THE 



AMERICAN NATURALIST 



Vol. LV. September- October, 1921 No. 640 



THE EELATION BETWEEN BODY SIZE AND 

 ORGAN SIZE IN PLANTS^ 



DR. EDMUND W. SINNOTT 

 Connecticut Agricultural College 



' In the animal kingdom, particularly among its more 

 highly specialized members where the primitive condition 

 of indefinite multiplication of similar organs hag given 

 way to a high degree of differentiation, there is neces- 

 sarily a close correlation between the size of a given 

 organ and the size of the organism of which it forms a 

 part. A particularly large individual will tend to have 

 proportionally large bodily structures, and vice versa. In 

 the case of the liiglior plants, however, with their multi- 

 plicntl.)!! .if similar or-ini-^ and tliciv notablv hnver 

 degivr „f ..,-ani/.ali<Mi and iii.li vidiiati.m. an intcnle- 



much less obvidii-. We need only to call to mind the 

 general siniilarily hetwciMi leaves or fruits from small 

 and from hirgc tucs to realize that in these larger, woody 

 plants, at lea-t. there is no very striking correlation be- 

 tween the >i/.e of the Itody and the size of it< ])arts. In 

 certain herhaceon- form-, however. I'vidence has from 

 time to time hccn l)ron,uhl forwaid that >neh a correla- 

 tion doe- in faet exi>t an<l that the hiruest ])lants 

 (whether mea>nre(l hy <lry weight, height, nnmi.er of 

 stalk- or yiehl) are rhn>,. ^v!li(■h bear the h'U-e-t fruits 

 and seed-. T\n' importane.' of snrh a eoriehi-ion on the 

 theory an. I praetiee o\ -rr.l s.-hrti.m i> .•videiit : an.l the' 



385 



