USES OF LEAVES. 69 



cases. Ill the bread-fruit the stipules will 

 easily be seen to protect the young leaves, 

 and when this work is done they fall, bein^ of 

 no further use. In many plants, for instance 

 the hibiscus, the stipules are very small and 

 look, at first sight, mere useless structures. 

 Examination of the bud often shows that their 

 real use is here, where they are large in com- 

 parison with the young leaves and serve to 

 cover and protect them. 



3. The examples of leaf-buds mentioned 

 so far are all of plants which are almost con- 

 tinually growing. There are also numerous 

 plants which grow for only a portion of the 

 year and then lie dormant for a time usually 

 the dry season. The mahogany tree is an 

 example of such a plant and during the dry 

 season each of its shoots has at its apex a bud 

 which is completely covered over by brown 

 scales, which are in reality special leaves whose 

 only function is to protect the young delicate 

 parts beneath. When the wet weather comes 

 these scale-leaves are burst aside, and the bud 

 gives rise to a new shoot with ordinary green 

 leaves. In climates where the trees have to 

 withstand a winter these resting-buds are 

 much more common and very elaborate and 

 beautiful methods of packing up the young 



