548 



Handbook of Nature-Study 



5. Describe the pistil. When the lily first opens, how are the stamens 

 placed around the pistil? What happens to the seed-box after the blos- 

 soms have faded? Does the seed-pod float upon the water as did the 

 flower? What sort of stem has the flower? How does this stem hold the 

 seed-pod below the water? 



6. What sort of seed has the water lily? Sketch the seed-pod. 

 How does the seed escape from it? How is it scattered and planted? 



7. What sort of a root has the water lily? Are there many fine root- 

 lets upon it? Why? How does this rootstock serve the plant aside from 

 getting food? 



8. Imagine a water lily set on a dry hillside. Could the stems uphold 

 the flowers or leaves? Is the petiole large enough to hold out such a 

 thick, heavy leaf? Could the root get food from a dry location? Why? 



9. Judging from what you know of the places where water lilies grow 

 and the condition of the water there, describe the Nile where the lotus 

 grows. Describe the Amazon where the Victoria regia grows. 



PONDWEED 



Teacher's Story 



HE study of any plant which has 

 obvious limitations as to where it 

 may grow should be made a help in 

 the study of geography. Pond- 

 weed is an excellent subject to illus- 

 trate this principle ; it grows only in 

 quiet beds of sluggish streams or in 

 ponds, or in the shallow protected 

 portions of lakes. It has tremen- 

 dous powers of stretching up, which 

 render it able to grow at greater 

 depth than one would suppose possi- 

 ble, often flourishing where the 

 water is from ten to twenty feet 

 deep. Often, when the sun is shin- 

 ing, it may be seen like a bed of sea- 

 weed on the bottom. Its roots, 

 like those of most water plants, have 

 less to do with the matter of absorb- 

 ing water and nourishment than do 

 the roots of land plants, one of their 

 chief functions being to anchor the 

 plant fast; they have a firm grip on 

 the bottom ; and if pondweed is cut loose, it at once comes to the sur- 

 face, floats helplessly on its side, and soon dies. 



The stem is very soft and pliable and the plant relies entirely on the 

 water to keep it upright. A cross-section of the stem shows that its sub- 

 stance is spongy, with the larger open cells near the outer edge, thus help- 

 ing it to float. The leaves are two or three inches long, their broad bases 

 encircling the stem, their tips tapering to slender points. They have 



