THE STUDY OF THE DANDELION. 19 



The roots of the dandelion are then adapted to their 

 environment : 



First. By having a strong, tough tap-root to serve as 

 a holdfast. 



Second. By having a thickened, somewhat fleshy root 

 to serve as a storehouse for food. 



Third. By having a multitude of hairy or fibrous 

 rootlets, with many branches growing out in all direc- 

 tions, to absorb moisture and food from the soil ; these 

 are fitted, by their manner of growth and sensitiveness, 

 for their work of absorption. 



The dandelion root is, then, more than a " cylindrical 

 or conical tap-root, exogenous, with a milky liquid." 

 It is a holdfast, a storehouse, a purveyor and absorber of 

 food for the plant. 



The leaves we have described as " radical, alternate, 

 runcinate, .pinnately veined, glabrous." Is that all? 

 Let us ask not merely, " What are they ? ", but, "What 

 do they do? ". They grow from the upper end of the 

 tap-root (apparently), forming together a circle : this is 

 flat on the ground, or saucer-shaped ; or, in high grass, 

 cup- or cone-shaped. (See frontispiece.) The leaves al- 

 ternate so as to leave few open spaces, yet do not cover 

 one another. Nearly all of each leaf is exposed to the 

 sun. If we watch them in a rainstorm we shall see that 

 they are so arranged that nearly all of the rain which 

 falls on them is directed downward and inward toward 

 the root. The arrangement of veins (venation) aids in 

 this. The veins are a system of troughs, or ditches, 

 directing the water to the root. The leaves, then, are 



