Rhizome

“ At the periphery of the lobes are some comparatively thin-walled living cells mixed with a few thin-walled hydroids, the remains of the thin-walled hydrom mantle of the aerial stem. Outside this are three arcs of large cells showing characters typical of the endodermis in a vascular plant; these are interrupted by strands of narrow, elongated, thick-walled cells, which send branches into the little brown scales borne by the rhizome. The surface layer of the rhizome bears rhizoids, and its whole structure strikingly resembles that of the typical root of a vascular plant. ”

“ Kuntze. A rhizomatous crownformer. The rhizomes are slender, a foot or more in length, and branching. At the point of emergence there is usually a cluster of annual stems.
Thalictrum purpurascens L. A crownformer.
Coreopsis tripteria L. Rhizome composed of annual segments which are about 1 inch in length.
Epigaea repens L. Rhizomes long and slender, close to the surface of the ground.
Cypripedium acaule Ait. Rhizome 2 or 3 in. long, sending out numerous strong roots. The annual growth in length is very small. ”

“ The plant consists of a perennial underground creeping rhizome, branching into secondary rhizomes, divided into well-marked nodes and internodes. From the nodes are given off247 two sets of buds, which may develope into ascending aerial shoots or descending roots. At each node is a leaf-sheath more or less deeply divided along the upper margin into teeth representing the tips of coherent leaves (fig. 52, A) . ”

“ The rhizome is creeping, sympodial (with two internodes in each shoot-generation) ; the inflorescence is a terminal, many-flowered spike, without floral-leaves; below it are found 2 foliage-leaves placed nearly at the same height, from whose axils the branching is continued cymosely. The flowers are ☿, 4-merous, naked, and consist only of 4 stamens, with the connectives, broadly developed at the back of the anthers, resembling a perianth, and of 4 free, sessile carpels. They are common plants in fresh water. The spike, during the flowering, is raised above the water. ”

“ During its second year from seed one basal leaf is sent up, followed in the third year by another smaller leaf and the flower.
Description of the Rhizome, or Rootstock.
The rhizome (rootstock) and rootlets of Golden Seal, or hydrastis, as it is also known in the drug trade, are the parts employed in medicine. The full-grown rhizome, when fresh, is of a bright yellow color, both internally and externally, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches in length, and from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch in thickness. ”

“ From their situation they are out of ordinary sight; but they will well repay examination. For the vegetation that is carried on under ground is hardly less varied or important than that above ground. All their forms may be referred to four principal kinds: namely, the Rhizoma (Rhizome) or Rootstock, the Tuber, the Corm or solid bulb, and the true Bulb.
Fig. 97. Rootstocks, or creeping subterranean branches, of the Peppermint.
104. The Rootstock, or Rhizoma, in its simplest form, is merely a creeping stem or branch growing beneath the surface of the soil, or partly covered by it. ”

“ The space between the phloem and xylem is filled in with either parenchyma or fibres, or both. In some cases the vessels of the xylem meet in the centre of the root, while in other cases the centre of the stem is occupied by pith parenchyma. Each bundle is surrounded by parenchyma cells, and in iris, calamus, and veratrum, rhizomes, and endodermis, surrounds the bundles located in the centre of the stem, consisting of thin-walled (mechanical) cells. ”

“ Clothing as they do the submerged rocks, their roots play the part of rhizomes, being attached to the substratum by hairs and other processes, and having the leaf-bearing and flower-bearing shoots on their surfaces. ”

“ The generic characters of the first three species may be stated as follows:
Stems dichotomous, with rudimentary subulate leaves, sometimes obsolete in terminal branchlets and fertile branches; and in decorticated specimens represented only by punctiform scars. Young branches circinate. Rhizomata cylindrical, with circular root-areoles. Internal structure of stem, an axis of scalariform vessels enclosed in a sheath of imperfect woody tissue and covered with a cellular bark more dense externally. Fruit, naked sac-like spore-cases, in pairs or clusters, terminal or lateral. ”

“ The essentials of flowers are stamens and pistils, giving rise to seeds, and the essential of a seed is an embryo (8) . Cryptogamous or Flowerless plants are propagated by Spores; and a spore is not an embryo-plantlet, but mostly a single plant-cell (399) .
483. Vascular Cryptogams, which compose the higher orders of this series of plants, have stems and (usually) leaves, constructed upon the general plan of ordinary plants; that is, they have wood (wood-cells and vessels, 408) in the stem and leaves, in the latter as a frame work of veins. ”

“ I am afraid it has been rather a difficult history to follow step by step, and yet it is perfectly clear when once we master the succession of growths. Starting from a spore, the thread-mass or protonema gives rise to the moss-stems forming the dense green carpet, then the green flowers on some of the leaf-stems give rise to a plant-egg, which roots itself in the stem, and grows into a perfect plant without leaves, bearing merely the urn in which fresh spores are formed, and so the round goes on from year to year. ”

“ They are colorless, or light yellowish, regularly disposed; but their function is not known. Besides these, certain cells become thick-walled, and form resting cells (spores) for the propagation of the plant (Fig. 7, C. sp.) . In species where the sheath of the filament is well marked (Fig. 7, H) , groups of cells slip out of the sheath, and develop a new one, thus giving rise to a new plant.
The bacteria (Schizomycetes) , although among the commonest of organisms, owing to their excessive minuteness, are difficult to study, especially for the beginner. ”

“ Prostrate or assurgent, cespitose, usually greenish or reddish, with runners; lower leaves small and distant, the upper larger, round-ovate, cleft nearly to the middle, the lobes ovate-lanceolate and acute, the lower lobe narrower and acuminate; cells large, pellucid; monœcious; involucral leaves about 3 pairs, the innermost nearly three times as long as the outer, cleft 1⁄2 their length; perianth four times as long as the leaves, linear-prismatic or fusiform, thin, denticulate or ciliate; capsule cylindric-oblong; spores purple. ”

“ The species or variety of rhizobium living in natural symbiotic or biologic relationship with one given species of leguminous plant may be so modified artificially as to induce it to live in a similar relationship with a different species of leguminous plant, indicating great biologic adaptability. ”

“ Perianth cylindrical-oblong, 6-lobed at the summit; the 6 stamens inserted on or above the middle of the tube, included; anthers introrse. Ovary 3-celled. with 2–6 ovules in each cell; style slender, deciduous by a joint; stigma obtuse or capitate, obscurely 3-lobed. Berry globular, black or blue; the cells 1–2-seeded.—Perennial herbs, with simple erect or curving stems, from creeping thick and knotted rootstocks, naked below, above bearing nearly sessile or half-clasping nerved leaves, and axillary nodding greenish flowers; pedicels jointed near the flower. ”

“ But the blindness of those who think it absurd to suppose that complex organic forms may have arisen by successive modifications out of simple ones, becomes astonishing when we remember that complex organic forms are daily being thus produced. A tree differs from a seed immeasurably in every respect—in bulk, in structure, in colour, in form, in chemical composition: differs so greatly that no visible resemblance of any kind can be pointed out between them. Yet is the one changed in the course of a few years into the other: ”

“ Sometimes, as in the case of peach and plum trees, which are often dwarfed, the plants are thrown into a flowering state, and then, [Pg 98] as they flower freely year after year, they have little inclination to make vigorous growth. ”

“ The gentle breeze of summer pauses to rest its wing upon the broad oak-leaf, as upon the violet's drooping flower. If woman's position did not bring out all the faculties of the soul, we might demand a higher for her; but she does not need one higher or wider than nature has given her. ”

“ The bud disappears when the blossom breaks through, and we might say that the former is refuted by the latter; in the same way when the fruit comes, the blossom may be explained to be a false form of the plant's existence, for the fruit appears as its true nature in place of the blossom. These stages are not merely differentiated; they supplant one another as being incompatible with one another. ”

“ After commenting on these purely imaginary causes, I pointed out in 1832, as the two great flaws in Lamarck's attempt to explain the origin of species, first, that he had failed to adduce a single instance of the initiation of a new organ in any species of animal or plant; and secondly, that variation, whether taking place in the course of nature or assisted artificially by the breeder and horticulturist, had never yet gone so far as to produce two races sufficiently remote from each other in physiological constitution as to be sterile when intermarried, or, if fertile, only capable of producing sterile hybrids, &c. ”

“ The Master said, 'There are cases in which the blade springs, but the plant does not go on to flower! There are cases where it flowers, but no fruit is subsequently produced!' CHAP. XXII. The Master said, 'A youth is to be regarded with respect. ”

“ But besides this means of increase I assume that cells, before their conversion into completely passive or "formed material," throw off minute granules or atoms, which circulate freely throughout the system, and when supplied with proper nutriment multiply by self-division, subsequently becoming developed into cells like those from which they were derived. These granules for the sake of distinctness may be called cell-gemmules, or, as the cellular theory is not fully established, simply gemmules. ”

“ Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed—a, to me, equally mysterious origin for it. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders. ”

“ and on every stem, on every leaf, and both sides of it, and at the root of everything that dew, was a professional specialist in the shape of grub, caterpillar, aphis, or other expert, whose business it was to devour that particular part, and help order the whole attempt at vegetation. ”

“ Look at a plant in the midst of its range! Why does it not double or quadruple its numbers? We know that it can perfectly well withstand a little more heat or cold, dampness or dryness, for elsewhere it ranges into slightly hotter or colder, damper or drier districts. In this case we can clearly see that if we wish in imagination to give the plant the power of increasing in numbers, we should have to give it some advantage over its competitors, or over the animals which prey on it. ”

“ Nothing great, said Epictetus, is produced suddenly, since not even the grape or the fig is. If you say to me now that you want a fig, I will answer to you that it requires time: let it flower first, then put forth fruit, and then ripen. ”

“ The shadows of leaves fall upon their arms, as they spread the branches apart, but their shoulders are in the sun. The skin of their arms is like a blue mist, but their shoulders are white and glowing, as if the light fell not from above, but rose from under their skin. We watch the leaf which has fallen upon their shoulder, and it lies at the curve of their neck, and a drop of dew glistens upon it like a jewel. ”

“ I suppose in reality not a leaf goes yellow in autumn without ceasing to care about its sap and making the parent tree very uncomfortable by long growling and grumbling—but surely nature might find some less irritating way of carrying on business if she would give her mind to it. Why should the generations overlap one another at all? ”

“ Nature has no consolation for us. Out of her formlessness issue forms which return to formlessness,—that is all. The plant becomes clay; the clay becomes a plant. When the plant turns to clay, what becomes of the vibration which was its life? Does it go on existing viewlessly, like the forces that shape spectres of frondage in the frost upon a window-pane? ”

“ Nor fairer garden yet was never known:
The maidens danced about it morn and noon,
And learned bards of it their ditties made;
The nimble fairies by the pale-faced moon
Water'd the root and kiss'd her pretty shade.
But well-a-day!—the gardener careless grew;
The maids and fairies both were kept away,
And in a drought the caterpillars threw
Themselves upon the bud and every spray.
God shield the stock! If heaven send no supplies,
The fairest blossom of the garden dies. ”

“ The sod scarce heaved; and that tall flower that wets—
Like a child, half in tenderness and mirth—
Its mother's face with heaven-collected tears
When the low wind, its playmate's voice, it hears.
And in the warm hedge grew lush eglantine,
Green cowbind and the moonlight-colour'd May,
And cherry-blossoms, and white cups whose wine
Was the bright dew yet drain'd not by the day;
And wild roses, and ivy serpentine,
With its dark buds and leaves wandering astray;
And flowers, azure, black, and streak'd with gold,
Fairer than any waken'd eyes behold. ”

“ In the span of my own lifetime I have observed such wondrous progress in plant evolution that I look forward optimistically to a healthy, happy world as soon as its children are taught the principles of simple and rational living. ”