OF THE ROOT, AND ITS DIFFERENT KINDS. 103 



die body of the Root, and Badicula the 

 fibre. The latter only is esstnlial, beino; tlie 

 part which imbibes nourishment. 



Root.s are either of annual, biennial or 

 perennial duration. The first belono- to plants 

 which live only one year, or rather one sum- 

 mer, as Barley ; the second to such as are 

 produced one season, and, living through the 

 ensuing winter, produce flowers and fruit 

 the following summer, as Wheat ; and the 

 third to those which live and blossom 

 through many succeeding seasons to an in- 

 tlefinite period, as trees, and many herbaceous 

 plants. The term biennial is applied to any 

 plant that is produced one year and flowers 

 another, provided it flowers but once, whe- 

 ther that event takes place the second year, 

 as usual, or whether, from unfavourable cir- 

 cumstances, it may happen to be deferred to 

 any future time. This is often the case with 

 the Lavatcra arhorca, Tree Mallow, Engl. 

 Bot, 1. 1841, and some other plants, especially 

 Avhen o-rowino; out of their natural soil or sta- 

 tion. Linnaeus justly observes that however 

 hardy with respect to cold such plants may 

 prove before tliey blossom, they perish at tlic 



