FLO
FloS Ajffi » n natural hiftory, a name given by Swenkfield and fome other writers to that fait which is found on the furface of the earth, in fome parts of Afia in form of an efflorefcence, and is called the Smyrna foap earth.
This fait is evidently the fame with the nitre of the antients. It will ferment with any acid, in the manner of our potafh or other fixed falts made by fire ; and with oil or any fatty fub- flance, boils into a foap. Euclius gives us a great many dif- ferent places for its production, from which he diftinguifhes it into feveral kinds : all thefe Jie in the eaftern parts of the world, but to thefe Wormius adds, that it is found in New Spain. It is always eafy to be known, however, in whatfoever place it is found, being a native alcali fait, perforated like a fpunge* and of a lixivial tafte. Pliny, Mathiolusj and Agricola agree in the defcribing it in this manner, and al! that is found na- tive of it confirms their being in the right. Its principles feem to be two, a marine fait, and an urinous fait. That it contains a marine fait feems manifeft from this, that it has the fame tafte in folution, or nearly fo, with marine fait ; that the par- ticles of it when coagulating in the evaporated water in which they were diflblved, firft rife to the top or furface, as thofe of common fait do, and that it is always of a fpungy texture, or full of holes, which is always the cafe with thofe things in •which the common fait makes a part. Its natural concretions being hollow pyramids. Its containing an urinous fait is plain from its producing with fait of tartar, the fame fort of fpirit that ial armoniac does, when mixed with that fixed fait.
Flos cecity the flower of the heavens, a name given by the al- chemifts to the noftoch, which often appearing after rain, was fuppofed to fall from heaven. See Flos terra and Nostoch.
Flos terra:, /lower of the earth, a name given by fome of the chemical authors to the noftoch, a remarkable plant which refembies this common green oifter weed, but that it is thick- er and more like a jelly. It fuddenly appears on gravel walks in gardens after rain ; and the alchemifts who knew not what to think of its origin, fuppofed it to contain an univerfal fpirit, capable of turning metals into gold. It is a very fingular plant, being no way fixed to the ground, nor having any roots, but imbibing its nutritious juices from the humidity of the air, as the fea plants do theirs from the fea water. See Nostoch.
Flos tinRorius, in botany, a name given by Fuchhus and ma- ny others, to the geniftella tincloria, or dyer's weed, called al- fo lutea herba» and lutum by the Latins, and alcomenium, cy- mene and thapfos by the Greeks;
Flos argenti. See Flores argent't.
F los martialis. See Flores martiales-.
FLOSCULOUS, in botany, a term ufed by Mr. Toornefort, and others, to exprefs fuch flowers of plants as are compofed each of a great number of other fmaller flowers placed clofe to one another, and enclofed in the fame common cup ; each of thefe fmaller flowers, confifts of one petal, which is flender and hollow and wider than the bottom, and ufually divided in- to many fegments, which fometimes are difpofed in the form of a ftar. Each of thefe flowers ftand upon an embryo, or young fruit, from which there grows a capdlament which reaches beyond the flowers. Thefe embryos are lodged in the bottom of the cup, which is called by authors the thalamus of the flower, and finally become feeds winged with down, or fometimes without that, and fometimes are armed with prick- les. Of this fort are the flowers of thiftles, kapweed, &c. See Tab. i. of Botany, Clafs i. Tourn. Inft. p. 438.
FLOUNDER, in icthyology, the Englifh name of the fifh called by the generality of authors paffer fluviatilis, and flefus. According to the new fyftem of Artedi, this is a fpecies of the pIeuronec"tes. See the articles Passer and Pleuronectes.
FLOUR. The grain itfelf is not only fubject to be eaten by infects in that ftate, but when ground into 'flour, it gives birth to another race of deftroyers, who eat it unmercifully, and in- creafe fo faft in it, that it is not long before they wholly de- ftroy the fubftance. The fineft flour is moft liable to breed thefe, efpecially when ftale or ill prepared ; in this cafe if it be examined in a good light it will be perceived to be in a con- tinual motion, and on a nicer infpection, there will be found in it a great number of little animals of the colour of the flour, and very nimble. If a little of this flour be laid on the plate of the double microfcope, the infects are very diftin£f.ly feen in great numbers, very brisk and lively, continually crawling over one another's backs, and playing a thoufand antic tricks together , whether for diverfion or fearch of food, is not to be eafily determined. Thefe animals are of an ob- long and flender form, their heads are furnifhed with a kind of trunk or oblong hollow tube, by means of which they take in their food, and their body is compofed of feveral rings. They do vaft mifchief among the magazines of flour laid up for ar- mies and other public ufes ; when they have once taken pof- feflion of a parcel of this valuable commodity, it is impotfible to drive them out ; and they increafe fo faft, that the only method of preventing the total lofs of the parcel, is to make it up into bread as foon as can be. The way to prevent their breeding in the flour is to preferve it from damp; nothing gets more injury by being put up damp than flour, and yet no- thing is fo often put up fo. It mould be always carefully and Suppl. Vot.I. j j
FLO
thoroughly dried before it is put up, and the barrels alio dried into which it is to be put; then if they are kept in a room to- lerably warm and dry, they will keep it well. Too dry a place never does flow any hurt, tho' one too moid always fpoilsit. SeeMEAi.
FLOWER (Cycl.) —Tlio' no part of plants are more known than their flowers, yet the diftindtibn given by different au • thorsof the word are extremely various) and are very necefli- ry to be explained, in order to the underftanding their works. Jungius defines it to be the moft tender part of a plant, re- markable for its colour or form, or for both; and cohering with the fruit. Yet this author himfelf; acknowledges his definition to be too confined, as he very well knew there were feveral plants, whofe fewer s were produced remote from the fruit. Mr. Ray fays the flowers coheres for the moft part with the rudiments of the fruit, but fuch phrafeology is by no means to be admitted into definitions. Tournefort defines it to be a part of a plant very often remarkable for its peculiar colours, for the moft part adhering to the young fruit, to which it feems to afford the firft nOurifhmer.t, in order tb explicate its moft tender parts j but this is a more indeterminate definition, than the former, from its loofe mode of exprcflion. Pontedera defines it to be a part of a plant unlike the reft in form and nature. If the flower has a tubej it adheres to, or is fixed very near to the embryo; to the ufe of which it is fubfer- vient ; but if thejlowcr has no tube, then its bafe does not adhere to the embryo. This is fcarce intelligible, except to the expert botanift, and may be made to take in fome parts of plants by no means to be underftOod by the iameflwerl. Juflieu defines it to be compofed of chives and a piftillum; and to be of ufe in the generation of the plant ; but this is too irii- perfeft, as there are very many plants in which the piftillum is found at a great diftance from the chives, and many /ewers which have no piftillum, and many others which have no chives.
Valliant however, has been happier in his definition ; he fays, thatflewers are the organs which conftitute the different fexes of plants, which are fometimes found naked and without any covering; and that the petals which moft of them have are no way effential to their ufe, but ferve and are intended merely as covers for them ; but yet as thefe coats or coverings are the moft confpicuous, and moft beautiful part of the flower, thefe are to be called flrwer's, be they of what ever form or ftruc- ture; or colour ; and whether they contain only the organs of both fexes in each individual, or only of one, or even but of fome part of one, provided that they are not of the fame fi- gure and colour with the leaves of the plant. The fhorteft and moft exprefs definition however, feems to be Martyn's ; which is, that flowers ate the organs of generation of both fexes, adhering to a common placenta, together with their common covering ; or of either fex feparately with its proper coverings, if it have any.
The parts of flower's are, 1. The ovary which is the rudiment of the Iruit, and is therefore properly the female organ of ge- neration. 2. The ftyle whith is a body accompanying the ovary, either arifing from the middle of it, or (landing as an axis in the middle, with the embryos of the feeds round it. 3. The fummits, called alfo apices and antherx, which are thofe bodies that contain the prolific powder, analogous to the male fperm in animals, and generally hung upon flender threads which are called the chives. 4. The petals, commonly called the flower leaves, which are thofe tender line colour'd leaves which are generally the moft confpicuous paits of a flower. 5. The impalement or calyx, which is foimed of thofe ten- der leaves which cover the outer parts of the flower. Thefe flowers according to the number of their leaves or petals are called monopetalous, or one leaved, dipctalous or two leaved, and fo on.
The ftrudture of the different flowers is very various J but Dr. Grew has obferved, that the far greater number of them have the empalement, the foliation, and the attire or chives, &c. Mr. Ray accounts that every perfect flower has the petals, (lamina or chives, apices or fummits, and the ftyle or piftil, and fuch as want any of thefe parts he calls imperfeit /lowers. The greater number of plants have a /lower cup which is of a firmer ftrudture than their leaves, and ferves for their fup- port.
Flowers are diftinguifhed into three kinds, the male, the fe- male, and the hermaphrodite. The male flowers are thofe which have the ftamina and apices, but bear no fruit; the fe- male are fuch as contain the piftillum, and not the apices and ftamina; this piftil is fucceeded by the fruit, and thefe are therefore called the fruitful or knitiug flowers ; and the her- mophiodite are fuch as have in them the organs of both fexes in each individual, and of this fort are the generality of flow- ers, particularly the lilly, tulip, daffodil, rofemary, fage, &c. Miller's Gardiner's Diet.
Colours or" Flowers. It is generally agreed among the che- mifts, that all colours arife from fulphurs, and that they dif- fer according to the different admixture of falts, with thefe fulphurs. Perhaps on thefe principles, it may be p-iffible to form lome rational conjectures in regard to the origin of co- 11 L lours
