Identifier: plantstheirway00ston (find matches)
Title: Plants and their ways in South Africa
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Stoneman, Bertha, 1866-
Subjects: Plants
Publisher: London, Longmans, Green
Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden
Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden

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stories of the moulds, yeasts, and disease germshave been learned only in recent years, since microscopes havebeen improved; but the old Hebrew poets, who watched thepaths of the stars as they tended their flocks, studied the treesand flowers; and we know our Saviour cared for them, for Heoften spoke of them in teaching His beautiful lessons. We, too,may study them without books and without knowing their longLatin names, though these have their uses. How unfortunateit would be if Johannesburg or Springbokfontein had no nameswhen we wished to book our luggage for those places. The Plant Life 5 long names of plants are not so formidable either, when strippedof their Latin endings. Thus, MacOwama?ia pays tribute toone of South Africas esteemed botanists, Dr. MacOwan; andhow better could our world-wide authority on orchids behonoured than by naming a new Disperis, Bolusiana ? Thepaired leaf of Bauhinia reminds us of the twins, Bauhin,who long ago devoted themselves to Botany. When we have
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Fig. 5.— Wonderboom near Pretoria. found the two forms of fruit on one head of flowers, Dimor-photheca (two-formed capsule) seems a most appropriate name,and once having seen the little crown of pappus hidden amongthe long hairs of the ovary, we shall never forget Cryptosfemma,which means hidden crown . If you have not studied Latinor Greek, ask help from your brothers and sisters who are incollege. To speak of plants and their parts, we must havenames, and the reader may skip any name in this book longerthan Hermanuspetrusfontein. CHAPTER 11. SEEDS AND THEIR GERMINATION. Besides maintaining its own life, a plants activity is directedtoward reproducing its like in the lives of others. One of themost usual means of reproduction with which we are familiaris the seed. Seeds may be very small, like those of orchids,heaths, or Streptocarpus; or large, like the acorn and coco-nut.In each seed there is a tiny plant. Before the parent plantsends her offspring out into the world to fend for

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