APICES, in Botany, little Knobs growing on the Tops of the Stamina, in the middle of Flowers. See STAMINA and FLOWER. They are commonly of a dark, purplish Colour.—By the Microscope they have been discovered to be, as it were, a sort of Capsulae seminales, or Seed-Vessels, containing in them small globular, and often oval Particles of various Colours, and exquisitely formed; called the Farina Foecundans. See FARINA FOECUNDANS. What the Uses of these are, is not entirely agreed: Some have guessed them to be a kind of male Sperm which falling down into the Flower, fecundates and ripens the Seed. See further under the Article GENERATION OF PLANTS. The Word is Latin; being the Nominative plural of Apex, the Top or Summit of anything.
