A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

blephar-, blephari-, blepharid-, blepharo-, -blepharus,-a,-um (adj.A): in Gk. comp., relating to eye-lashes or eye-lids, i.e. marginally fringed with hairs, ciliated, bearded (barbatus,-a,-um (adj.A) [1. > Gk. blepharis,-idos (s.f.III), an eyelash; 2. also > blepharon (s.n.II), eyelids, which may include the idea of ‘ciliated’ due to the fact that eyelids are fringed with hairs (eyelashes)]; see hair, cilium,-ii (s.n.II); see eyelash; see fringe;

- blepharicarpus, with ciliated fruit, as in Lathyrus species; blepharidanthus, with ciliated flower; blephariglossus, blepharoglossus, with ciliated tongue;

- blepharocalyx,-icis, with fringed calyx; blepharolepis, with ciliate scales; blepharopetalus, with ciliated petals; blepharophorus, bearing cilia; blepharophyllus, with ciliated leaves “like eyelashes” (Stearn 1996); blepharosepalus, with ciliated sepals.

- brachyblepharus, with short cilia; calliblepharus, with beautiful cilia; dolichoblepharus, with long cilia.

The following examples in bryology use ‘blephar-‘ to represent eyelashes (cilia) or eyelids (fringed structures), e.g. for the fringe at the base of the calyptra, the outer peristome teeth or the segments between the teeth of the inner peristome:

- [moss] Syrrhopodon octoblepharis

- [Octoblepharum; moss] Nomen graecae compositionis, ab OCTO et blepharon, palpebra, ob dentes peristomii dentes octo huicce generi ab Hedwigio conditore impositum (C. Mueller), the name is of Greek composition [i.e. of Greek compounding], from octo [8] and blepharon, a palpebra [i.e. eyelid], because the eight teeth of the peristome were applied to this very genus, by Hedwig, the author.

- Bryum leptoblepharon, with slender (narrow) cilia of the inner peristome alternating with the inner peristome segments;

- [moss] peristomii dentes externi apice valde rugulosi, interni in membrana trienti-breviore angusti tenuissime subulati apice serrulati exacte sulcati latiores, cilis binis longissimis dentes aequantibus tenuissimis nodosiusculis interpositis (C. Mueller), the outer teeth at the apex strongly rugulose [i.e. wrinkled], the inner into a membrane a third-shorter, [the teeth] narrow, very thinly subulate, serrulate at the apex, distinctly sulcate, wider, with the cilia placed among them paired [i.e. in sets of two], very long, equalling the teeth, very slender somewhat nodose.

- [moss] Dicranum trachyblepharon, ‘with rough [i.e. ciliate] eyelids;’

- calyptra ciliis permultis albis nodosis flexuosis longiusculis fimbriata (C. Mueller), the calyptra fringed with very many white nodose flexuose cilia.

- [moss] Angstroemia brachyblepharis, with short lashes, hairs, cilia, here referring to the short peristome teeth;

- peristomii dentes brevissimi profunde et irregulariter bifidi purpurei, cruribus brevibus strictis subhyalinis (C. Mueller), the teeth of the peristome extremely short, deeply and irregularly bifid, purple, with the legs [i.e. divisions of the peristome teeth] short, straight, nearly hyaline.

[moss] Codonoblepharum; with bell-shaped eyelashes or cilia, the outer peristome teeth grouped into a cone:

- externi dentes breves lanceolati lutei firmi integri tenuiter articulati granulosi gcrainati in conum conniventes, (C. Mueller), the outer [peristome] teeth short, lanceolate, yellow, firm, entire, thinly jointed, granulose geminate [i.e. in pairs], connivent into a cone.

Blepharanthemum; Blepharodon,-ontis (s.m.III); “Corolla rotata, alte 5-fida, lobis saepius latis valvatis margine ciliatis” (B&H), the corolla rotate, deeply 5-fid, with the lobes more often wide, valvate, ciliate on the margin; Blepharolepis; Blepharopholis; Blepharistemma,-atis (s.n.III) ‘with a crown of cilia;’

Blepharandra,-ae (s.f.I), with ciliate or bearded stamen-filaments: “Stamina 10, omnia fertilia; filamenta distincta, dense villosa ; antherae loculis margine dense barbatis” (B&H), the stamens 10, all of them fertile; the filaments separated, densely villous; the anthers with locules at the margin densely bearded.

RANUNCULUS BLEPHARICARPOS

Blepharisma,-atis (s.n.III) > belphar + -isma > -ismus WIII): “a genus of ... ciliates (order Spirotricha) having the peristome highly developed” (WIII).

Blephila,-ae Raf. (s.f.I) “name from the Greek blepharis, the eyelash, in reference to the hairy fringe of the bracts and calyx-teeth” (Fernald 1950): B. ciliata, ‘with marginal hairs,’ B. hirsuta, ‘with straight hairs’ (Fernald 1950).

Blephariglottis; Habenaria blephariglottis, “eyelid-tongued; from the fringed lip” (Fernald 1950).

Blepharia,-ae (s.f.I), a subgenus of fungi = Dematium (Ainsworth & Bisby); Blepharospora,-ae (s.f.I) = Phytophthora,-ae (s.f.I) (Ainsworth & Bisby).