76 



FIEaT STUDIES IN PLANT LIFE 



14. Leaves named according to their position on 

 the stem. Some leaves, again, as those of the peri- 

 winkle, are set on the stem in pairs opposite to one 

 another, and these are called opposite leaves (fig. 

 51). In a few plants, several leaves spring out at one 



Spear-head leaf. 



Shield-like leaf. 



Alternate leaves, 



point, all round the stem, making a kind of leaf- wheel 

 which is called a whorl (fig. 52). 



15. Some leaves again, are smooth, others hairy. 

 The hairs differ much on different leaves, so that 

 some feel rough as you touch them, others soft, and 

 others velvety. 



16. When a leaf is cut up into distinct leaflets, it 

 is called a compound leaf (fig. 53) ; if less cut than 

 this, as in the fig tree (fig. 45), it is called a simple leaf. 



