1602. To them succeed the Lilies, which have a well-marked root, a more
perfect, though still always herbaceous, stalk, and a few spathoid,
more numerously ribbed leaves; lastly, their corollæ, ovaria, and
seeds are perfect; but still they invariably have no genuine fruits.
1603. Finally, the Palms are elevated above all by their stem being
rich in tracheæ and wooded, as also by the perfection of their
fruit. Scientifically, the scapose or shaft-plants must also resolve
themselves into three classes; into Bark-, Liber-, and Wood-plants.
_CLASS IV._
_Bark-plants--Gramineæ._
1604. In these plants the whole stalk must have assumed the form of the
cortex or bark, and consequently be hollow--_tubular_, or _culmaceous
plants_.
1605. A mere bark cannot ramify. But the tendency unto ramification is
manifested as nodes--_nodose plants_.
1606. The leaf which still represents the bark, is only imperfectly
slit up, and therefore still forms a tube. Such leaves are called
tubular or spathe-leaves proper.
1607. Such tubular leaves being only half slit up can only shoot forth
gradually from each other, and that indeed in such a manner that they
stand actually by twos, encased in, or opposite to, each other.
1608. Since the blossom is, as it were, an impression, or copy
of the leaves, so will it here also consist only of spathiform,
involucral, or calycine leaves, and only of two, one of which, though
opposite to, is surrounded by the other. Such floral parts are called
glumes--_glumaceous plants_. If four glumes are present, then the
external pair of them corresponds to the involucrum or spatha, the
internal to the calyx.
1609. The corolla-petals are of necessity arrested in plants such as
these, where no true leaf is as yet developed; frequently two only are
left persistent as pellicles or _lodiculæ_.
1610. This is still more the case with the ovary and seed; in each only
one leaf attains development, and the seed has entirely coalesced with
the ovarium. This kind of fruit is called _caryopsis_.
1611. Nodose plants with hollow scape or shaft, tubular leaves, glumose
blossoms, and cariopsidal fruits are _Grasses_.
DIVISION.
1612. The Bark-plants pass moreover, together with their subdivisions,
through the five stages of vegetable organs, and they will therefore
produce also a more perfect stalk, leaves, and flowers. The whole calyx
will, however, never be coloured or corolla-like in its character.
Cortical plants are thus herbaceous plants with hollow stalk, and with
an arrested or green calyx, without sarcose or fleshy fruit.
1613. Those, which have simply glumose flowers, are without doubt the
lowest in rank, as corresponding to the tissues and stock, but not yet
to the flower.
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