PHANEROGAMIA : AXIAL ORGANS. 229 



The mode of speaking in question is altogether without scientific 

 ground in another aspect. Calamus, culmus, scapus, &c., are quite 

 isolated phenomena, occurring in certain plants, isolated groups, some- 

 times not in the whole of the group, and therefore they do not belong to 

 general Botany, but merely to quite special parts of it. The Grasses 

 have special forms of stem just like most other families, and it is merely 

 a proof of logical confusion when a part of these forms are treated as 

 something general in general Botany, which, if (as, however, has never 

 happened) they are not designated as Monocotyledonous stems, have no 

 marks of distinction from many other forms, nor even as Monocotyle- 

 donous, if, for instance, we place together the stem of Mays and Trades- 

 cantia. General Botany has nothing to do with all these peculiarities, 

 and to treat them here, instead of directing attention to the fundamental 

 laws of the development of form, is but a certain means of wholly con- 

 fusing the learner, and giving him a barren host of words under the 

 name of science. 



Hence arise the many wholly fruitless contests, with which time and 

 paper are wasted, as to whether a thing is calamus, scapus, &c. I am 

 inclined to look upon those who would wish to distinguish them as if 

 they said : calamus is the scapus on the Cyperacece, &c. Every dis- 

 cussion, without strictly scientifically defined conceptions, remains ever a 

 useless bandying of words, necessarily devoid of results. Just one example 

 may be brought forward here. Link * says : " The main stock (caudex) 

 consists of parts growing upwards, which are called trunk and stem ; and 

 of parts growing downwards, the roots. The main trunk is that de- 

 veloping from the embryo ; those which are developed from the buds are 

 exactly like this, are called branches, and also grow upwards. Flowering 

 stalks are branches, f The trunk grows upwards after it has taken root, 

 since originally the germ grows downward J, sends out roots , then it 

 directs its other extremity upwards and grows in that direction, having 

 grown downward previously." || Next come definitions of the ramification 

 of the trunk. " The direction of the ascending trunk is at first vertical, 

 but it not unfrequently takes another direction afterwards." Different 

 directions of the trunk and branches : " The length of the true \. trunk is 



Structure, closed (or definite) vascular bundles. Axes : a, with undeveloped internodes, 

 1, 2, and the rest of the varieties; 6, with developed internodes, 1, 2, &c. varieties. 

 H, Dicotyledons. Structure, unlimited vascular bundles. Axes: a, with undeveloped 

 internodes, 1, 2, &c. varieties; b, with developed internodes, 1, 2, &c. For the sake of 

 convenience, I have here united Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons in the consideration 

 of single organs ; and thus arises, but only apparently, the inconsequence that the 

 division of the axes, according to closed or unlimited vascular bundles, appears to be 

 more general and distinct than the morphological ; but, as I say, it is only apparent, 

 since the closed and unlimited vascular bundles give no principle of distinction at all 

 for axial structures, but a distinction in the structure of the entire groups of plants. I 

 mention this expressly here to avoid the accusation of inconsequence. 



* Elem. Phil. Bot. ed. 2. vol. i. pp. 53. 221, et seq. 



f What, then, is the branch of the Weeping Ash ? what the horizontal rhizoma ? what 

 are runners ? what the flowering stalks of Arachis hypogcea, &c. ? None of which grow 

 upward. 



{ Untrue : only the root, not the germ. 



Untrue : most embryos have already a distinct root, which merely elongates. 



|| Untrue ; since what grew downward (the root) never grows upward, and what 

 grows upward has never grown downward. 



4- Apparently only inserted to substantiate the meaningless statement which succeeds, 

 since there is nothing about a division into true and false fitems in the whole book, 

 lie-sides, it directly contradicts what goes In-fore; since the piimary trunk of the em- 



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