A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Cystolith, “mineral concretions, usually of calcium carbonate on a cellulose stalk, occurring chiefly in species cells of the Urticaceae, as in Ficus elastica, Roxb.” (Jackson);“a stone-like concretion in the epidermis of some plants, as the Urticaceae and Acanthaceae” (Fernald 1950); “a calcium carbonate concretion commonly stalked and arising from the cellulose wall of certain cells of higher plants, esp. from modified epidermal cells of some flowering plants” (WIII) [> Gk. kystis, a cavity + lithos, stone (Jackson)]: cystolithus,-i (s.m.II), abl. sg. cystolitho; see -lith; see stone-, -stone;

- folia cystolithis supra minutis punctiformibus subtus creberrimis breviter linearibus quaquaversus directis crassiusculis albidis, leaves with cystoliths on upper side minute punctiform on lower side very numerous shortly linear to all directions set rather thick whitish (Stearn).

- [Fleurya] folia alterna, petiolata, dentata, 3-nervia, cystolithis linearibus (B&H), leaves alternate, petiolate, toothed, 3-nerved, with the cystoliths linear.

- [Neraudia] folia alterna, petiolata, integerrima, 3-nervia, supra interdum creberrime punctulata, cystolithis parum conspicuis (B&H), leaves alternate, petiolate, competely entire, 3-nerved, above sometimes thickly punctulate, with the cystoliths somewhat conspicuous.

- [Thelygonum] Delile l.c. cystolithos in exocarpio observatos descripsit sub nomine aiguilles crystallines (B&H), Delile, l.c. described cystoliths observed in the exocarp under the name aiguilles crystallines.

- plantae cystolithis destitutae, plants lacking cystoliths.

NOTE: in one place Bentham and Hooker treat ‘cystolith’ as though a first declension feminine noun, but later and elsewhere as a second declension masculine noun.

- Cystolithae [sic], a Weddellio praecipue commentatae, in hac tribu prae aliis conspicuae, in Fleurya et in Procridibus plurimis lineares sunt, in Myriocarpa insigniter radiantes, in generibus caeteris punctiformes v. hinc inde oblongae v. fusiformes, vix tamen in eodem genere semper conformes (B&H), the cystoliths, especially studied by Weddell, in this tribe conspicuous above the others, are linear in Fleurya and in most Procrides [i.e. species of Procris], in Myriocarpa they are noteably radiating, in other genera they are punctiform [i.e. dot-shaped] or here and there oblong or fusiform, scarcely, however, always the same shape in the same genus.