as a (fruit-)jel, as something with a pudding-like texture, as something that is used as a thickener in cooking; as opposed to the slimy, mucose implications of the same word;

-[Canna indica; arrow-root] Incolae índiae occidentalis ex radice in aqua macerata & elota, amylum parant praestantissimum. Hoc, lacte coctum, alimentum optimum teneris infantibus praebet, Salepis instar gelatinosum (Swartz); The inhabitants of the West Indies prepare, from the root macerated in water and cleaned [i.e. removal of paper-like scales on tubers], a most excellent starch. This, cooked with milk, produces the best gelatinous [i.e. pudding-like] nourishment for infants of tender age [e.g. new-borns], after the fashion of Salep.

- vagina,-ae (s.f.I) gelatinosa, gelatinous sheath.

- corpus,-oris (s.n.III) gelatinosum, gelatinous body.

- pileus in statu madido sublubricus vel gelatinosus, pileus in moist state slightly lubricous or gelatinous.

- basidiomata quum recentia textura succulenta vel gelatinosus, basidiomes when fresh with a texture succulent or gelatinous.

- vaginae in mucum amorphum gelatinosum diffluentes, sheaths into amorphous gelatinous mucilage dissolving.

- spermoderma crassiusculum, extus ut videtur pellicula cinctum nunc adpressissima,nunc in alam membranaceam expansa, nunc per aquae imbibitionem reticulatim mucilaginosai gelatinosave facta (DeCandolle), the spore-skin somewhat thick, outside, it appears bound by a pellicle [i.e. a delicate outside membrane] , [which is ]sometimes completely appressed, sometimes into a membranaceous wing expanded, sometimes through the absorption of water reticulately made mucilaginous or gelatinous.

- frondes cylindraceae aut compressae gelatinoso-lubricae; filis periphericis moniliformibus invicem liberis aut muco laxiori cohaerentibus (Agardh), the fronds cylindraceous or compressed, gelatinous-slimy; with the peripheral filaments moniliform alternately with free or cohering by a looser [i.e. less dense] mucus.

- spermoderma crassiusculum, extus ut videtur pellicula cinctum nunc adpressissima,nunc in alam membranaceam expansa, nunc per aquae imbibitionem reticulatim mucilaginosai gelatinosave facta (DeCandolle), the spore-skin somewhat thick, outside, it appears bound by a pellicle [i.e. a delicate outside membrane], [which is ]sometimes completely appressed, sometimes into a membranaceous wing expanded, sometimes through the absorption of water reticulately made mucilaginous or gelatinous.

Gelatinous felt, gelatinous tissue: “tissue which is slimy from the cell membrane being soft and mucilaginous” (Jackson): substantia,-ae (s.f.I), gelinea; substantia gelatina; substantia gelatinosa.