46 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



tion is intimately connected with the character of 

 the style and stigma, their position, the time of 

 ripening of the latter, the absence or presence of the 

 pistil in a flower. The surface and form of the 

 stigma also vary, as do the number of stigmas and 

 styles, these being most abundant in wind-pollinated 

 flowers. 



The mode and manner of fertilisation in each 

 flower is a subject which has received relatively but 

 little attention until within the past few years. It is 

 an essentially interesting feature, and one which is 

 much to the fore at present, especially in connection 

 with the division of the chromosomes and the study 

 of the evolution of plants by Mendelian or other 

 principles. The last feature or fruit formation and 

 the maturing of the seed is preliminary to the pro- 

 cess of germination or the initial stage of a new 

 generation. 



The fruit or seed varies in number, form, size, 

 surface markings, colour, texture, and other features. 

 The size and weight is important in determining its 

 dispersal and the nature of its struggle for existence. 

 The appendages that some fruits and seeds exhibit, 

 or the mechanisms the plants afford for dispersal, or 

 their adaptation to dispersal by wind or water, etc., 

 have been briefly described in the Introductory 

 volume. 



i6. Classification. 

 A short history of the course of plant classification 



