CHAP, i.] PLANT ARCHITECTURE. 5 



phases, the vegetative, and the reproductive. All the 

 various functions performed for the well-being of the 

 individual, as the assimilation of food, respiration, pro- 

 tection, etc., belong to the vegetative phase, whereas the 

 reproductive phase is concerned with the formation of 

 specialized portions of the individual which, under 

 favourable conditions, possesses the power of growing 

 into an organism resembling the parent. In the plant 

 world several modes of reproduction are known which 

 will be described at a later stage. 



Other peculiarities less pronounced might also be 

 given as distinguishing living bodies from all forms of 

 inorganic matter, but growth or increase in size by the 

 method defined above, and reproduction, have no parallel 

 in inorganic nature. 



A statement to the effect that plants and animals are 

 so closely related to each other that in numerous instances 

 it is difficult if not impossible to say with certainty to 

 which of the two groups a given organism belongs, would 

 doubtless be considered as a romance of science, and not 

 intended to be literally accepted ; nevertheless, such is the 

 actual condition of things. The cause for doubting such 

 a statement depends on the fact that those plants and 

 animals most familiar to the unscientific person represent 

 respectively the most perfectly developed forms belong- 

 ing to each group, that is, they have the plant or animal 

 peculiarities strongly pronounced, and consequently are 

 in reality very dissimilar both in general structure and 

 appearance, and if such highly developed plants and 

 animals were alone known to us, in all probability no 

 one would ever have suspected the close affinity between 

 the two groups; but if we trace animals and plants 



