CHAPTER II 



MORPHOLOGY 



THE study of Morphology is the study of the form and 

 external appearance of the plant's body. Just as there 

 is unity among animals, and we recognise legs, eyes, 

 tails, and the various parts of the body in many differ- 

 ent guises in the different species of animals, so there 

 is a unity of organisation among the higher plants, 

 and their bodies are composed of a limited number of 

 parts which belong to distinct categories. 



The body of a typical member of the higher plants is 

 composed of four elements, viz., Roots, Stems, Leaves, 

 and Sporangia. The flowers, which at first sight appear 

 so distinct, are in reality composed of modified leaves. 



The extraordinary variety of plant structures and all 

 their beautiful and remarkable forms are simply modi- 

 fications of these four elements. Each of them has 

 its characteristic structure, and its normal functions, 

 and in most cases, however the parts are modified, they 

 remain recognisable. Some parts may be modified out 

 of immediate recognition, as we shall see in a moment, 

 but careful study will reveal their true nature. 



If you pull up any common weed, such as a Campion 

 or a Poppy, you will notice that the root and the stem 

 merge into one another, but that there is a contrast 

 between them in colour and form as well as in position. 



The leaves are attached to the stem, and never to the 



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