54 Plants and their Ways in South Africa 



grooves of the corrugated paper, and when you let go they 

 expand so as to fit fairly tight. 



"Now put leaf i near the middle, pointing to one of the 

 fifths ; go round the spiral, and put the next leaf facing the 

 second fifth from the first ; and so on, till you have some 

 twenty leaves in position. The phyllotaxy then becomes 

 evident. 



Fig. 63. — Scabioia. The cut upper F"iG. 64. — Branch of Rhus, showing the 

 leaves allow the light to penetrate simple leaf at the base of each branch, 

 helow. 



" If you have not twisted the spiral too tight, the central 

 portion will be found to be moveable. Push it down to 

 show a rosette of radical leaves ; push it up to show a stem. 



"The stem is very conical, even comical, but the rosette is 

 almost an improvement on Nature. 



" By taking coloured leaves for sepals and petals, wax- 



