44 



GENERAL BOTANY 



nearly always be settled without any real difficulty 

 T}y noting the presence or absence of axillary buds. 

 For while, as we have already learnt, every leaf should 

 have in its axil at least the rudiments of a bud, there 

 is never one in that of a leaflet. 



For instance PHYLLANTHUS NIRURI (fig. 7), which 

 is such a common weed among grass in gardens, may 

 appear at first sight, to have alter- 

 nate compound leaves. But closer 

 examination shows that in the axils 

 of some at any rate of the apparent 

 leaflets arise small stalked flowers, 

 and on the axis, just below each 

 apparent leaf-stalk, there is a slight 

 ridge, a leaf-scar. So that the ap- 

 parent leaf -stalks are branches, and 

 the small blades, true leaves. Com- 

 pare CASSIA AURICULATA (fig. 5) 

 and INDIGOFERA ENNEAPHYLLA 

 (fig. 9). 



The main stalk (petiole) of a compound leaf is 

 generally called the rachis, and a compound leaf is 

 said to be pinnate or pinnately-compound if the leaf- 

 lets are borne on either side of the rachis. If they 

 radiate out from the end of the rachis, as in BOM- 

 BAX MALABARICUM and HEPTAPLEURUM, they are 

 called palmate or palmately compound (fig. 10). 



Very often the pinnate leaf is still further divided 

 as if it were itself made up of pinnate leaves. We 

 find this, for instance, in CAESALPINIA PULCHERRIMA 

 and in POINCIANA REGIA, the Gold-Mohur. The 

 leaf is then said to be bipinnate, and the groups of 



FIG. 9 



INDIGOFERA 



ENNEAPHYLLA 



