DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS 



415 



and as the ament emerges from the bud the overlapping bracts 

 with their hairy coats form the "pussy willow" stage of the 

 inflorescence (Fig. 297, B). Soon the bracts spread apart, ex- 

 posing the flowers which are nearly as primitive as the simplest 

 of the monocotyledons, being without perianth, imperfect and 

 usually the two kinds of sporophylls are arranged on different 



Fig. 297. Flowers and seed of the willow {Salix) : A , winter appearance 

 of a flowering twig, each boat-shaped scale concealing an ament. B, pussy 

 willow stage of flowering, the aments emerging from the scales and exposing 

 the hairy bracts that conceal the flowers. C, ament of pistillate flowers in 

 full bloom. D, pistillate flower, consisting of a compound pistil of two car- 

 pels — b, bract; n, nectar gland. E, ament of staminate flowers. F, stam- 

 inate flower of two stamens. G, ament of mature pistils which are opening 

 to discharge the seeds. H~I, successive stages in the opening of the pistil. 

 J, a seed with circle of hairs at base forming a parachute for dissemination. 



plants. The pistil is compound and composed of two carpels, 

 each of which contains numerous ovules, so that the pistillate 

 flowers are not as primitive as those of the cat-tails, wh,ere the 

 pistil is simple (Fig. 297, D). The staminate flowers show the 

 same primitive characters (Fig. 297, F), consisting of one or 

 more naked stamens. The absence of showy perianth, the ex- 



