42 $ 
VEGETABLE 0 RG AXIS ATI O X. 
though fallen indeed, and in himself powerless of good, is yet gifted 
with faculties by which he can investigate*, and in a measure compre¬ 
hend, the mighty work even of the high and lofty One, who sitteth 
upon the circle of the heavens, and inhabiteth eternity. 
(e The various species of the fern tribe—those leafy expansions, some 
of which rival even the mosses in elegance of form and delicacy of struc- 
ture, while others vie with the loftiest denizens of the tropical forests — 
are among those forms of vegetation, in the internal texture of which 
tubes or vessels, as well as cells, are found to exist. They constitute, 
as it were, the transition-link between the cellular and vascular plants, 
being allied to the latter in internal structure, while, in external con¬ 
figuration, and more especially in their fructification, they are inti¬ 
mately connected with the former. In that covering of herbage, the 
verdure and freshness of which gives such a charm to the rich scenery 
of the valleys and plains of our native country, we find many different 
kinds of plants. These are called Graminecs , or grasses, and resemble 
each other very closely in their general structure and appearance, con¬ 
stituting one of the most natural groups with which we are acquainted, 
They have, for the most part, fibrous roots, a tubular jointed stem, 
narrow ribbed leaves, and an elongated spike or panicle of flowers; 
in all which parts, whether root, stem, leaves, or flowers, we find the 
cellular structure to be combined with the vascular—vessels or tubes 
traversing in a longitudinal direction the general cellular texture of the 
plant. The same combination of vascular and cellular structure is 
found in the sedges and rushes, in the numerous species of Iris, in the 
lilies, the Orchidece, and others, constituting the first division of the 
flowering plants. To trace the connexions between the several families 
of the Vasculares, or to examine the gradations by which they insen¬ 
sibly pass into each other, is not necessary for our present purpose, 
since, in these more complex and highly organised forms of vegetation, 
there is a unity of structure prevailing, with certain modifications, 
throughout the w T hole. It will be sufficient if we examine the several 
parts or organs of which these plants consist, separately and in detail, 
pointing out, as w T e proceed, the modifications in the development of 
these several parts as they occur in plants of a higher or lower degree 
of organisation. 
“ The more important divisions of the vegetable organisation, as it 
exists in the more highly developed families of plants, are, the root, the 
stem and branches, the leaves, the flowers, the fruit, including the seed, 
and, lastly, bulbs and buds. 
“ The external characters of the root vary considerably. In grasses, 
as we have just observed, it is generally fibrous, sometimes creeping. 
