BOTANY 



PABT I THE PLANT ITSELF 



CHAPTER I 



THE PLANT AS A WHOLE 



1. A plant is a living, growing thing. It partakes of 

 the soil and air and sunshine. It propagates its kind and 

 covers the face of the earth. It has 



much with which to contend. It makes 

 th- most of every opportunity. We 

 shall learn its parts, how it lives, and 

 how it behaves. 



2. THE PARTS OF A PLANT. Our 



familiar plants are made up of several $ \ \ \% " 

 distinct parts. The most prominent of\ \ , 

 these parts arc root, stem, leaf, flower, 

 fruit and seed. Fig. '1. Familiar plants 

 differ wonderfully in sizi and shape, 

 tVoin fragile mushrooms, delicate water- 

 weeds and pond-scums, to floating leaves, 

 soft grasses, coarse weeds, tall hushes, 

 slender climbers, gigantic trees, and 



hanging moss. See frontispiece. 



3. THE STEM PART. In mosl plants 



there is a main central part or shaft on 

 which the other or secondary parts are 



A (1) 



U 



j. A Km tensup plant . 

 viii.u mi; the varioui parta. 



