14 



THE STEM 



18. A trailing plant (Abronia, grown in flower-gardens). 



are often said to be stemless, however, in order to distin- 

 guish them from plants that have long or conspicuous 

 stems. These so-called stemless plants die to the ground 

 every year. 



38. Stems are erect when they grow 

 straight up. (Figs. 3, 9.) They are 

 trailing or creeping when they run 

 along on the ground. (Fig. 18.) They 

 are decumbent when they lop over to 

 the ground. 

 They are ascend- 

 ing when they 

 lie mostly or in 

 part on the 

 ground but stand 

 more or less up- 

 right at their 

 ends. They are climbing when they cling to other rising 

 objects for support. (Fig. 12.) 



39. Trees in which the main trunk or the "leader'* 

 continues to grow from its tip are said to be excurrent in 

 growth. The branches are borne along 



the sides of the trunk, as in common 

 pines (Fig. 19) and spruces. Excurrent 

 means "running out" or "running up." 



40. Trees in which the main trunk 

 does not continue are said to be deliques 

 cent. The branches arise from one com- 

 mon point or from each other. The stem 

 is lost in the branches. The apple tree 

 (Fig. 17), maple, elm, oak, are familiar 

 examples. Deliquescent means "dissolv- 

 ing" or "melting away." 



41. Each kind of plant has its own 

 peculiar habit or direction of growth. 



19. Excurrent trunk. 



