SIZE OF LEAVES. 167 



tanists have therefore spared no pains to determine 

 and describe the various forms of leaves, of which 

 there are upwards of a hundred. The size also 

 of the leaf varies much in different plants; and the 

 largest plants have not always the largest leaves : 

 those of the Marsh Marigold, Cal'tha palus'tris, a 

 small herb, being larger than those of the oak. 

 The largest leaves produced by any British species, 

 are, I believe, those of the Burdock, Arc'tium 

 Lap'pa, and the Butterbur- Coltsfoot, Tussila'go 

 Petasi'tes; but these are very small, in comparison 

 with the leaves of some foreign plants. The 

 leaf of the Strelit'zia Regi'na, an African plant, 

 grows to the length of three or four feet, and is 

 eighteen inches at the broadest part. Those of the 

 plaintain tree are sometimes ten feet long, and two 

 feet in breadth at the base ; and they are used in 

 a variety of ways to screen the inhabitants of the 

 countries in which they grow from the sun. The 

 largest leaves are generally found in tropical cli- 

 mates, where shade is most wanted. 



Leaves are of great service to the plants which 

 bear them, by affording protection to the flowers 

 and fruit. Such tender fruits as require to be 

 shaded from the sunbeams while young, are ac- 

 companied by very large leaves ; while in the pear 

 and apple, and other trees in which the fruit does 

 not need protection, the leaves are comparatively 

 small. 



M 4 



