COMPOSITE FAMILY 



hundred florets arranged in concentric circles, 

 each floret separate and distinct from the others, 

 and each having its own corolla, which is tubular, 

 its own stamens and pistil exactly as any flower 

 that grows upon its own stem. The only part 

 which the crowding of the florets affects is the 

 calyx. This is so greatly changed that one may 

 easily conclude there is no calyx at all, but cer- 

 tainly there are the remains of one; as a matter 

 of fact, the calyx and ovary grow together and 

 only the border remains separate. This in the 

 Sunflower shows as scales or points, which early 

 disappear, but in the Asters and Thistles it 

 appears as the soft white down which buoys up 

 the seed that the wind may carry it away, or 

 in Bidens as the sharp teeth which cling to the 

 fur or wool of animals that the seed may get 

 transportation. Each floret is aided and pro- 

 tected in the struggle for life in some fashion. 



After the flower-head is well opened there are 

 florets in four clearly defined stages of devel- 

 opment: next to the ray-florets will be seen a 

 circle of open five-lobed corollas from which 



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