A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Frons, gen. sg. frondis (s.f.III), abl. sing. fronde, nom. pl. frondes, gen. pl. frondium, abl. pl. frondibus; frond, 'a leafy branch, green bough, foliage; syn. folium,-ii;' “a combination of leaf and stem, as in many Algals and Liverworts; also improperly applied to a leaf which bears reproductive bodies, as that of dorsiferous Ferns. Linnaeus applied it to Palm leaves, and so destroyed its meaning” (Lindley); “the expanded leaf-like portion of Ferns and some other Cryptogams; in Lemnaceae, etc., the thallus-like stem which functions as foliage” (Fernald 1950); the large and often highly dissected leaves in Polypodiophyta or Palmae (Arecaceae); (in ferns) the frond is the stipe and lamina together; “the branched or foliose part of an erect stem, including branches, of a dendroid or frondose moss and some thalloid liverworts” (Magill 1990); syn. folium,-ii; see leaf, nodifrons (s.f.III) [> L. frons,-ndis (s.f.III) “the leafy part of a tree, etc., foliage or leafy boughs; collectively in singular: in fronde, in leaf” (Glare)].

NOTE: Fronds are not leaves, but a combination of leaves and stems, as in many algals and liverworts, and also the leaves of palms and ferns (Paxton).

NOTE: as an i-stem, the genitive plural is frondium.

NOTE: not to be confused with frons, gen.sg. frontis (s.f.III), face, front, forehead, etc.

“1. Esp. the leaf of a palm. 2a. a foliaceous thallus or thalloid shoot, as in lichen, duckweed, b. the leaf of a fern whether a foliage leaf or a sporophyll” (WIII).

- frons bipinnata ambitu ovata 25 cm. longa, frond bipinnate in outline ovate 25 cm. long.

- fronde late triangulari bipinnata, pinnis ad angulum 70*-80* patentibus, with frond broadly triangular bipinnate, with pinnae at an angle of 70*-80* spreading.

- frondes lineares iteratim dichotomae angulo acuto (40*-60*), rarissime pinnatim divisae 2-3 pollicares, furcis mediis 8 mm. longis, fronds linear repeatedly dichotomous at an acute angle (40*-60*) very rarely pinnately divided 2-3 inches long, with middle forks mm long (Stearn).

- fronde anguste lineari indistincte porosa siccitate arcte convoluta subtus carinata squamosa, with the frond narrowly linear indistinctly porose when dry narrowly convolute, below carinate squamose.

- Florideae, ut ceterae Algae, nulla epidermide tectae sunt, sed membrana exterior frondis a cellulis terminalibus diversarum sérierurn cellularum, quae frondem constituunt, contexta est (Agardh), the Florideae, as in the other Algae, are covered with no epidermis, but the outer membrane of the frond is constructed from the terminal cells of diverse rows of cells, which make up the frond.

- frondes simplices aut semel vel bis furcatae (Agardh), the fronds undivided or once or twice forked.

- [Aspidium;fern] stipite paleaceo 1-2-pedali, fronde subbipinnata, rachi paleacea (Boissier), with the stipe covered with scales, 1-2-feet, with the frond mostly bipinnate [i.e. each division of a pinnate leaf itself pinnate], with the rachis covered with scales.

- planta sphearulas aggregatas apicibus vel in aversa parte frondium, gerens (Necker), plant bearing sphaerules aggregates in the apices or on the reverse side of the fronds.

Rubus bifrons (having two kinds of leaf; the lower binate, the upper ternate, (Fernald 1950); Fissidens grandifrons Brid., referring to the robust leaves or the frondose aspect of the whole (moss) plant. Many specific epithets of this genus are named after fern genera in reference perhaps to the neat quasi-pinnate aspect of the plant.

Note: frons, gen.sg. frondis (s.f.III) may also refer to the thallus of a foliaceous lichen:

- [lichen] lichen fronde [=thallus] rotunde lobata, inferne nigerrima glebosa (Necker), lichen frond [i.e. thallus] rounded-lobed, below very (glossy) black, lumpy.

Note: frons, gen.sg. frondis (s.f.III), i-stem, gen. pl. frondium, ‘foliage,’ may be used of the thallus in Hepaticae, where there is little or no differentiation between stem (caulis)and leaves (folia); see thallus,-i (s.m.II).

- [Riccia sorocarpa; liverwort] perennis tamen videtur et in apicibus frondis alia corpuscula, gonidiis Drepanophylli haud absimilia observavimus (Lindb.), nevertheless, it seems perennial and we had observed other corpuscles [i.e. bodies] in the apices of the frond, not dissimilar to the gonidia of Drepanophyllus.

- [Marchantia; liverwort] frons mediocris, antice laete viridis, postice rubescens (Steph.), the frond [i.e. thallus] middle-sized, antically [i.e. dorsally, on the upper side] a bright green, postically [i.e. ventrally, on the underside] reddish.

- [Marchantia; liverwort] frons ad 5 cm. longa, 10 mm. lata, costa bene producta, valde convexa, sensim in alas excurrens (Steph.), the frond [i.e. thallus] to 5 cm long, 10 mm wide, the costa well elongated, strongly convex, gradually running out into wings.

- [Marchantia; liverwort] frons ad 5 cm longa, ob ramos longe coalitos latissimi, frondem parum dissectum formans, margine valde crispate (Steph.), the frond [i.e. thallus] to 5 cm long, very broad due to the branches growing together for a long way, forming a somewhat dissected frond.