Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

GEM r 6]
Gemma, flioots expofed to injuries and depredations from the
Gt wma-m.fever;t|es 0f tlie weather. Of this latter kind are the
- ’v” ' plants of the following lift ; fome of them very large
trees; others fmaller woody vegetables, of the fhrub
and under-flirub kind: Citron, orange, lemon, calfava,
mock-orange, blad-apple, fhrubby fwallow-wort, alater-
nus, ftirubby geraniums, berry-bearing alder, Chrift’s-
thorn. Syrian mallow, baobab or Ethiopian four-
gourd, jufticia, mild fena, the acacias and fenfitive
plant, coral-tree, flunking bean-trefoil, medicago, o-
leander, viburnum, fumach, ivy, tamarilk, heath, Bar-
-badoes cherry, lavatera, rue, fhrubby nightfhades,
Guinea hen weed, cyprefs, lignum vitae, and favine a
ipecies of juniper.
On annual plants, whofe root as well as ftalk perifhes
after a year, true buds are never produced; in their
ftead, however, are protruded fmall branches, like a little
feather, from the wings of the leaves, which wither
without any farther expanfion if the plants climb and
have no lateral branches; but if, either by their own
nature or from abundance of fap, the plants become
branched, the ramuli juft mentioned obtain an increafe
flmilar to that of the whole plant.
The fame appearance obtains in the trees of warm
countries, fuch as thofe enumerated in the above lift, in
which a plumula, or fmall feather, fends forth branches
without a fcaly covering ; as, in fuch countries, this
tender part requires no defence or protection from
cold. A fcaly covering then is peculiar to buds, as
it protedts the tender embryo inclofed from all exter¬
nal injuries. When we therefore fpeak of trees having
buds that are naked or w ithout feales, our meaning is the
fame as if we had faid that they have no buds at all.
The buds that arc to be unfolded the following
year, break forth from the evolved buds of the prefent
year, in fuch a manner as to put on the appearance
of frmll eminences in the wings or angles of the leaves.
Thefe eminences or knots grow but little during the
fummer; as, in that feafon, the fap is expended on the
increafe of the parts of the plant: but in autumn,
when the leaves begin to wither and fall off, the buds,
placed on the wings, increafe; and the embryo-plant
contained in the bud is fo expanded, that the leaves
and flowers, the parts to be evolved the following
year, are diftinCtly vifible. Thus in horfe-chefnut the
leaves, and in cornel-tree the flowers, are each to be.
obferved in their refpeftive buds.
As each bud contains the rudiments of a plant, and
would, if feparated from its parent vegetable, become
every way fimilar to it; Linnaeus, to fhow the wonder¬
ful fertility of nature, has made a calculation, by which
it appears, that, in a trunk fcarce exceeding a fpan in
breadth, 10,000 buds (that is, herbs) may be produ-’
ced. What an infinite number, then, of plants might
be raifed from a very large tree !
GEMMATIO, from gemma, “ a bud a term
ufed by Linnaeus, expreflive of the form of the buds,
their origin, and their contents. It includes both
thofe properly called kids, and thofe which are feated
at the roots, ftyled hulls.
As to the origin of buds, they are formed either of
the footftalks of the leaves, of flipulae, or of feales of
the bark. Their contents have been already difeover-
ed, in the preceding article, to be either flowers, leaves,
or both.
4 1 GEN
GEMONJJE scAi.i, or Gradus Gkmok'h, among Gemoni*
the Romans, was much the fame as gallows or gibbet H
in England.—Some fay they were thus denominated Gender‘ ,
from the perfon who raifed them; others, from the V
firft criminals that fuffered on them; and others, from
the vtrb gemo, “ I figh or groan,”
The gradus gemonii, according to Publius Vidor or
Sextus Rufus, was a place raifed on feveral fteps, from
whence they precipitated their criminals; others re-
prefent it as a place whereon offenders were executed,
and afterwards expofld to public view. The gemonle
fcalz were in the tenth region of the city, near the
temple of Juno. Camillus flrft appropriated the place
to this ufe, in the year of Rome ajS-
GENDARMES, or Gen d’armes, in the French
armies, a denomination given to a fele<3: body of horfe,
on account of their fucceediiig the ancient gendarmes,
who were thus called from their being comple-rtly
clothed in armour; (fee Scots Gendarmes, infra.)
Thefe.troops were commanded by captain-lieutenants,
the king and the princes of the blood being their
captains: the king’s troop, beiides a capiain-lieute-
nant, has two fublieutenants, three enftgna, and three
guidons.
Grand Gendarmes, latterly were a troop competed
of 250 gentlemen ; the king himfelf was their captain,
and one of the lirit peers their captain-lieutenant, who
has under him two lieutenants, three enligns, three gui¬
dons, and other officers.
Small Gendarmes, were the Scots gendarmes, the
queen’s, the dauphin’s, the gendarmes of Anjou, Bur¬
gundy, the Engliflr and Flemifli gendarmes, having
each a captain-lieutenant, fub-lieutenant, enlign, gui¬
don, and quarter-mafter.
Scots Gendarmes, -were originally inftituted by
Charles VII. of France, about the middle of the 5th
century, and formed .a part of his guard ; in which
flatten alfo they aded under other princes. It was their \e
prerogative to take precedence of ail the companies of sl'otlaJ?
tiie gendarmerie of France; and, on particular occa-
fions, they even preceded the two companies of the
king’s moufquetaires. The tens of the Scottifh mo-
narchs were the ufual captains of this company ; and,
after Mary’s accefiion to the throne, its command
belonged to them as a right. It was thence that
James VI. made a claim of it for his ten prince Hen¬
ry. This honour, and its emoluments, were alfo en¬
joyed by Charles I. and the next in command to this
prince was Louis Stuart duke of Lennox. George
Gordon marquia of Huntly fucceeded the duke of
Lennox in the year 1624, and took the title of captain
or commander in chief when Charles f. mounted the
Englifh throne. It is not certain whether Charles II.
was ever captain of this company ; but it was confer¬
red on his brother the duke of Yoik, who was captain
of the Scots gendarmes till the year 1667, when he
refigned his commiffion into the hands of the French
king. Since that time no native of Gieat Britain has
enjoyed this command. See Scot's Guards.
All the different gendarmeries are now abolilhed, in
confequence of the reforming fyftems that have lately
taken place in France.
GENDER, among grammarians, a divifion of
nouns, or names, to diftinguiffi the two foxes.
This was the original intention of gender; but after¬
wards