ELEMENTARY BOTANY. Ill 



botanical species may be an annual or a perennial, a herbaceous perennial or an under- 

 shrub, an undershrub or a shrub, a shrub or a tree, according to climate, treatment, 

 or variety. 



14. Plants are usually terrestrial, that is, growing on earth, or aquatic, i. e. growing 

 m water ; but sometimes they may be found attached by their roots to other plants, 

 m which case they are epiphytes when simply growing upon other plants without 

 penetrating into their tissue, parasites when their roots penetrate into and derive more 

 or less nutriment from the plant to which they are attached. 



15. The simplest form of the perfect plant, the annual, consists of — 



(1) The Root, or descending axis, which grows downwards from the stem, divides 

 and spreads in the earth or water, and absorbs food for the plant through the extremi- 

 ties of its branches. 



(2) The Stem, or ascending axis, which grows upwards from the root, branches and 

 oears first one or more leaves in succession, then one or more flowers, and finally one 

 or more fruits. It contains the tissues or other channels (217) by which the nutri- 

 ment absorbed by the roots is conveyed in the form of sap (192) to' the leaves or other 

 Points of the surface of the plant, to be elaborated or digested (218), and afterwards 

 ™' 3t rflmted over different parts of the plant for its support and growth. 



(*>) The Leaves, usually flat, green, and horizontal, are variously arranged on the 

 stem and its branches. They elaborate or digest (218) the nutriment brought to them 



rough tne stem » absorb carbonic acid gas from the air, exhaling the superfluous 



Wwr*"^ returning the assimilated sap to the stem. 



(4) The Flowers, usually placed at or towards the extremities of the branches. 

 |ney are destined to form the future seed. When perfect and complete they consist : 



' of a Pistil in the centre, consisting of one or more carpels, each containing the 

 Rem of one or more seeds ; 2nd, of one or more stamens outside the pistil, whose 

 action is necessary to fertilize the pistil or enable it to ripen its seed ; 3rd, of a perianth 



■ floral envelope, which usually encloses the stamens and pistil when young, and 

 expands and exposes them to view when fully formed. This complete perianth is 



° ,: the outer one, called Calyx, is usually more green and leaf-like ; the inner 



ne, called the Corolla, more conspicuous, and variously coloured. It is the perianth, 



: " es Pfcially the corolla, as the most showy part, that is generally called the flower 



■ popular language. 



at/n h ^ he Pruit » consisting of the pistil or its lower portion, which persists or remains 

 It el t0 the plant after the remainder of the flower has withered and fallen off. 

 clos arg . es and alt ers more or less in shape or consistence, becomes a seed-vessel, en- 

 ding the seed until it is ripe, when it either opens to discharge the seed or falls to 

 Jri 8 * , Wlth the seed - In popular language the term fruit is often limited to such 

 vessels * M ^ ° r lo ° k J uicy and eatable - Botanists & ve that name to a11 * 

 Krow^u herbace ous perennial resembles the annual during the first year of its 

 Portio * Jt also form8 ( us ually towards the close of the season), on its stock (the 



and H the 8tem and r00t wllich does not die )> one or more buds ' either ex P 09 .' 

 ^"! eu P°Pularly called eyes, or concealed among leaves. These buds, called leaj- 

 as vet d ' stln guish them from flower-buds or unopened flowers, are future branches 

 •Nina undevel oped ; they remain dormant through the winter, and the following 

 year X? W ° Ut into new stem s bearing leaves and flowers like those of the preceding 

 jrti2T f he lower P art of the stock emit8 fresh r00t8 to replace those which had 



ea at the same time as the stems. 

 °r alon I? I and trees form similar leaf-buds either at the extremity of their branches, 

 that i. tt branch es of the year. In the latter case these buds are usually axillary, 

 the bmn if 7 *&<** in th e axil of each leaf, i. e. in the angle formed by the leaf and 

 « % "5, W hen they appear at any other part of the plant, they are called adventt- 

 WlJ G8e buds b y producing roots (19) become distinct plants before separating 

 seei S^^wifadvOTtitiouBWbudsare produced in the place of flowers or 

 ' e P^ut is said to be viviparous or proliferous. 



