14 S'l'UDIKS OF ,s'A;A.7J,S' JM) sFKDLINdM 



Pluiuerogains avid Cryplugains have iiiucli in conimon, 

 as has just been stated : the highest Cr^'ptogaius closely 

 resemble the lowest Phanerogams. Yet the latter, as a 

 whole, form a well-marked group by themselves. One 

 mark of dislinction may be stated thus : — 



Phanerof/diiioiis plants i/row J'roiii seed and bear flowers 

 declined to the p>'^'-^'"'tuin of seed. I>y many recent 

 antliorities they have been termed Seed Plants, or Sper- 

 matophytes ; and this designation is more signilicant tlian 

 the earlier and commoner one of flowering plants. 



The reproduction of Cryptogams is carried on by means 

 of spores, bodies very much smaller and simpler than the 

 smallest and most rudimentary seed. The spores contain 

 no ready-formed plants. They go through a series of 

 changes, quite unlike anything to be observed in the 

 germination of seeds, before the form of the plant whicji 

 gave rise to them is reproduced. The pollen of flowering- 

 plants, which ]nust be familiar even to those who liave 

 paid little or no attention to plant structure, closely 

 resembles the spores of the flowerless plants. This ma}' 

 enalile one to see, at a single glance, the wide difference 

 between spores and seeds. 



The Members of a Complete Plant 



The seedlings studied in the last Exercise were com- 

 plete plants. Phey were provided with all necessary 

 organs of vegetation. All phanerogamous plants con- 

 sist of (1) root, and (2) shoot ; the sho<jt consisting of 

 (a) stem, and (h) leaf. It is true that some excej)- 

 tional plants, in maturity, lack leaves, or lack roots. 

 These exceptions are few. The parts of the phanerogams 

 studied are to be assigned to root, stem, or leaf. l^et 

 it be imderstood that when in the studies on flowering 

 plants the rpiestion is asked, " AVliat is the morphology, 

 or nature, of this part?" this is equivalent to asking, 

 " Is the part in question of the nature of i-oot, or of 

 stem, or of leaf ? " 



