SECT. VIII. HABIT. 



SECTION VIII. 

 Habit. 



SOME plants which, when placed in a rich soil 

 grow to a great height, and affect the habit of a 

 tree, are when placed in a poor soil, converted into 

 dwarfish shrubs. This may be exemplified in the 

 case of the Box-tree ; and so also in the case of her- 

 baceous plants, as in that of Myosotis, which in 

 dry situations is but short and dwarfish, while in 

 moist situations it grows to such a size as to seem 

 to be altogether a different plant. The habit of the 

 plant is sometimes totally altered by means of cul- 

 tivation^ the Pyrus sativa when growing in a 

 wild and uncultivated state is furnished with 

 strong thorns ; but when transferred to a rich and 

 cultivated soil the thorns disappear. This phenome- 

 non, which was observed by Linnaeus, was regarded 

 as being equivalent to the taming of animals. But 

 this explication is, like some others of the same 

 great botanist, much more plausible than profound, 

 in place of which Professor Willdenow substitutes 

 the following : The thorns protruded in the uncul- 

 tivated state of the plant, are buds rendered abortive 

 from want of nourishment, which when supplied 

 with a sufficiency of nourishment, are converted 

 into leaves and branches. 



