The American botanist and florist; including lessons in the structure, life, and growth of plants; together with a simple analytical flora, descriptive of the native and cultivated plants growing in the Atlantic division of the American union . ryo, the seed contains also its food in some form,provided for its first nourishment. 32. At length the genial warmth and moisture of the Springawakens the embryo, and it begins to feed and grow. The radi-cle protrudes the^slender rootlet (fig. 2, r), which turns down-ward, seeking the dark damp earth, avoiding the air and light,and forms the root or de
The American botanist and florist; including lessons in the structure, life, and growth of plants; together with a simple analytical flora, descriptive of the native and cultivated plants growing in the Atlantic division of the American union . ryo, the seed contains also its food in some form,provided for its first nourishment. 32. At length the genial warmth and moisture of the Springawakens the embryo, and it begins to feed and grow. The radi-cle protrudes the^slender rootlet (fig. 2, r), which turns down-ward, seeking the dark damp earth, avoiding the air and light,and forms the root or descending axis. The plumule, taking theopposite direction (fig. 3, jt;), ascends, seeking the air and light,and expanding itself to their influence. This constitutes thestem or ascending axis., bearing the leaves. Thus the acorngerminates.^ and the Oak enters upon the seco7id stage of itsexistence. 33. At first the ascending axis is merely a hud., that is, a grow-ing point clothed with and protected by little scales, the rudi-ments of leaves. As the growing point advances and its lowerscales gradually expand, into leaves, new scales successively ap-pear above. Thus the axis is always terminated by a bud. THE FOUR STAGES OF PLANT LIFE. 15. 34. By the growth of the terminal bud, the axis is simplylengthened in one direction, an undivided stem. But besidesthis, buds also exist, ready formed, in the axils of the leaves, onein each. These axillary buds, a part or all of them, may growand develop like the terminal bud, or they mayalways sleep, as in the simple-stemmed Mullein orPalm. But in growing they become branches^ andthese branches may, in turn, generate buds andbranchlets in the axils of their own leaves in likemanner. By the continued repetition of this simpleprocess, the vegetable fabric arises, ever advancingin the direction of the growing j^oints, clothingitself with leaves as it advances, and en-larging the volume of its axis, until itreaches the limit of being assigned by
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbotany, bookyear1870
