the common crocus, of which a is the fibrous root-b the corm, which may be taken to re

6. Underground stem, or, as it is commonly called, bulb, or root, of the common crocusa, proper fibrous root-b, the

present the stem, and c, c, buds springing from that stem, and unfolding into leaves and flowers. Another form of stem usually considered as an underground one, is such as we find in the lily of the valley, or more conspicuously in the iris-Fig. 7.

To proceed to what Our readers will have less difficulty corm, which properly repre- in recognising as stems,

sents the stem-c, buds, consisting of leaves and flowers.

2

1

stem of Iris-1, stem-2, roots.

we

find those which rise above the ground presenting us with almost every conceivable form and appearance, from the slender threadlike support of the "slight harebell," to the trunk of the gnarled and knotted oak, or the light elegant shaft of the oriental palm. How greatly this almost infinite diversity of stem and branch* -for branches are but secondary stems-adds to the beauty of natural scenery, it is almost superfluous to remark, and

7. Under ground horizontal our readers may well imagine how valuable and distinct must be the characters which botanists derive from

* Refer to Figs. 84 to 113.

the stems, as signs of difference between one plant and another.

One great division among stems is into herbaceous or green, and woody. The stem of an annual plant or of a one-year's shoot is always herbaceous, that of two-years' growth becomes woody; hence, like roots, stems are annual, biennial, and so forth. Stems vary greatly in their directions-here is another source of difference; some, like the pine tree, are erect, shooting straight upwards: among smaller plants, the mints and the foxgloves are good specimens of the straight stem. Some, unable to ground, like the

support their weight, lie on the ground-ivy; they are procumbent. Some of these procumbent stems send down roots, and are then rooting. Some stems which are at first procumbent, show a tendency to rise upward; of this the common clover-Fig. 8-is a good example. Such

8. Ascending stem of common Dutch Clover.

stems are ascending. Then we have the well-known trailing stems of the hop, of the honeysuckle,

and convolvulus or bindweed: differing from these are the climbing stems of the vine, of many of the pea species, or of the now well-known canary creeper; the former, the vine, the vetches, &c. supporting themselves by means of their tendrils, the latter climbing by means of the graspings of its leaf and flower stalks. The incurved stems of the bramble afford us another example of stem variety as regards direction. Other stems simply droop, either bending stiffly as it were, or with the gracefulness which we see in some of the grasses, such as the brome, or the melic grass. A few seem undetermined what course to take, and so follow the zigzag, like a species of clover, the Trifolium medium. Again, stems may be simple, like that of the foxglove; or they may be branched, that is, sending out secondary stems; and in the distribution of these branches we find another source of distinction. There is the simply-forked stem, dividing itself into pairs of branches, or the many-branched. In some cases these branches come off singly, and apparently without regularity; in others, by regular alternations, and again by twos opposite each other. Occasionally a number of branches shoot out from around the same centre of the stem in a whorl. Then we must remark what position the branches hold with respect to the stem-whether they are erect, spreading, or, like those of some of our most graceful trees and shrubs, pendent or drooping. Runners, such as we find in the strawberry-Fig. 94 -and many other plants, we may look upon as long weak stems or branches, unable to support their own weight, and resting upon the ground. Exactly

the opposite of these we find on the common thorn, and other spinous plants, the prickles of which are but short, stiff, undeveloped branches, giving their own special character to the plant which bears them. Very different, however, are these thorns from the prickles of the rose or of the brambles: of this, the most superficial examination will be sufficient to convince any one. The thorn is connected with the wood; the prickle is simply an appendage to the skin or epidermis.

Additional plant characteristics do we find furnished to us by the surface of stems and branches. Some are perfectly smooth, some clothed with hairs of various degrees of softness or stiffness. Some stems, as that of the common hemlock, are spotted, or, like the toothwort, or broom-rape, scaly; on others the bark is rough and wrinkled, even on the small branches. Another variation presents itself when a stem is winged, as it is in some of the vetches-Fig. 9,-or sheathed, as in the grasses-Fig. 113. Next we have to look to the form of stems, some being cylindrical or nearly so, others flattened or compressed, many presenting us with angles more or less numerous. There is the triangled, and often very sharp-angled, stem of the sedges-Fig. 111-the square four-angled stem of the figwort or scrophularia-Fig. 105-and other

plants; or those of the gentian, or of 9. Winged stem of the starwort, with more angles still.

C

a Vetch.

:

Lastly, we have stems knotted as in the brittle geranium, jointed or knotted as in the grasses, which last also offer us examples of hollow or fistulous stems. But enough we have shown how many and how distinct characters may be derived from the stems of plants; and our readers must— and nothing is easier-both verify and extend the knowledge for themselves. Scarcely two will they find alike; the variety is infinite as it is perfect, telling of

"The well-ordained

laws of Jehovah."

"The wonderful all-prevalent analogy that
testifieth one Creator

The broad arrow of the Great King carved on
all the stores of his Arsenal."

MARTIN TUPper.

THE LEAVES-THE BUDS.

In the tree or shrub, bare even as we see it in winter, there are all the points which have hitherto engaged our attention-the root, the stem, and the branches; but there are also the buds, which hard and lifeless as they appear when

"Winter winds are piercing chill,"

nevertheless contain closely packed up, and well protected, the future leaves and branchlets, the flowers and fruits, destined to burst into bloom and being, when

"Winter has passed with its frowns away,

And the beautiful Spring is coming."

Most buds have a general external resemblance, but they differ considerably in the internal arrangement