158 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 
Fic. 38.—Stems of the rye, 
showing the knots or ‘‘ nodes.” 
(From the Vegetable World.) 
wind-swept fields, a pro- 
portionately large and 
heavy mass of bloom. 
Fine whitish ribs run 
all down the length of 
These 
give it 
the stem. are 
woody and 
strength, and further re- 
énforcements are lent by 
the bases of the leaves, 
which are wrapped around 
the stem, so as to en- 
close it in a series of 
sheaths. 
Each of these sheaths 
{/ has an opening all down 
its length, and is welded 
to the stem by its base 
and just at the 
the 
stem is solid and swells 
into a knot (Fig. 38). 
only, 
point of junction 
These knots or ‘‘nodes,”’ 
the 
also, 
and clasping  leaf- 
bases are closest 
together near the ground. 
