V] COLOURS OF FLOWERS 47 



the plant is owing to the prevalence of brilliant colours 

 and strange forms in, particularly, the corolla ; but the 

 student must disabuse his mind at the outset of this 

 prejudice. The colour of a flower is, apart from its special 

 meaning as an adaptation for attracting insects and other 

 animals to visit it, one of the least important facts about 

 it, and if all flowers were green many of the initial 

 difficulties in understanding their nature would not 

 appear. 



As already stated the chief evidence for the shoot- 

 nature of the flower is that of development : the following 

 sketch of an enormous subject may suffice to show how 

 this is so. 



