72 THE PHENOMENON OF 



Hieracium vulgatmn, Scabiosa Columbaria, Swertia peren- 

 nis, Jconitum Lycoctonum, &c. ; examples of the second 

 in Orchis glohosa and maculata, Canna, Hieracium 

 subaudum, Gentiana germanica, Bocconia cordata, Aco- 

 nitum NapeUus, Helleborus fatidus, and Ruta graveolens. 

 Under these circumstances, when the number of leaves is 

 great, the increase and decrease are often very gradual, 

 as for instance, in most species of Linaria, Linum, 

 PMow, &c. Thus in P/dox panicidaia, where the sprout 

 begins with pairs of half- embracing subterraneous cata- 

 phyllary leaves, 1 — 3 lines long, and rounded off at the 

 top, we see above ground about thirty pairs of broadly 

 lanceolate, acuminated euphyllary leaves, which are only 

 about I embracing, and attain their greatest length, of 

 about 3 inches, somewhere near half-way up the stem, 

 from which point they decrease, at first almost imper- 

 ceptibly, more rapidly in the inflorescence, and finally 

 pass into the hypsophyllary formation. The last finely- 

 pointed hypsophyllary leaves are only about 3 lines long 

 and scarcely \ embracing. In other cases the leaf- 

 formation ascends to its maximum by a few large steps, 

 sinking down again as quickly, as for instance, in Hydro- 

 pliyllum canadense. This plant bears upon its condensed 

 lower-stem (rhizome) which creeps on the surface of the 

 ground, distichously arranged, thick, fleshy, persistent, 

 cataphyllary scales from i to | an inch long ; the last two 

 scales of the sprout* usually pass at their points into a 

 petiole- and blade-formation, and therefore are already 

 the first euphyllary leaves, distinguished however from 

 the following by their persistent fleshy scale-base. These 

 first two euphyllary leaves are already developed in 

 autumn before the sprout shoots up ; the first is often 

 only rudimentary, the second longer and stronger, at- 

 taining a height of 3 to 6 inches. These are followed 



* That is to say, iu case it has sufficient force to blossom. Young plants, 

 and tlie weaker lateral shoots of older ones, alternate for several years 

 between euphyllary and cataphyllary formation, like the examples men- 

 tioned at pp. 54-55. 



