Identifier: naturalhistoryof01kern (find matches)
Title: The natural history of plants, their forms, growth, reproduction, and distribution;
Year: 1902 (1900s)
Authors: Kerner von Marilaun, Anton, 1831-1898 Oliver, Francis Wall, 1864- Macdonald, Mary Frances Ewart Busk, Marian Balfour, Lady
Subjects: Botany
Publisher: London, Blackie
Contributing Library: NCSU Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: NCSU Libraries

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d, may also be stimulated to development; andwhen this happens, these premature products do not appear as foliage-leaves, butin more or less altered forms as bracts, sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. If nosuch anticipatory activity has been excited, the rudiment which in the previouscase would have developed into a bract does not appear till the following year, andthen as a foliage-leaf; whilst that which would have formed a calyx in the first THE STUDY OF PLANTS IN ANCIENT AND MODEIIN TIMES. 9 year lies dormant till the third year, when it too emerges simply as a leaf. Thistransformation of the leaves, or metamorphosis as Linnaeus called it, is, therefore, theresult of anticipation; and it was assumed by the Linnaean school that the cause ofthis metamorphosis or hastened development was a local decrease in the quantityof nutriment. The idea was, that in consequence of the limited supply of sap theincipient leaves were not able to attain to the size of foliage-leaves, but remained
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Fig. 1.—Seedlings with Cotyledons and Foliage-leaves.iCytisus Laburnum. ^ Koelreuteria paniculata. s Acer platanoides. rudimentary, as is the case with many bracts; and further, that the axis wasno longer capable of elongating, so that the leaves proceeding from it remainedclose together, became coherent, and thus formed the calyx. The supporters of thisexplanation relied particularly on the experience of gardeners, that a plant in goodsoil with a liberal supply of nutriment is apt to produce leafy shoots rather thanflowers; whereas, if the same plant is transferred to a poorer soil, where its food islimited, it develops flowers in abundance. But yet a third attempt was made to explain this process of transformation, bythe theory that parts which are identical so far as their origin is concerned, subse-quently receive the stamp of distinct foliar organs. The diversity in the develop-ment of parts, originally alike, was supposed to depend on a filtration of the nutrient 10 THE STUDY

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