42 



LJ!SSOJVS WITH PLANTS 



green -briar is seen in Fig. 40, and upon this the 

 base of the old leaf-stalk still remains {a). That 

 is, the leaf did not fall by separating from the 

 trunk, but by the breaking of its stalk. This 

 curious behaviour of the smilax will suggest the 

 palmetto to those who live in the south. Fig. 41 

 shows a portion of the crown of one of these 

 palms. It is seen that the leaves have broken 



midway of the stalks, 

 and the old bases still 

 remain-. After a time, 

 these bases split and 

 the halves spread apart, 

 giving the tree a pecu- 

 liar criss-cross appear- 

 ance ; and finally they 

 loosen and fall, exposing 

 the smaller cylinder of 

 the hard trunk. 



39o. The pupil should now 

 examine the methods of leaf- 

 easting in all the plants which 

 he meets. The articular method 

 will be found to be the rule in 

 all common trees and bushes in 

 the north, and in such herbs as 

 pigweeds, hollyhocks, the mints 

 (like catnip), golden-rod, aster, and the like. The non-articular way- 

 will be found, as a rule, in the palms, green-briars, sedges, lilies, 

 eannas, grasses, Indian com and cereal grains, and so on. We shall 

 subsequently find that these plants represent two great groups of the 



Pig. 42. 

 Twigs of three hickories. 



