158 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



wind-swept fields, a pro- 

 portionately large and 

 heavy mass of bloom. 



Fine whitish ribs run 

 all down the length of 

 the stem. These are 

 woody and give it 

 strength, and further re- 

 enforcements are lent by 

 the bases of the leaves, 

 which are wrapped around 

 the stem, so as to en- 

 close it in a series of 

 sheaths. 



Each of these sheaths 

 has an opening all down 

 its length, and is welded 

 to the stem by its base 

 only, and just at the 

 point of junction the 

 stem is solid and swells 

 into a knot (Fig. 38). 



These knots or "nodes," 

 and the clasping leaf- 

 bases also, are closest 



FIG. 38. Stems of the rye, 

 showing the knots or "nodes." together near the ground. 



(From the Vegetable World,) 



