ORGANS OF NUTRITION. 



165 



from the base to a very fine point, so that it resembles an awl in 

 shape, as in the common Furze {Ulex europceus), it is subulate 

 or awl-shaped. When a leaf is broader at the centre than at its 

 two extremities, and tapers towards both base and apex, as in 

 the White Willow (-SaZ/x a/6a), his lanceolate (Jig. 317); when 

 it is longer than broad, of the same breadth at its base and 

 apex, and shghtly acute at those points, it is oval or elliptical 

 (Jig. 325), as in the Lily of the Valley ( Conra//ar?a majalis); and 

 if under the same circumstances it is obtuse or rounded at 

 each end (Jig. 321), it is oblong ; the latter term is better applied 

 only to leaves which are longer than those of an elliptical form, 

 and either acute or rounded at the two extremities, it was used 

 in this sense by Sir J. E. Smith ; the above definitions of ellip- 

 tical and oblong are those of Lindley. If a leaf is broader at the 

 base than at the apex, which is more or less rounded, so that the 

 whole is of the shape of an egg cut lengthwise, it is ovate or 

 egg-shaped (Jig. 322), as in the Periwinkle (Vinca major) ; or if 

 of the same figure, but with the apex broader than the base (Jig. 

 323), it is obovate or inversely egg-shaped. When a leaf is broad 

 at the apex, and abrupt-pointed, and tapers towards the base 

 (Jig. 319), as in some Saxifrages, it is cuneate, cuneiform, or wedge- 

 shaped; if the apex is broad and rounded, and tapers down to 

 the base (Jig. 324), it is spathulate, as in the Daisy. When a leaf 

 is broad and hollowed out at its base into two round lobes, and 



Fig. 325. 



Fig. 326, 



Fig. 327. 



Fig. 324. Spathulate leaf. Fig. 325. Oval leaf of Tear-tree 



(_Pyrus communis), iKiih a serrated margin Fig. 320. Reni- 



form leaf of Ground Ivy (Xepeta GUchoma), with a crenate 

 margin. Fig. 327. Trifoliate leaf with obcordate leaflets. 



more or less r)ointed at the apex, so that it somewhat resembles 



the heart in a pack of cards, it is cordate or heart-shaped (Jig. 



M 3 



