26 EXAMPLES OF LEAF-OUTLINE [CH. 



White Beam Salix nigricans Cowberry 



Alder Honeysuckle Bearberry 



Blackberry Vaccinium uliginosum. 



Cordate, or heart-shaped leaves, occur in 

 Lilac Birch White Poplar 



Raspberry Lime Red Currant 



Service Tree Blackberry Black Currant 



Black Poplar Ivy Elm 



Mulberry Canadian Poplar. 



The deltoid or triangular type is uncommon, but may 

 be met with in 



Black Poplar Mulberry White Poplar 



Service Tree Thuja Gooseberry 



Ivy Birch Canadian Poplar. 



It is important to notice, however, that it rarely occurs 

 that a leaf can be completely described, as to its outline, 

 by one term. It is a common event to find, for instance, 

 a leaf which is too nearly elliptical to be termed ovate, 

 and too broad near the base to fit into an ellipse : the 

 compound word elliptic-ovate may, however, describe it 

 accurately. Or, again, suppose we have a long thin leaf, 

 such as that of the Osier. Its sides are too parallel 

 for a long distance to be termed lanceolate, though its 

 ends taper too much for the word linear to apply: the 

 compound linear-lanceolate may fit the case exactly, and, 

 as will be seen in Part II., these combinations of terms 

 are necessary in by far the majority of cases. 



Another difficulty for the beginner resides in leaves 

 which are so lobed, or divided into segments, at the 

 margins, that he hesitates how to begin the description. 

 The rule is to suppose a contour line drawn so as to 

 include the base and apex, and touch the tips of all the 

 lobes. In most cases a figure perfectly describable in 



