INTRODUCTION 7 



based upon the comparative method of study as 

 applied to plants and their members. 1 



To put the distinction shortly, while, as we have 

 seen, physiology asks the question what each part of a 

 plant does, morphology inquires what it is. The word 

 " morphology " means the " study of form," but this 

 literal meaning, as so often happens with scientific 

 terms, gives a very imperfect idea of what is really 

 implied. External form, at any rate, is quite an 



Fio. 3. Conical root of FIG. 4. Fleshy root 



Bryony. Reduced. of Tumi p. Reduced. 



(After Balfour. ) (After Balfour. ) 



insignificant part of the subject of morphology, which 

 is much more concerned with internal structure, 

 relative position of parts, and the changes which they 

 undergo during development. By the accurate com- 

 parison of plants in all their members, morphology 

 aims at finding out the relationships between them 



1 The word "members" rather than "organs" is used here, because 

 morphology, strictly speaking, is not concerned with function. 



