THE STATUBE AND BABIT OF PLANTS 393 



a characteristic frame-work or habit of branching. 

 There are great diflEerences between trees in winter 

 as well as in summer, and if the pupil once be- 

 gins to detect them he will enjoy trees even when 

 they are leafless. 



499. The root system of the orchard -grass is 

 shown in Fig. 412. It is fibrous and spreading, 

 not reaching deep into the ground. The root sys- 

 tem of clover (Fig. 413) is essentially vertical. The 

 plant has a tap-root or leader, which strikes deep 

 into the soil. Salsify (Fig. 382), turnip, carrot, 

 horse-radish, beet, also have tap-roots, but they 

 are tuberous or fleshy. We have seen (493) that 

 the perennial part in herbaceous plants is subter- 

 ranean. This part is sometimes stem, — as in bulbs 

 and rhizomes, — and sometimes root ; and this root 

 may be tuberous (horse-radish), fibrous and spread- 

 ing (Fig. 412), or fibrous and tap-rooted (Fig. 413). 

 We have learned, then, that the roots of plants, as 

 well as their tops, have characteristic habits. 



499a. In these two Observations we have classified plants in 

 respect to the texture of the plant-body, and to duration and habit. 

 We may fill out the synopsis as follows : 



In respect to texture of the plant-body — 

 Herhs, sometimeE 



suffruteseent, or slightly woody near the ground. 

 Woody plant's, sometimes 



frutesoent (or suffruticose), herbaceous above, but deci- 

 dedly woody below. 



