Flowers and Gardens
But what I wish more particularly to notice now is the white callous tip of the beak to which I have just alluded as fitting it for piercing the ground. This is not a mere temporary provision. It persists in the full-grown leaf, and is common to many of the Endogenous[1] plants, being particularly well seen in the Snowdrop, Daffodil, and Hyacinth, in all of which it resembles a little waxen point. And how wonderfully it adds to the beauty of these plants! Every artist knows what a striking effect can be given by a few well-placed dots to a broken line. And just so is it here. Their sparkling, dotty appearance makes the Snowdrop clusters look interesting and animated from the first moment that their tips pierce the ground. And in every later stage the leaves of both Snow- drop and Daffodil would seem tame and meaningless without it. But this is only a very small part of the matter. The dot has a much higher purpose than that of merely giving pleasure to the eye by contrast, like dewdrops scattered over grass. It is most essential for the thorough enjoyment of beauty that we should get at it
- ↑ Endogenous plants are those whose leaves have parallel veins like grasses, as distinguished from Exogenous plants, like Foxglove, &c., whose leaves are net-veined.
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