lo PLANTS: THEIR NATURAL GROWTH 



Chinese-lantern plant ; a plant which, whether we consider the general growth, or the beauty of 

 the individual parts, is admirably adapted to art purposes. 



Whatever the number or arrangement of the. inner parts of a flower, the outer rmg is 

 always known, botanically, as the calyx ; though, from the occasional brilliancy of its colouring, 

 as in the Fuchsia, it may be mistaken by beginners for the corolla. Notwithstanding this, the 

 large and pink part of the Dielytra is the true corolla, hence care is necessary before a decision is 

 arrived at as to the real nature of the floral parts. In some plants the calyx is what is termed 

 caducous — a term derived from the Latin word cado, I fall ; when it falls away either before the 

 expansion of the flower, or when it has received its full development. The calyx of the Dielytra 

 is an illustration of this ; and we see others in the Scarlet Poppy (Papaver Rhcsas), so commonly 

 to be met with in our corn fields ; and in the Eschscholtzia Calif ornica, a garden flower of a 

 brilliant golden yellow colour; where the scarlet or, yellow parts respectively are, though ex- 

 ternal, petaloid ; the calyx, that in most flowers is more prominent than the corolla, having, in 

 these cases, dropped off" on the opening of the blossom. The corolla of the Dielytra is termed 

 gibbous (Lat. gibbus, a hump), on account of its distended appearance ; in the Columbine flower 

 (fig. 300) this is carried still further, and the flower becomes calcarate (Lat. calcar, a spur). Many 

 other names are given to various modifications of the form of the flower ; thus the flower of the 

 White Dead Nettle (Lamium album, fig. 35^ is termed bilabiate, literally two-lipped ; others are 

 termed campanulate, from their resemblance to a bell, as in fig. 144; others, again, like the 

 Bindweed blossom, are called infundibuliform, from the Latin word, infundibulum, a funnel. We 

 shall in passing through our illustrations find instances of many other such terms. 



PLATE 4. 



" II me semble qu'un des plus grands charmes de la Botanique est, apres celui de voir par soi-meme, celui de verifier ce 

 qu'ont vu les autres : donner sur le temoignage de mes propres yeux mon assentiment aux observations fines et justes d'un auteur 

 me paroit une veritable jouissance : au lieu que quand je ne trouve pas ce qu'il dit je suis toujours en inquietude si ce n'est pas moi 

 qui voit mal." — ROUSSEAU. 



In many of the old illuminations great richness of effect is produced by having either the 

 central portion of a leaf of a deeper colour than the rest, or sometimes by merely a band of colour, 

 as, for instance, deep blue on light blue, crossing the leaf at about midway from the apex and the 

 insertion of the stalk. Natural illustrations of this are seen in the foliage of several of the cul- 

 tivated species of Pelargonium. Fig. 37 is a representation of one of these leaves, wherein a form, 

 already rich in its contour, is still further enriched by the band of darker colour crossing it : the 

 flower of the Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus, fig. 39^ is another good example. All spotted, 

 blotched, striped or otherwise variegated leaves, as those of the Cuckoo Pint (Arum maculatum), 

 or spotted Persicaria (Polygonum Persicaria), are worthy of the study of the ornamentist, and will 

 often be found to have a suggestive value that will bear its fruit in his work. 



The remaining figures are given as illustrative of the great variety of forms seen amongst 

 leaves ; other examples will be found on the various plates ; even had we devoted the whole 

 of our sheets to leaf forms alone, we could have given but faint idea of the enormous variety to be 

 met with : some being long and narrow, like those of the Firs, needle-shaped or acicular (Lat. acus, 

 a. needle) ; others, like the Evening Primrose (^nothera biennis, fig. \o), broader in proportion to 

 their length, and termed lanceolate, from their resemblance to a lance-head. Some, like the Snow- 

 berry ( Symphoricarpus vulgaris), are oval in outline ; others, as the Daisy (Bellis perennis, fig. 75^, 

 or the London Pride (Saxifraga umbrosa), are spatulate or battledore-shaped. Such leaves as 

 those of the Corn Qovisro\Mxi\»,s (.Convolvulus arvensis, fig. 38 j, are termed hastate, from the re- 

 semblance of the form to a dart (Lat. hasta). When the leaf is of the character shown in fig. 43, 

 that of the Black Bryony (Tamus communis), it is termed cordate or heart-like, and if resembling 

 fig. 42, the leaf of the Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara), it is angular. When the lobes that we see in 

 fig. 38 are considerably longer, and thrown more backward, the leaf becomes sagittate, or arrow- 

 head-shaped — the leaf of the Arrowhead ( Sagittaria sagittifolia) is an excellent example. When 

 the leaf is broader than long, and with its basal lobes rounded, it becomes reniform or kidney- 

 shaped. When the stem, as in the Nasturtium or Indian Cress (Tropceolum majus), or in the 

 Marsh Pennywort ( Hydrocotyle vulgaris), is attached to the leaf at some distance from the 

 margin, a peltate or shield-like leaf is produced — (Lat. pelta, a shield). Peltate leaves are ordi- 

 narily very simple in form, but those of the Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis) are a marked 

 exception, being very rich in character. 



. Though ordinarily the central line of the leaf terminates in a more or less distinctly-marked 

 point, it has not always this feature, as there may even be in its stead a depression, more or less 



