SUMMARY. 



V5 



radicle invariably nestles immediately within the micropyle. 

 The seed leaves, or cotyledons, of the Pea are opposite ; so 

 we have an embryo with a pair of cotyledons, or a Dicoty- 

 ledojwiis embryo. 



Sow, if you please, a few peas, or a few orange-pips. 

 Under favourable circumstances they will germinate, and 

 grow up into plants similar to their parents. 



lo. Before we proceed to future chapters, in which we 

 shall inquire into the relation of the various parts of the 

 plant to each other, into the office ox fimction which each 

 is intended to perform, and the relation which the organs 

 of other plants bear to the organs of the common species 

 just examined, let us recapitulate the different parts which 

 we have observed thus far. If there be any part which has 

 not been clearly made out, make a point of understanding 

 it before proceeding further. 



We have, first, a Root, which descends into the soil, 

 gives off fibrils irregularly, and is pale-coloured ; the fibres 

 have their extremities sheathed, and, as they do not give 

 off the rudiments of leaves, the root is leafless. It is at 

 first directly continuous with, and appears to pass into, the 

 stem ', but in plants which are fully grown, the original root 

 is usually supplemented by other root-fibres which are given 

 off from the bottom of the stem. 



The Stem ascends, bears foliage-leaves, from the axils of 

 some of which branches usually spring ; it is coloured green 

 more or less, and either itself terminates, or certain of its 

 branches, in a tuft of coloured leaves forming the flower. 



Root and stem, therefore, we find opposed to each other 

 in the directions which they respectively take, as well as in 

 several important points of structure. Together they may 

 be regarded as constituting the axis of the plant ; the root 

 being the descending, the stem the ascending portion of the 



