v.] RELATION OF LEAVES TO BRANCHES. 113 



much space is wasted. On the other hand, if we 

 place the leaves of the Maple on the stalk of a 

 Spanish Chestnut at the points from which the leaves 

 of Chestnut came off, as in Fig. 71, we shall see that 

 the stalks are useless, and even mischievous as a 

 cause of weakness and of waste of space ; while, on 

 the other hand, if we omit the stalks, or shorten them 

 to the same length as those of the Chestnut, as in 

 Fig. 72, the leaves would greatly overlap one another. 



FIG. 71. Maple leaves on Chestnut. 



Once more, for leaves arranged as in the Beech the 

 gentle swell at the base is admirably suited ; but in a 

 crown of leaves such as those of the Sycamore, space 

 would be wasted, and it is better that they should ex- 

 pand at once as soon as their stalks have borne them 

 free from those within. Moreover, the spreading lobes 

 leave a triangular space (Fig. 69) with the insertion of 

 the stalk at the apex which seems as if expressly 

 designed to leave room for the pointed end of the leaf 

 within. 



