86 



ESSENTIALS OF VEGETABLE PHARMACOGNOSY. 



is distinguished as being Abruptly Acum- 

 inate (Figs. 426 and 427). If the nar- 

 rowing be very gradual and not preceded 

 by an abrupt narrowing, the apex is &aid 

 to be Tapering (Fig. 428). If the point 

 of the leaf be extremely abrupt and very 

 small, it is Mncronate when soft and 

 herbaceous, Cuspidate when hard and 

 stiff, like a tooth. Any of the abOTe men- 

 tioned forms may be either Acute, when 

 the ultimate apex is sharp (Figs. 427, 428 

 and 429), Obtuse when not so (Figs. 425 

 and 426), Blunt when very obtuse (Fig. 

 430), or Rounded (Fig, 431). A leaf 

 which has the midrib only extended into 

 a bristle-shaped point is called Apiculate 

 (Fig. 432), and this condition can apply 

 to a cordate as well as to other forms of 

 the apes. 



4 



The special forms of the base of the 

 leaf -blade yield a correspondingly large 

 number of terms. The terms cordate, 

 truncate, rounded, blunt, obtvise, acute, 

 acuminate, abruptly acuminate, require 

 no additional definition to those which 

 have been applied to similar forms of the 



'£ ''^3. 



P.g '*38 



-■e*'3o. 



apex. When the tw^o sides of the base are 

 straight and come to an acute point the 

 base is called Cuneate or Wedge-shaped 

 (Fig. 433), A base which at first assumes 

 a form which later yields to a sudden 

 downward prolongation, or acumination, 

 is called Produced. In all forms of the 

 cordate base the greatest care must be 

 taken to specify the precise character 

 both of the sinus and the lobes. The for- 



fig.**^f. 



