PLANT-LIFE GENERATION. 235 



be still preserved in the Earth-life, from 

 which the Plant draws it directly for gener- 

 ating the individual. Now this means of 

 Generation in the Plant is not concentrated 

 into one kind, but varies organically. Still 

 the Plant's reproduction is essentially limit- 

 ed to the one parent, though often with strong- 

 protests which indicate at least its aspira- 

 tion for a higher birth. 



Accordingly the reproduction of the vegetal 

 individual can take place in a variety of 

 ways without the conjugation of the floral 

 sexes, stamen and pistil. Indeed it lies in the 

 character of the Plant, that each part, prop- 

 'erly separated and environed, will produce 

 the whole. This fact is seen in the develop- 

 ment of layers, cuttings, grafts ; bulbs, buds, 

 rhizomes, even leaves will propagate the 

 entire organism of which they are members ; 

 in fine root, stem, and leaf, will reproduce one 

 another and all together in the total Plant. 

 Assimilative reproduction may be halted in 

 its outward repetition and turned about into 

 generative reproduction; the growth of one 

 part may be transformed into the growth of 

 all the parts. Each organ of the Plant is not 

 fully centralized and subordinated to a com- 

 mon head, but has the tendency to be autono- 

 mous (like the cluster of the ancient Greek 

 city-states). Thus the one organism easily 



