PHANEROGAMIA. 251 



baskets, buckets, ropes, mats, cups, food, wine, and many- 

 other purposes. The Date-palm of the Mediterranean 

 region, the Palmyra Palm of Southern Asia, and the Sago- 

 palms of Siam and the Indian Archipelago are all food- 

 producing trees of great importance to the people of these 

 countries. 



527. The Bananas likewise furnish great quantities of 

 food to the natives of tropical countries. There are sev- 

 eral species and many varieties; all are large herbs with a 

 palm-like aspect, often 3 to 5 metres (10-15 feet) high. 

 Their fruits are borne at the summit of the stem, a large 

 flowering bud gradually unfolding and exposing clusters 

 of small flowers which produce the well-known fruits 

 (Fig. 139) 



Sub-Class II. The Dicottlbdons {JDiootyledones). 



528. The first leaves of the embryo are two and oppo- 

 site; hence they are said to have two cotyledons. The 

 venation of the leaves is for the most part such that the 

 veins are rarely parallel, and in joining one another they 

 form an irregular network. 



529. The germination of Dicotyledons may be illustrated 

 by the following examples. In the seed of the Windsor 

 Bean (Fig. 140) the embryo entirely fills up the seed- 

 cavity, the endosperm having all been absorbed. The 

 thick cotyledons lie face to face, and are attached below to 

 the small stem of the embryo-plant. The stem extends 

 upward a short distance between the cotyledons, bearing 

 a few rudimentary leaves and itself ending in a growing 

 point, the whole constituting the plumule. The downward 

 prolongation of the stem (commonly but erroneously called 



