CHAPTER LVIl 



FLOWERS 



350. What do flowers mean ? We know that roots, stems, 

 and leaves, with their various parts, are more or less directly 

 related to the securing of water, food, and air, and to the pro- 

 tection of the organism against possible injuries. When we 

 examine the flower with a view to discovering its possible uses 

 to the plant, we shall find very little indeed. On the contrary, 

 we are likely to find the flower a source of expense to the plant, 

 without any compensation whatever. It takes a great deal of 

 material and a great deal of energy to build up a flower like 

 that of the poppy or the lily ; and so far as we can discover 

 by experiment or observation, the flower does nothing that is 

 of use to the plant. Are we therefore to conclude that the 

 flower has no meaning in the life of the plant ? 



351. Structure of a flower. In most common flowers, such 

 as wild roses or tulips, we find certain leaflike parts that are 

 conspicuous because of their color. This set of conspicuous 

 leaflike organs is commonly associated with a less prominent, 

 cuplike arrangement of leafy structures, connected with the 

 base of the flower and partly surrounding the bright leaves 

 (Fig. 132). 



Although the floral envelope is in most plants the first to 

 attract people's attention, it is by no means the most important 

 part of the flower. In order to understand the essential organs, 

 we must consider them from the point of view of the function 

 of the flower as a whole, which is the making of seeds. 



352. The essential organs. In the center of the flower is a 

 structure called the pistil, from its resemblance in many cases 

 to the shape of a pestle (see/. Fig, 132). 



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