174 THE STORY OF PLANT LIFE 



with a long narrow point, and coarsely toothed, 

 acute both ends. 



The flowers are small, pale yellow, on erect stalks, 

 bearing three to ten flowers. The posterior sepal is 

 narrowed into a short straight spur. 



The flowers are to be found between July and 

 September. The plant is a herbaceous annual. It 

 is from 1-2 ft. in height. 



Many of the Balsams exhibit cleistogamic flowers, 

 but they do not occur in this species. Self-pollina- 

 tion, however, is said to occur. Both sepals and 

 petals are coloured. They are made up of six seg- 

 ments, three sepals and three petals, two outer 

 opposite sepals which are flat and oblique. The 

 upper sepal, which owing to the twisting of the 

 stalk is lowest, is hooded and large, and ends in 

 a conical spur below. The lower petal, owing to 

 the twisting of the stalk, becomes uppermost, is 

 symmetrical, small, but broad and rather hollow. The 

 inner petals are oblique and irregular, unequally 

 two-lobed. The five stamens cohere in a mass round 

 the pistil, and the stalks are very short. The stigmas 

 are very small, without styles or more or less stalk- 

 less. In bud the flowers are above the leaves, which 

 are folded and stand around them. When they open 

 the stalk lengthens and bends under the leaves. As 

 the leaves flatten out they keep the flowers horizontal, 

 forming a roof and rain falls off them. The anthers 

 ripen first. Honey lies concealed in the spur. An 

 insect visitor first touches the ripe crowded anthers 



