Note 5 — Chapter III

It is a question whether the dominance of the palmatifid leaf over the pinnatifid is not really an example of the dominance of a lower number of segmentations over a higher. From the uncertainty whether two given leaves of two separate plants are actually comparable one cannot institute quite satisfactory numerical comparisons, but I think the view that the "Fern" leaf has more lobes than an otherwise similar "Palm" leaf may be fairly maintained. If this be admitted, the "Palm" leaf represents the dominant low number and its round shape is a consequence of the greater powers of growth which are so often possessed by the members of a shorter series.