CALYCIFLOR^ 211 



(even though the carriage goes on moving). On your 

 ordering the carriage to stop, the timid leaves, not 

 prepared for so sudden a change, suddenly drop down. 

 Touch the leaf-stalk near the stem upon its under 

 surface and the whole leaf will gradually move down, 

 without the leaflets closing; touch one of the leaflets, 

 and all the leaflets below it will close, while those 

 above will remain expanded." 



The pinnate leaves of most of the Leguminosce as- 

 sume different positions, during day and night. The 

 leaflets are spread almost horizontally during the day, 

 to catch as much sunlight as possible; during night 

 the leaflets fold upwards or downwards in pairs, with 

 their upper faces closely approximated. This is known 

 as the "sleep-movement" or nyctitropism. This 

 movement seems, on a closer inspection, to be a 

 protective arrangement against deposit of dew, which 

 would stop evaporation (transpiration), and thus stand 

 in the way of food manufacture. The pulvini men- 

 tioned above are the motile organs. 



Nat. Order 2. Rosacece. — Most abundant in tem- 

 perate regions. The common plants are the various 

 species of golap or Rose. The Apple, Pear, Plum, 

 Peach, Apricot, Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry, &c., 

 well-known fruits of the temperate regions, are im- 

 ported into Calcutta from Europe and also from the 

 Himalayas. The Loquat or loquat-phal of Calcutta 

 {Eriobotrya japonica) is a small tree cultivated near 

 Calcutta for its fruit. The hip of the Rose (see fig. 

 133) is its fruit, consisting of a jug-shaped thalamus 

 lined internally by the minute free carpels, which look 

 like and are mistaken for seeds. It is somewhat simi- 

 lar in structure to the fig, but the fig is the product of 

 an inflorescence, while the hip of the Rose is the pro- 

 duct of a single flower. Indian Strawberry {Fragaria 



