122 MARIGOLD, MATRICARIA. [CHAP. 



of any given floret cannot be used to fertilise one 

 situated on its inner side. Consequently, if the outer 

 row of florets produced pollen, it would, in the great 

 majority of cases, be wasted. I have, however, 

 already mentioned that these florets do not produce 

 pollen, while the saving thus effected enables them 

 to produce a larger corolla. It is also interesting 

 to observe that in these outer flowers the branches 

 of the pistil do not possess the terminal brush of 

 hairs which, in the absence of pollen, would be 

 useless. 



In other Compositas, as in the Marigold, while the 

 ray flowers produce no pollen, the disk flowers develop 

 no stigmas. In this case, as in the Feverfew, the pistil 

 of the ray flowers does not require or possess the 

 terminal brushes of hairs, there being no pollen to be 

 swept out. The central flowers, on the other hand, 

 though they develop no stigmas, require a pistil in 

 order to force the pollen out of the anther tube. 

 Hence the pistil is present as usual, but the head is 

 simple and not bifid. This complete alteration of 

 the function of the pistil is extremely curious. 



In Chrysanthemum IcucantJiemum according to 

 Miiller, the pistil of the ray florets possesses a ter- 

 minal brush, which, however, is much less developed 

 than in the disk florets. Matricaria camomilla agrees 

 in most respects with Chrysanthemum. The strong 

 smell of this flower, however, seems to be distasteful 

 to bees, though Miiller has observed it to be visited 

 by Prosopis signata and Sphecodes gibbus. It is said 

 to be generally fertilised by flies. Anthemis re- 

 sembles the two preceding genera in many respects, 



