40 THE GARDEN OF EARTH 



Lily-of-the-Valley and the Narcissus grow thus; as 

 also do Rushes and Grasses and Orchids. 



If this distinction of either One or Two Seed-leaves 

 stood alone, it might be of interest, though we could 

 hardly count it to be worthy of much attention. But 

 the number of Seed-leaves is not the only sign which 

 marks off one big Subdivision of Flowering Plants from 

 another. 



It is a curious fact that most of the One Seed-leaf 

 plants seem to grow — or, as one may say, to be built 

 up — in threes. Their flowers, for instance, have usually 

 three sepals and three petals, or else twice or three times 

 three ; that is, six or nine of each. 



But the Two Seed-leaf plants are hardly ever thus. 

 They are commonly found to be in fours and fives — 

 or in twice four or five, as the case may be.^ 



Any of us may put this to the test. We may count 

 the sepals and petals of a Lily and a Narcissus, and then 

 those of a Buttercup and a Primrose. And usually 

 these rules will be found true — that the Threes go with 

 the single Seed-leaf, and the Fours or Fives with the 

 double Seed-leaf. Once in a way a flower seems to have 

 made a mistake, and to have its numbers wrong; but 

 this is rare ; and we have to examine several of a kind, 

 noting what the greater number are like. 



^ These lesser Divisions of Flowering Plants are known as 

 Mono-cotyledons and Di-cotyledons ; by which is meant Plants 

 with One Seed-leaf, and Plants with Two Seed-leaves. There 

 are also Plants which have several, called Poly-cotyledons, and 

 Plants which have none, called A-cotyledons. "Mono" means 

 One; " Di " means Two; "Poly" means Many; and "A" 

 means " No." But we need not trouble our heads with the 

 two last. 



