Flowers and Their Friends

How flowers and insects came to need each other, explained to children by a teacher who refused to talk down — “it would be very stupid indeed to try to read a book written in Arabic,” she begins, so look up every word you don't know.

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Glossar Y: Roman

Jupiter, n. In Roman mythology, the chief of the gods. The eagle is his favorite bird, and he is often represented with a sheaf of thunderbolts in his hand.

K.

Knead, v. To press or squeeze until thoroughly mixed. L.

Levant, n. The name given to a section of country east of Italy and bordering upon the Mediterranean Sea.

Lime, n. A substance found in the earth and forming the hard part of bones, and also found in the composition of plants.

Liriodendron, n. From two Greek words meaning "lily" and "tree"; a North American tree, also called the tulip tree. Its green and yellow flowers look a little like a tulip.

Lungs, n. Two spongy organs in the chest by means of which the air is used to purify the blood in breathing. to M.

Magnesium, n. A metal, very abundant in sea water and in the earth's crust. Also found in the composition of animals and some plants.

Mandrake, n. A plant with umbrella-like leaves and a yellow, juicy fruit as large as an egg.

Microscope, n. From two Greek words meaning "small" and an instrument which magnifies and renders visible bodies too small to be seen by the naked eye.

GLOSSARY.

Moth, n. An insect resembling a butterfly. Moths have no knobs on their antennæ, or "feelers," and butterflies have. Mullein, n. A tall, stout weed with thick, wooly leaves. N.

Naiads, n. In Greek and Roman mythology, water nymphs. Beautiful young goddesses presiding over springs and streams. Nasturtium, п. L. nasus, nose, tortus, convulsed; the name of a plant, so called because of its acrid juice that causes a stinging sensation at the back of the nose when it is tasted. Nectar, n. The drink of the gods on Mt. Olympus. The honey of flowers.

Nectaries, n. The receptacles in which the nectar of flowers is collected; also the gland which secretes the nectar. Neptune, n. In Roman mythology, the god of the sea.

Nettle, n. A weed armed with stinging hairs.

Nitrogen, n. A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas, forming about three-fourths of the air and necessary to the formation of all living bodies, whether plant or animal.

Nitrogenous substances, n. Substances in which nitrogen is one of the constituents.

Node, n. L. nodus, a knot; the part of a stem which bears a leaf or leaves. It is often a little larger than the rest of the stem. 0.

Octavus, n. L. octavus, eighth; given in this book as a name to a suppositional plant.

Oil, n. From a Greek word meaning "olive oil." An inflammable, greasy liquid extracted from certain vegetables, as olives, cotton seeds, nuts, etc.

Olive oil, n. The oil expressed from the fruit of the olive tree. Orient, n. L. oriens, rising, as the sun; the East, the part of the horizon where the sun rises; Eastern countries, particularly Turkey, Persia, Egypt, India, China, etc.

Ovary cells, n. The cells which build up the ovary.

GLOSSARY.

Ovule, n.

L. ovum, an egg; a little egg. Applied to the rudimentary seeds of plants, which, upon fertilization and growth, become true seeds.

Ovule cells, n. The cells of which the ovule is formed. Oxalis, n. From a Greek word meaning "acid"; a well-known plant, one form of which is called "wood sorrel." It is called oxalis because of its acid juice.

Oxygen, n. One of the gases that compose the air and which is essential to life. It is also found in composition in the tissues of plants and animals.

P.

Pelargonium, n. From a Greek word meaning "a stork"; a member of the Geranium Family, so called because of the beaked seed-pods.

Petal, n. From a Greek word meaning "a leaf"; one of the leaves of a corolla.

Phosphorus, n. From a Greek word meaning "Lucifer, the morning star"; a solid substance which is luminous in the dark. It is found in composition in the bodies of animals and plants. Pioneer, n. L. pes, a foot; in military terms, one of a company of foot soldiers who march before an army with implements to clear the way. Hence, whoever or whatever leads or prepares the way for others coming after.

Pistil, n. L. pistillum, a pestle; the seed-bearing organ of a flower, composed generally of three parts, ovary, style, and stigma, and called pistil because of its shape, which often resembles a pestle.

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