THE ROOT. 5 
caudex. This is the fasciculated root, of which the Melon (Fig. 7), 
the Wheat-plant, the Lily, and the Palms are examples. 
Fig. 6.—Tap-root of the Beet. Fig. 7.—Fasciculated root of Melon. 
This difference in the structure and constitution of the root 
must be taken into consideration under a great number of circum- 
stances. The old Fir-tree firmly anchored in the ground by its 
deep and spreading roots, braves the most violent storms, and even 
on the mountain-top resists the most terrible tempests. But the 
Fan-palm, whose fasciculated roots, spread themselves horizontally 
in the sand, is overthrown, beaten down by the wind, when it has 
reached the height of five or six feet. If the stem of this palm 
be artificially supported, it may attain, even in our climate, to a 
height of fifty or sixty feet. In front of the great amphitheatre 
in the Museum of Natural History at Paris, two Fan-palms thus 
