120 The Romance of Wild Flowers 
Its upright stems are well covered with stiff hairs, 
and its large leaves are cut into five or seven lobes, 
and toothed. The flowers are about an inch and a 
half across, and the arrangement of stamens and 
styles is as we have already described. 
The Dwarf Mallow (I. rotundifolia) is similar, yet 
quite unlike. That is to say, any person acquainted 
with the Common Mallow, yet making no pretence to 
botanical knowledge, would say at once on seeing the 
smaller species, “That is a Mallow;” but the downy 
stems lie along the ground, the leaves have a rounder 
outline, and, like the much paler, inconspicuous 
flowers, are much smaller. There are slight differ- 
ences in the essential organs correlated with these 
different sizes and habits, which are really very mm- 
structive when we come upon them in the species of 
so small a genus as this. In the Common Mallow the 
pyramidal cluster of anthers shed their 
abundant pollen before the stigmas are 
mature, and insects coming for honey alight 
upon this prominent central column and get 
well dusted with pollen. After the pollen 
is shed, the stamens curve downwards to be 
Stamens of Olt of the way, the stigmas become mature, 
Common Mallowand separate somewhat, so that they form 
the alighting- place now; and should an 
insect come pollen-laden from a younger flower, some 
of its load is sure to adhere to the stigmas. In the 
Dwarf Mallow a slight variation produces different 
results. The anthers and stigmas mature at the same 
time, and the long styles curl over and intertwine 
among the anthers in such fashion that self-fertilisa- 
tion is a certainty, almost before the flower opens, 
