﻿Five-leaved 
  Clover 
  363 
  

  

  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  branch, 
  in 
  their 
  order 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  

   to 
  the 
  top. 
  They 
  were 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  3. 
  4. 
  5. 
  6. 
  7. 
  5. 
  5. 
  4. 
  

  

  But 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  selected 
  case, 
  and 
  such 
  regular 
  

   examples 
  of 
  the 
  expected 
  periodicity 
  are 
  rarely 
  

   found. 
  Often 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  steps 
  

   are 
  lacking, 
  or 
  even 
  leaves 
  with 
  smaller 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  may 
  be 
  interspersed 
  among 
  those 
  with 
  

   larger 
  numbers 
  of 
  leaflets. 
  But 
  while 
  the 
  regu- 
  

   larity 
  of 
  the 
  periodicity 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  degree 
  

   diminished 
  by 
  such 
  occurrences, 
  yet 
  the 
  rule 
  

   always 
  holds 
  good, 
  when 
  taken 
  broadly. 
  It 
  

   may 
  be 
  expressed 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  the 
  bases 
  and 
  

   apices 
  have 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  fewer 
  leaflets 
  on 
  each 
  

   leaf 
  than 
  the 
  middle 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  and 
  

   branches, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  leaflets 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  increases 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  toward 
  a 
  maxi- 
  

   mum, 
  which 
  is 
  reached 
  in 
  organs 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  

   or 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  axis, 
  and 
  then 
  diminishes 
  

   from 
  this 
  toward 
  the 
  apex. 
  

  

  This 
  periodicity 
  is 
  not 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  stems 
  

   and 
  branches, 
  considered 
  singly, 
  but 
  also 
  holds 
  

   good 
  in 
  a 
  comparison 
  made 
  between 
  the 
  

   branches 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  stem, 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  their 
  rel- 
  

   ative 
  places 
  on 
  that 
  stem. 
  So 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  

   whole 
  plant. 
  The 
  first 
  stems, 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  

   subterranean 
  axis, 
  ordinarily 
  show 
  only 
  a 
  low 
  

   maximum 
  deviation 
  : 
  the 
  next 
  succeeding 
  being 
  

  

  