PART III: REPRODUCTION. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

 VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION. 



258. Introduction. — Having considered in Parts I and II 

 the structures and functions by which the nutrition of the 

 individual is secured, Part III is devoted to the consideration 

 of the structure and functions of some of the simpler repro- 

 ductive organs and the functions by which a succession of 

 similar individuals is insured. (For fuller discussion see 

 Plant Life. ) 



One of the fundamental powers of protoplasm is its ability 

 to produce new organisms as offspring from the older ones. 

 In the simpler plants the two great functions, nutrition and 

 reproduction, are often carried on by the same cell. This 

 must always be so in the unicellular plants. In the higher 

 plants, however, these two functions become completely 

 separated, organs being specialized for each, so that the 

 functions may be more certainly and efficiently performed. 



Any part capable of growing into a new individual may be 

 called a reproductive body, and the part on which or in which 

 it is produced is a reproductive organ. If the reproductive 

 bodies consist of one or two cells only, they are usually 

 called spores. If they are cell-masses, they are generally 

 called brood buds or gtmmce to distinguish them from ordi- 



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