56 



STEMS 



Branches which, like those of Myrsiphyllum, so closely re- 

 semble leaves as to be almost indistinguishable from them are 

 called dadopliylls, meaning branch leaves. 



69. The range of modification of the stem. The stem may 

 reach a length of many hundred feet, as in the tallest trees, in 

 the great lianas of South American forests, or in the rattan of 

 Indian jungles. On the other hand, in such plants as the prim- 

 rose and the dandelion the stem may be reduced to a fraction 



FIG. 52. Stem of Myrsiphyllum 



I, scale-like leaves; cl, cladophyll, or leaf-like branch, growing in the axil of the 

 leaf; ped, flower stalk, growing in the axil of a leaf 



of an inch in length. It may take on apparently root-like forms, 

 as in many grasses and sedges, or become thickened by under- 

 ground storage of starch and other plant food, as in the iris, the 

 potato, and the crocus. Condensed forms of stem may exist 

 above ground, or, on the other hand, branches may be flat and 

 thin enough closely to imitate leaves. In short, the stem mani- 

 fests great readiness in adapting itself to the most varied con- 

 ditions of existence. 



