THE STEM AND THE LEAF 



73 



on vertical and on horizontal branches, that they lie flatways 

 to the sun and do not overshadow each other. The way in 

 which these results are secured in the case of opposite leaves 

 is well shown in figures 39, 52, and 53. 



71. Rosette plants. Some plants, such as the dandelion and 

 the plantains, have then- leaves spread out in the form of a 



FIG. 56. Poison ivy, a root climber 

 Reduced 



rosette at the top of an extremely short stem, which people 

 usually suppose to be the crown of the root. Rosette-formers 

 and some other kinds of plants (figs. 54 and 55) are therefore 

 often incorrectly said to be stemless. During the first year 

 of growth from the seed a good many biennials, like the com- 

 mon evening primrose (fig. 55), beets, carrots, and parsnips, 

 form a more or less perfect rosette crowning a stout, fleshy 

 root. The second year they produce a tall, leafy stem, then 

 blossom and bear seeds. In rosette plants the leaf is usually 



