54 



Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



grooves of the corrugated paper, and when you let go they 

 expand so as to fit fairly tight. 



" Now put leaf i near the middle, pointing to one of the 

 fifths; go round the spiral, and put the next leaf facing the 

 second fifth from the first ; and so on, till you have some 

 twenty leaves in position. The phyllotaxy then becomes 

 evident. 



Fig. d-i.—Scabiosa. The cul upper Fig. 64.— Branch of Rhus, showing the 

 leaves allow the light to penetrate simple leaf at the base of each branch, 

 below. 



"If you have not twisted the spiral too tight, the central 

 portion will be found to be moveable. Push it down to 

 show a rosette of radical leaves ; push it up to show a stem. 



"The stem is very conical, even comical, but the rosette is 

 almost an improvement on Nature. 



*'By taking coloured leaves for sepals and petals, wax- 



