i.] A BUTTERCUP. 9 



ing any ripe carpel, a single seed will be found filling its 

 cavity. If we cut one of these seeds right through length- 

 wise, we shall find that it consists of a very thin (mem- 

 branous) shell, the testa, enclosing a solid, uniform and 

 horny substance, called the albumen; near the base of 

 which, very careful observation will detect a minute body, 

 the embryo or germ of a future plant. Fig. 7 shows such 

 a section of the seed and the position of the embryo in 

 the albumen. Sow, if you like, a few of the fruit-carpels ; 

 the carpel will decay away, and the seed, under favour- 

 able circumstances, will germinate and grow up into a 

 buttercup plant. 



10. You ought now to have a good idea of a buttercup, 

 so far as its general structure is concerned. But 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 or function which each is intended 

 to perform, and the relation which the organs of other 

 plants bear to those of our buttercup, 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 supplemented by other root-fibres which 

 are given off from the lower part of the stem. 



The STEM ascends, bears foliage-leaves, from the axils 

 of the upper of which spring branches ; it is coloured 

 green more or less, and terminates in the head 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 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 axis. Upon the ascending axis all the leaves, both 

 foliage and flo\ver-leaves, are arranged. 



