Cultivated Plant Study 



601 



LESSON CLI 

 DAFFODILS, JONQUILS AND NARCISSUS 



Leading thought The 

 daffodil, jonquil and nar- 

 cissus are very closely re- 

 lated, and quite similar. 

 They all come from bulbs 

 which should be planted in 

 September; but after the 

 first planting, they will 

 flower on year after year, 

 bringing much brightness 

 to the gardens in the early 

 spring. 



Method The flowers 

 brought to school may be 

 studied for form, and there 

 should be a special study of 

 the way the flower devel- 

 ops its seed, and how it is 

 propagated by bulbs. The 

 work should lead directly 

 to an interest in the culti- 

 vation of the plants. In 

 seedsmen's catalogues or 

 other books, the children 

 will find methods of plant- 

 ing and cultivating these 

 flowers in cities. Daffodils 

 are especially adapted for 

 both window gardens and 

 school gardens. 



Observations i. Note the snape of the flower. Has it any sepals? What 

 do we call the flowers that have their sepals colored like petals, thus form- 

 ing a part of the beauty of the flower? Can you see any difference in 

 color, position and texture between the petals and sepals? 



2. How do the petal-like parts of these flowers look? How many of 

 them are there? Do they make the most showy part of the flower? 



3. What does the central part of the flower look like? Why is it 

 called the corona, or crown? Is it a part of the tube which joins the 

 flower to the stem? Do the petals and sepals peel off this tube? Peel 

 them off one flower, and see that the tube is shaped like a trumpet. 



4. Look down into the crown of the flower and tell what you see. 

 Can you see where the insect's tongue must go to reach the nectar? 



5. Cut open a trumpet lengthwise to find where the nectar is. How 

 far is it from the mouth of the tube ? How long would the insect's tongue 

 have to be to reach it ? What insects have tongues as long as this ? 



6. In order to reach the nectar how would an insect become dusted 

 with pollen? Are the stamens loose in the flower-tube? Is the pistil 

 longer than the stamens ? How many parts to the stigma? Can you see 



Paper-white narcissus. 



