6*8 



BOTANY OF THE LIVING PLANT 



Pollination. The aggregate inflorescence attracts the attention of insects 

 from a distance : the slight zygomorphy increases its effect. It is visited by 

 various insects, the exposed honey being accessible alike to short-tongued 

 and long-tongued. The individual flowers are protandrous, the stamens often 

 falling before the stigmas are mature. Cross-pollination is probably by insects 

 crawling from flower to flower, but self-pollination is still possible. 



Fig. 490. 



Heracleum Sphondylinm. I. whole flower seen from above. II. the same seen 

 from the side. III. gynoecium. IV. fruit. V. ditto in section. VI. mature fruit 

 with mericarps separate. VII. fruit in transverse section. VIII. floral diagram. 



There is in the Cow Parsnip, but still more in other Umbelliferae, a partial 

 separation of the sexes in space as well as in time ; since the pistil is 

 degenerate in the later-formed flowers, they are practically male. That 

 is seen markedly in Astrantia and in Myrrkis. The condition is described as 

 andro- diclinous, and clearly it will promote cross-pollination, while it also 

 secures the pollination of those hermaphrodite flowers which are formed 

 late, and are protandrous. 



The Umbelliferae are a numerous and wide-spread Family of herbs, often 

 strong-smelling, and poisonous. But it includes cultivated plants, such as 

 Carrot, Parsley, Celery, Caraway. Some yield drugs (Asafostida), and oils. 



DICOTYLEDONEAE—SYMPETALAE. 



Those Dicotyledons which have their petals united, that is sympetalous or 

 gamopetalous, are held to show in this respect a position in advance of the 

 Polypetalous types. A further character which they have in marked degree 

 is that their flowers are strongly cyclic, and the number of parts more definite 



