Page 97

Original Papers: Passages from Lectures on the Study of Botany.   97 
PASSAGES FROM THE LECTURES ON THES TUDY OF BOTANY BY THE DESIGNER~. 
DELIVERED AT THE HEAD SCHOOL OF DESIGi BY BR. REDO  VE, A.R.A. 
As the season of the year has arrived when plants and flowers afford 
abundant sources of study to the ornamentist, we have thought it desirable
to 
select from the unpublished lectures of Mr. Redgrave, delivered at the Head
School of Design, those portions of them calculated to call attention to
such 
study, and to stimulate the designer and ornamentist to search the produc-
tions of nature, as well for the advancement in the knowledge of their art
as to 
supply them with new thoughts and original materials for their designs. 
Although a knowledge of stru4cture in botany mag? not be so absolutely 
essential to the floral ornamentist as a knowledge of anatomy to him who
would draw the forms of men and animals, it will undoubtedly lead him to
such a true understanding of the parts of plants as must insure a more rapid
and correct delineation of them, both when the plant is present, but more
especially when he is simply referring to a study which he may have made
beforehand, or at some previous time, when the growing plant was in its sea-
son and perfection ; in addition to which, he will have a fuller perception
of 
their beauties from a knowledge of the structure and use of the parts. Take,
for instance, the developement of the leaves of grasses : we find them inserted
all round the stem, which at that point is enlarged into a hardened node
; in 
some cases with a flattened ridge for the insertion of the young bud of the
axil, and to give room for its developement. How much of ornamental treat-
ment is here suggested! The long flowing curves of the cylindrical stem,
interrupted and varied by the contrary curves of the enlarged node, and 
enriched by the hollowing out of the ridge which I have pointed out ; the
new curves formed by the unrolling of the lamina of the leaf, gradually open-
ing from the cylindrical to the flat form ; the lines produced by the swathing
of the eylindricl stem with the leaf, itself at first a hollow cylinder,
and then 
passing away by retracted curves on either side of the stem mto the flattened
form of the blade, which again flows into varied longitudinal curves, repealing
or contrasting with one another, or with that of the stem. How much is to
be 
learned from the careful observation of a single joint! And I assure you
that 
you will find all nature equally prolific of beauties and equally suggestive.
The scales of a bud, the unfolding of a leaf, the arrangement of seeds, the
structure of any or every flower, will repay attentive study ; and the more
intimate the knowledge of plants, of their growth and structure, the more
will 
be appreciated the hidden beauties which reveal themselves only to the faithful
students of the wonderful works of nature. 
The forms of leaves are extremely various, and are thus extremely dificult
to define by words in atteempting any classification of them. Bischoff enu-
merates between two and three hundred forms. Lindley tells us that "heir
normal figure is an oval produced by two ares which intersect one another
at 
each end, and that consequently they are quite symmetrical, the one Side
being 
exactly like the other." This, however, although perhaps theoretically
true, is 
not practically so ; for, with the usual variety of nature's works, the opposite
sides of leaves are never found identically to correspond, they have merely
likeness of form without absolute identity. The same may be said of the 
whole form of the leaves of any individual plant, they will be found to have
likeness to one another without sameness. Dr. Lindley, however, himself tells
us that there are whole genera of plants, such as the bigonias, of which
the 
opposite sides of the leaf are extremely unequal ; the leaves which are opposite
to one another are what workmen would call handed, the same side of the 
blade of the leaf in each case being towards the spectator. 
The student should pay great attention to the quality of surface peculiar
to the various leaves of plants: thus the beautiful japonica surface of t
e 
black briony (tamus communia), rendered more bright and glistening from the
bold curves of its lateral expansion, contrasts vividly with the duller surface
Journal of Design. No. 16, June, 150.                       0