PLANT-LIFEGENERATION. 253 



of the two evolutionary ladders. In this case, 

 the Angiosperms and the Primates can be 

 regarded as correlatives, or partially so, in 

 the ascent of Life-forms. 



Here it should be noted that the Plant- 

 world like the Animal-world is found to be 

 subject to evolution, though this part of Bot- 

 any has lagged somewhat on account of its 

 many difficulties. Still there can be seen in 

 general the rise from the thallus to the flow- 

 er, which is the great fruition. Also the geo- 

 logic past reveals a successive ascent of 

 Plant-forms, mounting from the eophyton (if 

 it exists) of the Laurentian up to the Meso- 

 zoic when our earth, hitherto mainly green, 

 began slowly to flower forth, possibly along 

 with the budding man whose consciousness 

 also was inflorescing. It would seem that 

 Earth-life in that pivotal time was likewise 

 passing through a similar stage to those of 

 man and phanerogam a stage of early self- 

 manifestation. According to the theory of 

 De Vries, that first flower might have been 

 "a sport,' 1 ' a sudden saltation- out of some 

 backward cryptogam toward floral perfection. 

 So, too, man has been accounted for. But we 

 have to think that both cases must go back to 

 Earth-life as the ultimate source of such mu- 

 tations. 



Thus the Plant has its historic evolution 



