CHAPTER VI. 



A STUDY OF LEAVES. 



How many can draw from memory leaf outlines of three dif- 

 ferent plants? From what plants were the leaves obtained for 

 the drawings on this page ? If you have never thought about 

 leaves, you will be surprised to find how many different shapes 

 there are, even on the same plant, and how differently they are 

 arranged on different plants. 



^o. — Trifoliate leaf. 



Fig. 51. — Paripinnate leaf. 

 (From Edmonds and Mar- 

 loth's '• Elementary Botany 

 for South Africa ".) 



Most leaves are green, but not every plant has leaves. 

 Mushrooms have none. Do all Mistletoes have leaves? 



In studying leaves, we may consider their forms, their parts 

 and positions on the stem, and see how they are all fitted to 

 do their work to the best advantage. 



What is a, leaf? It is sometimes difficult to know just how 



45 



