of these parts, the Stigma, and the Gerraen which 

 contains the embrio seed, are indispensable; but the 

 Style is often wanting, as in the Poppy. The Stamen 

 is divided into two parts, Filament, Anthera; but 

 that which is essential to the fertilizing the seed, is 

 an apparently fine dust, or powder, contained in the 

 Anthera, called Pollen, which, by falling on the 

 Stigma of the Pistillum, is the cause of complete fruc- 

 tification. 



Many experiments have been made to ascertain 

 the importance of the Stamina and Pistilla to the pro- 

 duction and ripening perfect seed. In the middle of 

 the last century, in a hot-house at Berlin, there was a 

 Date Palm which blossomed very luxuriantly every 

 year with flowers containing Pistilla only, c but never 

 produced any seed or fruit that came to perfection. 

 In a hot-house in Leipsic there was one of the same 

 species that produced blossoms only with Stamina. 

 In the year 1/49, a branch of this tree in flower was 

 sent from Leipsic to Berlin, and suspended over the 

 Palm-tree there, that produced only Pistilla, and that 

 year, for the first time, it bore perfect fruit and seed ; 

 some of which were sent to Linnaeus in Sweden, who 

 raised other trees from them at Upsal. 



The importance of these two parts of a flower to 

 the maturing the fruit of the Palm was known among 

 the ancients, and the trees bearing flowers with Sta- 



c This plant bears its Pistilla on one tree, and the Stamina 

 on another. 



