OF THE ROOT. 



35 



branches of a tree ; sofhe of these 

 branches penetrate to a great 

 depth in the earth, and others 

 creep almost horizontally near its 

 surface. Experiments have been 

 made, which show, that branches 

 by being buried in the soil may 

 become roots ; and roots, by be- 

 ing elevated in the atmosphere, 

 become branches covered with 

 foliage. We often see the upturn- 

 ed roots of trees, throwing out 

 leaves. Branching roots terminate in fibres or radicles ; these are 

 in reahty the proper roots, as they imbibe, through pores, the nour- 

 ishment which the plant derives from the earth. Nature furnishes 

 this nourishment in the moisture, and various salts, which are con- 

 tained in the soil. 



2d. Fibrous Boot, (Fig. 13.) This consists of 

 a collection of thread-Uke parts ; as in many 

 kinds of grasses, and most annual plants. The 

 fibres usually grow directly from the bottom of 

 the stem, as may easily be seen by pulling up a 

 handful of the most common grass. The fact 

 that grass of various kinds will live and flourish 

 in a soil too dry and barren to produce other 

 vegetation, is owing to the abundance of the 

 fibres, which absorb all the nourishment that the 

 ^' ground affords. 



Spindle Boot, (Fig. 14.) This is large at the top, 

 and tapering downward ; as carrots, radishes, and many 

 of the biennial plants. This root is not well provided 

 with the means of imbibing sustenance, on account of a 

 deficiency of radicles. That these are the agents, by 

 which the root is nourished, may be seen by immersing 

 a young radish in wat-^;- until every part is covered ex- 

 cept the radicles, the \ rbage will soon die ; — but if the 

 radicles of another r-i Ish are immersed in water, the 

 plant will live and look ii"sh for some time. The Spin- 

 dle Root is often forkr'._ a^.^ ^n the mandrake,* the divis- 

 ions of which are thoug-^ fo i.,:emble the lower part of 

 the human figure. Sometimes the spindle root instead 

 of terminating in a point, appears as if the end had been 

 cut or bitten oft"; this is called an abrupt root, or more 

 scientifically, premorse, (See Fig. 15,) which signifies 

 bitten. The violet and cowslip furnish example of this ♦ 

 kind of root. A foreign plant called the Devil's bit,t re- 

 ceived the name on account of its abrupt root ; it having 

 been superstitiously believed in former times, that as the 

 plant was useful for medicine, the devil, out of spite to 

 mankind, had bitten off the root. 



Fig. 14, 



• Atropa mandragora. The word mandrake is said to be derived from the German 

 lUandragen, resembling man. 

 t Scabiosa succisa, or a kind of Scabious. 



Fibrous roots— Spindle root — Importance of radicles— Forked spindle root — Pre- 

 morse root. 



