i8 SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS. 



secrete liquid honey, and it is easy to imagine an 

 insect thrusting its head into the middle of the flower 

 of Rhus, "when the pollen from the five anthers would 

 fall upon it. 



Now let us examine a peach blossom. You will 

 notice that there is a sort of cup round the pistil in 

 the middle (Fig. 9). Tliis cup has grown out of 

 the fiower-stalk, and cames the sepals, petals, and 

 stamens on the rim. You will notice that it is 



Fig. 8. — Rhus. Vertical section 



of male flower. Fig. 9.— Peach. Vertical section of flower. 



thickened inside at the bottom. This is the honey- 

 disc, of an orange colour. 



If you get any flower of any one of the numerous 

 kinds of Mesemhrian'tlie'nui/m, as the Hottentot Fig, 

 you will find that the cup has gvovm on to the surface 

 of the ovarii (Fig. 10), so that by cutting the flower 

 down as in the figure, the sepals, the many petals, and 

 many stamens are all standing on a level with the top 

 of the ovary, two cells of which are seen cut through. 

 The honey will be found to be secreted on the top 



