58 



PRACTICAL BOTANY 



55. Leaves of apparently stemless plants. Many plants have 

 a stem so short that they are commonly spoken of as stemless. 

 Most of these are perennials, such as the Iceland poppy, the 

 common plantain, the true primroses (Primula), and the dan- 

 delion. There are also numerous biennials, such as the parsnip, 



the carrot, some 

 species of wild let- 

 tuce, many evening- 

 primroses ( (Eno- 

 thera), and other 

 plants, which form 

 a tuft of leaves close 

 to the ground the 

 first year and then 

 send up a leafy 

 stem which flowers 

 and fruits the sec- 

 ond year. Such a 



FIG. 43. Wild ginger, an apparently stemless plant 



A, the entire plant, with running rootstock ; B y top view of flower ; (7, lengthwise 

 section of flower ; I, limb of calyx ; o, ovary. Reduced 



tuft of leaves as that of the dandelion or the evening primrose 

 (Fig. 42) is called a rosette, and plants in which the appar- 

 ently stemless condition, with a cluster of radiating leaves, is 

 permanent are known as rosette plants. Many of these are 

 natives of alpine regions, and some, such as the century plant 

 (Agave, Fig. 62), are found in hot, dry climates. Quite generally 

 the shape of the leaves in rosette plants secures economy of 



