108 



GENERAL BOTANY 



On the high, more 

 open parts of the 

 hills the wild Rose, 

 and various species 

 of RUB us (Bramble) 

 straggle by the aid 

 of prickles in a 

 similar way, but 

 with the exception 

 of the climbing 

 Palms, none of these 

 thorn-stragglers, as 

 we may call them, 

 grow to any great 

 height. 



Turning now to 

 plants which may 

 really be said to 

 climb, and not 

 merely straggle over 



the others, we find that they attach themselves to 

 their supports by roots, petioles or tendrils. 



Examples of root-climbers are those thick-stemmed 

 climbers so common on large trees, in Indian gardens, 

 PHILODENDRON and POTHOS. These plants develop 

 on the side next to the supporting tree, numerous, 

 short roots, which are, of course, adventitious. That 

 they are roots and not a specialized form of some 

 other organ, is shown by the fact that they grow out 

 from inside the stem, breaking through the epidermis, 

 for this we learnt in chapter ii is a characteristic 

 of roots as distinguished from leaves or branches.. 



FIG. 21 

 A CALAMUS 



Part of the stem and of a leaf of a 

 climbing palm showing spines. 



