INTRODUCTION 7 



From the point of view of ' physiology the members 

 of a plant body may be divided, as already men- 

 tioned, into two heads, namely, Vegetative and 

 Reproductive. 



From the point of view of morphology they may be 

 classified under three heads, namely, root, stem, and 

 leaf. However much any member of the plant body 

 may differ in form from any of these three types, it is 

 ultimately reducible to one or other of them if we 

 examine into the mode of its origin, development, and 

 relative position. For example, the tendrils of matar 

 or Pea; the scales which enclose the buds of as- 

 wathwa or Peepul tree, bot or Banyan, kantal or 

 Jack-fruit tree, kala or Plantain, kachu (Colocasia); 

 the two halves of the seeds of Pea and Gram or 

 chhola which form our dal; the scales on ada or 

 Ginger, the scales of pianj or Onion ; and the petals 

 and other parts of a flower, although they appear to 

 be very different from leaves, are really modified 

 leaves. Similarly, aloo or Potato, kham-aloo and 

 chupri-aloo or Yams, haloed or Turmeric, although 

 they look like roots and grow under the ground like 

 the latter, are really stems. The Radish or moola, 

 Carrot or gajar, sata-moolee (Asparagus racemosus), 

 Turnip or salgum. Beet {Beta vulgaris), ranga-aloo 

 or Sweet-potato, shank-aloo {Pachyrhizus angulatus), 

 simool-aloo or kat-aloo (Cassava), &c., which re- 

 semble Potato, Yams, &c., so much, are not stems, 

 but real morphological roots. 



