526 



HOT A \ Y 



PART II 



unisexual. Male spikes simple ; in the- axil of each bract la a male flower formed 

 of three stamens. The female spikes hear in the axil of each hraci ,i secondary 

 shoot; the axis of this is included in the tubular subtending bract (utriculus) 



together with the pistil (formed of 2 or 3 



Q ttfr. O carpels) which is borne in the axil of the 



latter (Fig. 520). 



Family 2. Gramineae. The 

 stems of the true Grasses are cylin- 

 drical, and have hollow inter nodes 

 (exceptions Maize and Sugar-cane) ; 

 the nodes are swollen ; the leaves 

 are two- ranked and their sheath is 

 usually split and thickened at the 

 node. At the junction of the sheath 

 and leaf-blade, a membranous struc- 

 ture (the ligule) projects (cf. Fig. 

 i of a male ttowei 36). The flowers of the Gramineae 

 of OWN: :, of a female flower with three j 



s, i,,,,,s ;<-.,,. -a female ,., with two are grouped in spicate, racemose, or 

 * ; D, diagram of a female flower paniculate inflorescences, which are 



;S, diagram of the hermaphro- always composed of partial inflores- 



clite spikelet of A'///"" :<'. secondary axis : , i_ i *. TT n 



,rtr, utricuitw or bract of the secondary cences, the spikelcts. Usually each 

 axis. (After EICHI.ER.) SPIKELET bears several flowers. At 



the base of the spikelet there are 



usually a pair of sterile bracts (GLUMAE); sometimes there is only one, 

 or 3-4, glumes. Continuing the two - ranked 

 arrangement of the glumes, come the fertile sub- 

 tending bracts (PALEA INFERIOR) in the axil of each 

 of which stands a flower. The subtending bracts 

 are often awned, i.e. they bear terminally or 

 springing from the dorsal surface a stiff bristle 

 with backwardly directed hairs (the AWN). The 

 , bracteole of each flower is 



represented by another scale- 

 like bract, the PALEA SUPER- 

 IOR. Above this come two 

 small scales, the LODICUL/E, 

 the distension of which assists 

 in opening the flower. Lastly 

 the axis bears the androecium 

 iiia -ram consisting of a whorl of three 

 oftheGramin<>ae04wn) stamens, and the ovary com- 



Thr absent members are poge( ] Q f Qne carpe l an( J 

 represented l>v x. r e ^i -n 



bearing two feathery papillose 

 stigmas. The ovary contains ;ui anatropous, or slightly campy lo- 

 tropous ovule (cf. Figs. 521-523). 



The flowers do not always show such extreme reduction : thus the flower of 



y 



4 



;. :"r_'-J. --Diagrammatic re- 

 jirest'iitJitioii of a (irass 

 sjiikelet. r/. The glumes : 

 ;>, and /M, tlir iiifci'ioi 

 and siijxTior jialea ; . 

 Icxlicilles : /;, tlovver. Tlie 

 axial parts are re|n.-- 

 s.'iit-jd a-; elongated. 



