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CHAPTER VIII 



ON THE NATURE OF STIPULES 



IN ordinary parlance, when we speak of a leaf we 

 often think only of the leaf-blade. The leaf-blade is, 

 however, in reality only part of the leaf. The complete 

 leaf is generally described botanically as, for instance, 

 in Asa Gray's excellent ' Structural Botany,' Bentham's 

 'Handbook of the British Flora,' &c. as consisting 

 of (1) the leaf-blade, (2) the stipules, and (3) the 

 petiole or stalk, to which I think, for reasons which 

 will be presently given, we ought to add (4) the 

 leaf-base. Vines (27) describes the leaf as divisible 

 into three transverse parts upper, median, and 

 lower corresponding to the blade, stalk, and base. 

 The base may, he considers, be either more or less 

 sheathing, or developed laterally, forming stipules. 



The stipules, however, seem to occupy the same 

 position in relation to the base as the blade or leaflets 

 do to the stalk. If, therefore, the blade is considered 

 as forming a division separate from the stalk, I should 

 rather regard the leaf as consisting of four parts : 

 the blade, stalk, stipules, and base. 



Perhaps, however, the more philosophical view would 



