THE MANGO FAMILY 



27 



Pig. 23. — Flower of the Mango tree 

 (considerably enlarged in size). 



(g) Another fact connected with the arrangement of the leaves 



may be noticed. They are so placed that, when rain falls, most 



of the water is carried 



from leaf to leaf from 



the centre of the tree to 



its circumference (com- 

 pare the flow of water 



down a tiled roof), and 



it is on the outside of 



the tree that the young 



roots which alone can 



absorb water are most 



numerous. The big 



roots cannot do so, as 



they are covered with 



bark. This dripping 



tends to make the young roots grow outwards to w^iere they 



can get water easiest. This 

 again serves to give the tree a 

 very wide root system and pre- 

 vents its being blown over by 

 storms. 



3. The Flowers are small 

 and grow in erect panicles, which 

 generally appear in January, 

 February or March. The five 

 sepals enclose five greenish- 

 yellow petals which are alter- 

 nate with them. There are five 

 stamens, one of which only is 

 perfect. The flower contains, in 

 addition, a nectary which is an 

 organ to secrete honey. You 

 find it arranged round the ovary 

 and consisting of five "fleshy" 

 bodies. The existence of such 



a nectary suggests that the flower depends for fertilization on 



Fig. 24. — Branch of the Mango tree 

 with fruits. 



