6 PLANTS: THEIR NATURAL GROWTH 



botanlcally, called irregular. In the Snow-drop, as the outer and inner rings of parts, though 

 different in size and form as compared with each other, are similar in themselves, the perianth is 

 termed regular. The Snow-drop may be found throughout Britain, in pastures and woods, as, 

 though not really indigenous it has become thoroughly naturalized. The cross^ section of the 

 ovary, like that of many other flowers, is very ornamental in form. The ovary is the enlarged 

 base of the pistil or central organ of the flower, and contains the ovules or future seeds. The 

 ovary of the Snow-drop, like that of the Yellow Iris and Hyacinth, is technically called trilocular, 

 as it is divided into three cells : it is shown in fig. 17. In fig. 8 we have another graceful form, 

 the trilocular ovary of the Vellozia elegans, a native of Natal. A very beautiful ovary section is 

 also seen in fig. 15, that of the common Primrose (Primula vulgaris). 



Geometry enters so largely into ornamental art that it is interesting to see how freely, too, 

 it may be met with in natural forms ; not only the ovaries, but many other parts of plants being 

 frequently geometric in form. A very good example of this is seen in fig. i — a section of the 

 stem of the Stapelia Hystrifc — the bristly-flowered Stapelia, a native of South-East Africa. At 

 fig. 16 we have what we may term an architectural stem-section, being that of a shaft from Dor- 

 chester, Oxfordshire ; but as we shall have occasion to refer at greater length to stem sections, in 

 considering plate 5, we shall defer further comment until then. 



PLATE 2. 



" I meditate on all Thy works ; I muse on the work of Thy hands." — PSALM cxiiii. 5. 



The central illustration (fig. 22) represents a flowering steiji of the great Mullein (Ver- 

 bascum Thapsus). The whole plant grows to a height of about five feet, and is somewhat similar 

 to the more familiar Foxglove in its mode of growth. The lower leaves, while similar in general 

 form to those shown, are much larger than any we have been able to represent in the limited 

 space at our disposal. The Mullein is subject to considerable variation, in some plants the spike 

 of flowers being much denser than here shown. The leaves are thick, and very woolly in texture. 

 The plant is not uncommonly found on banks, and in the hedgerows, on sandy, gravelly, or cal- 

 careous soil. It is a characteristic of the order to which the Mullein belongs, that all the plants 

 have their flowers bi-symmetrlcal : in some species, as in Snapdragon, Rattle, Foxglove, this is 

 very marked, and in the present example it must be noted that, though the blossoms are almost 

 multi-symmetrical, they, nevertheless, are bi-symmetrical, as a closer observation of the plant 

 shows. The V. Thapsus is beautifully introduced in a picture — " The Legend of St. Giles and 

 the wounded Hart," by Lucas Van Leyden. The familiar name is derived from mollio, to soften, 

 in allusion to the texture of the foliage. The remaining illustrations on the plate are given as 

 affording good examples of natural multi-symmetrical or bi-symmetrical forms. 



Symmetry is one of the most beautiful in its results of any of the principles of ornament ; 

 for, however simple or poor a form may be in itself, if it but forms part of a symmetrical arrange- 

 ment, it at once becomes more pleasing than when viewed alone. We see this very well 

 illustrated in the kaleidoscope, wherein very rich and beautiful forms are produced by the reflec- 

 tion and symmetrical arrangement of rough, irregular pieces of glass that, in themselves, are 

 worthless, and powerless to please. 



Symmetry shows itself in a general beauty of proportion, and balance of masses in a com- 

 position, or, in a more limited sense of the word — the sense in which we here use it — in the likeness 

 of one half or part to another in a design ; thus we speak of an ornamental composition being 

 bi-symmetrical or tri-symmetrical, if it can be reduced into two or three similar parts ; or multi- 

 symmetrical, if it goes beyond this, as in many designs based on a circle. There may be 

 symmetry of the grand divisions of a design, whether architectural or ornamental, with continuous 

 variation as a principle in the details, and this is the nobler form of symmetry ; where a general 

 harmony and balance are felt in the composition, and yet a constantly recurring variation in the 

 filling in of the details, entailing more thought, careful labour, and ingenuity in the designer than 

 any mere repetition of parts. 



The higher the order of the work, the less must the mechanical symmetry become ob- 

 trusive ; for instance, in a church window moulding, the cusps on one side should just agree in 

 position and be identical in form with those on the other ; but in the stained glass, occupying the 

 field of the window itself, the apostles or martyrs must, while maintaining due unity of grouping, 

 show also variety of position and action. You can put two similar leaves back to back, and the 

 effect may be good ; but if you try and put two figures — angelic or human, or even of the lowlier 

 animals — back to back in exact symmetry, you will find in the result that you have only degraded 



