14 Traces of Unity in Plants. 



seed, and the bud : and when his work is done not much 

 is left to be done by others. Indeed, I know of no 

 readier way of reaching the very heart of the subject 

 under consideration than by taking the volume in which 

 the results of this examination are recorded, and by 

 jotting down, without any comment, short memoranda 

 by doing, in short, what I now proceed to do without 

 any further preamble. 



The cotyledons, or seminal leaves, are soon disposed 

 of. They may be fleshy and little like leaves, or they 

 may be so distinctly foliaceous as to be fully entitled to 

 be named seminal leaves. In many instances, also, 

 during germination, they become more leaf-like in form 

 and colour as well as in structure, and now and then, as 

 in the Vicia faba, this likeness is increased by the 

 presence of buds in their axils. In a word, there is little 

 difficulty in coming to the conclusion that these organs 

 can be nothing else than modified leaves. 



The plumule is evidently the first distinct effort of 

 the young plant leaf-wards. In the case of the cotyle- 

 don there may often be doubt as to the leaf-nature of 

 this part ; in this case there can be none, the resemblance 

 extending beyond shape and colour and structure to the 

 manner of connection with the node. 



Ordinary leaves differ infinitely in their appearance, 

 but they all agree in being leaves. Simple leaves are 

 connected on all sides, by numberless intermediate 

 forms, with compound leaves. A leaf which is simple 

 at one time or in one case may be compound at another 

 time or in another case, or vice versd. The leaf of the 

 date palm (Phcenix dactiliferd), as simple as a blade of 

 maize at first, ends by becoming in the very highest 

 degree compound. The leaf of the common water 

 crowfoot (Ranunculus aquatilis] is simple in the air and 



