66 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



together in necklaces. Indeed, among savage tribes al- 

 wa^^s enticed b_y beads, they are constantly employed as 

 ornaments. No coral can surpass them in brilliancy. The 

 outer surface or testa of the seed maybe smooth and high- 

 ly polished or roughened, embossed or sculptured in many 

 marvelous ways. Then there is along range of seeds pro- 

 vided with wings, hooks, grapnels or other mechanical 

 contrivances to aid in distribution by wind. Of parachute 

 arrangements there is no end, as in the achenes of Com- 

 positge and the seeds of milkweed and Epilobium. These 

 contrivances, alone, will afford months of study. Again, 

 w^hilel)ut four technical forms of seeds are recognized, such 

 as the orthotropous, anatropous, etc., these are constant 

 to their belongings ; they help to distinguish or classify 

 large groups of plants. But apart from the shapes to 

 which these long names are applied, each seed has a geo- 

 metric form of its own. Hence, the fine globular, ovoid, 

 cylindric or polyhedral seeds. The si^e, too, varies from 

 the cocoanut on the one side to the dust-like seeds of orchis 

 or poppy on the other. Mrs. Bradshaw is correct in say- 

 ing that any group of seeds will afford profitable study. 

 Much remains to be accomplished, not only as regards the 

 externals, but the anatomy of seeds. If that work is fol- 

 lowed by long, careful observation of the germinating 

 plants, the student may make a useful supplement to the 

 great work of Lord Avebur^^or the reniiirkable herbarium 

 of Mr. Walter Deane. 



Brown University, Providence, R. I. 



BOTANY FOR BEGINNERS— VII. 



USES OF THE PETALS. 



The beginner in botany wnll not go far in his studies 

 before he finds flowers that have no petals ; and yet these 

 plants with petal-less or apetalous flowers seem to get 

 along just as well as their neighbors whose flowers have 

 petals well developed. The meadow-rue, spurge, Canada 

 g inger, willow, birch and many others thrive and fruit 

 abundantly without petals and one might be inclined to 



