Bot. [mod.Lat., used by Linnæus in 1766 (Syst. Nat., II. 6).] The substance contained in the pollen-cells.
In ed. 1735 Linnæus calls it farina, in 1744 pulvis, in 1758 elater; it is stated (Bischoff, Bot. Term.) that he somewhere uses the word favilla in the same sense. Perh. fovilla is an alteration of favilla, suggested by the word fovere to cherish, which actually occurs in the context in ed. 1766.
1793. Martyn, Lang. Bot., Fovilla. A fine substance, imperceptible to the naked eye, exploded by the pollen in the anthers of flowers.
1816. Keith, Phys. Bot., I. 114–5. Exploding and emitting a subtile and elastic vapour, or sort of fovilla which swims on the surface.
1870. Bentley, Bot., 255. The matter contained within the coat or coats of the pollen-cell is called the fovilla. It is a semifluid granular protoplasm in which are suspended very small starch granules, and what appear to be oil globules.
