VE The Romance of Wild Flowers 
stamens; but the Small Meadow-rue (7. minus) 
appears to be entirely dependent on the wind. 
Our solitary native Clematis, or Old Man’s Beard 
(Clematis vitalba), is very interesting, from the fact 
that alone among British members of the family it 
has developed woody stems and become a climbing 
shrub. It has no proper tendrils like the Vine, nor 
hooks like the Bramble, with which to climb, but it 
has hit upon quite as good a means of rising in the 
world. Its leaves are broken up into about five 
distinct leaflets, each with a foot-stalk, and when these 
touch against a branch of the hedge-trees or other 
likely support, the foot-stalk intelligently takes a turn 
round it, and becomes hard and woody. The flowers 
have lost their petals, and the four thick downy 
sepals are coloured greenish-white. They produce no 
honey, but give out a perfume which attracts flies. 
The numerous stamens mature before the stigmas, 
and erect themselves so that they occupy the centre 
of the flower when the anthers discharge the pollen; 
but the pollen all shed, the stamens droop, whilst the 
feathered stigmas lengthen and occupy the former 
position of the stamens, so that an insect coming 
from a younger flower with pollen on its under side 
and legs will alight on the stigmas and fertilise them. 
From the elevated position of the flowers and the 
feathered character of the stigmas, it is probable that 
the plant is partially anemophilous. 
The inconspicuous little Mousetail (J/yosurus 
mininus), found in cornfields, is worthy of a brief 
note, on account of the remarkable manner in which 
it fertilises a large number of carpels with only about 
five anthers. The entire plant is only a few inches 
