534 Handbook of Nature-Study 



do the leaves look which are at the base of the flower stem ? Those at the 

 base of the buds? 



3. Where on the plant do the flowers grow? Which flowers blossom 

 first, those above or below? Take a bud nearly ready to open; what is 

 there peculiar in the appearance of the bud stem ? What is the general 

 shape of the bud ? Describe the sepals. Look at their tips carefully, and 

 see how they hold together. Cut a bud across and see how the petals are 

 folded within it. 



4. Take an open flower; where are the sepals now? Describe the 

 open petals, their shape and color. 



5. How many stamens are there? How are they placed? What is 

 the shape of the anthers? How does the pollen look? 



6. What is the shape and the position of the stigma in the freshly 

 opened flower ? Later ? Open the flower-tube and find how far down the 

 style extends. Where is the ovary? How does the ovary look on the 

 outside ? Taste the opened tube ; can you detect the nectar ? What sort 

 of a tongue must an insect have to reach this nectar? How do the fading 

 flowers look and act ? 



7. Describe the seed-pod. Cut it across, and see how many compart- 

 ments there are within it. How are the seeds arranged in it? How do 

 the pods open and how are the seeds scattered? 



8. Watch the flower of the evening primrose open, and describe the 

 process carefully. At what hour did it open? What was the movement 

 of the petals? Can you see how they unfold in relation one to another? 

 How do they get free from the sepals? How many minutes is required 

 for the whole process of the opening of the flower? How many flowers 

 on a plant expand during the same evening? Look at the open blossoms 

 in the dark; can you see them? How do they look? What insects do 

 you find visiting these flowers? 



9. How long does the primrose blossom remain open? How do the 

 young plants of the evening primrose pass the winter? 



Supplementary reading Blossom Hosts and Insect Guests, Gibson. 



