972 Marvels of the Universe 
DHE PROGBIT 
BY JOHN J. WARD, F.E.S. 
THE Frogbit is one of the prettiest and most interesting plants in the British flora. Let us, on this 
autumn afternoon, hie to the pond where it lives, and peep into the marvels of its economy. In 
so doing, we shall discover that this curious little plant prepares for winter just as surely as do the 
water-beetles, the large newts, the frogs, some of the snails, and other aquatic creatures now hiding 
amongst its floating leaves ; indeed, we shall find that it hibernates just like its animal compeers, 
coming out with them again in the spring-time. 
In the first place, we observe that it is a floating plant, its roots, thickly clothed with root-hairs, 
merely being suspended like streamers in the water below. Its whole weight is carried by its flat 
BRONTOPS 
This ancient forerunner of the Rhinocercs stood ten feet high at the withers, and was about fifteen feet in length. Our 
illustration is after the restoration by Marsh. 
leaves, which rest upon the surface. Like the water-lilies, and most plants which grow in the open 
pool or river, its leaves approach a circular form, for that shape is the best adapted for buoying 
up the plant ; and, as space in such situations is of no consequence, each leaf can spread out its tissues 
to the sunlight undisturbed ; for the plants of the open waters are few, and there is little or no 
competition for air and sunlight amongst them, as in the case of their crowded neighbours on the 
land. 
So we find the Frogbit’s leaves spreading out often larger than a five-shilling piece in diameter, 
which is a comparatively large size for so small a plant. Above, the leaves are of a bright green, 
but early in the year, and in shady and cool places, their submerged sides are reddish purple, 
a feature which at once indicates that the plant needs warmth. Such purple colouring in plants is 
generally associated with tender tissues, for it possesses the special property of absorbing light rays 
and converting their energy into that of heat. If we think for a moment of the large number of 
plants which in their buds, catkins, and early stages show red and purple colouring, we can then 
