102 OBJECT LESSONS IN BOTANY. 
germinates, grows, and bears leaves only ; and in its second 
year it blossoms, bears fruit, and dies. Such are the Beet 
and Radish. 
218. A perennial plant survives several or many years. 
There are herbaceous perennials and woody perennials. The 
herbaceous perennials, or perennial herbs, are such as survive 
the winter only by their roots or their parts which grow 
underground. These in Spring send up leaves, flowers, and 
and often stems, all of which perish in Autumn, leaving only 
the parts underground alive as before. Such are the Hop, 
Asters, Violets. 
214. Woody perennials survive the winter by their stems 
as well as roots, and usually grow several years before flow- 
ering, and thence flower annually during their existence. 
Aceoiding to their size, such plants are trees, shrubs, under- 
shrubs. A tree is the largest among plants, having a perma- 
nent, woody stem, usually unbranched below, and dividing 
into branches above. The Oaks, Elms, and Pines are famil- 
iar examples. 
215. A shrub is smaller than a tree, usually growing in 
clusters from one underground mass of roots. The Lilacs, 
Roses, Alders, are shrubs. Small shrubs, about of our own 
stature, as the Currants, Brambles, we call bushes. Very 
low shrubs, as the Blueberries, Box, &c., are undershrubs. 
213. Describe a perennial plant. Of what two sorts? Describe a peren- 
nial herb. 
215. A tree, a shrub, bush, undershrub,—how distinguished? To which 
of the above-mentioned sorts does the Cabbage belong? To which the Hol- 
lyhock? the Balsamine? Four-o’clock? To which the Tulip? Golden-rod? 
Lily? Pink? Quince? &. 
