6o SAGACITY AND MORALITY OF PLANTS. 



solubly associated with the perpetuation of every 

 kind of highly -organised plant. The necessary 

 structures of a flower, stamens and pistil, have 

 already been described (Chap. III.), and we there 

 saw that the rest of floral organs are auxiliaries, 

 although to people unacquainted with botanical de- 

 tails a flower has no charm without brightly-coloured 

 and attractive petals ; and horticulturists . do their 

 best to convert the true floral organs, stamens and 

 pistils alike, into petals — whence the origin of the 

 double flowers seen in all gardens. 



Mr. Herbert Spencer long ago pointed out that 

 the act of flowering must of necessity take place 

 where the energy conducive to growth is balanced 

 by the forces which resist growth. At this balanced 

 point germs can be produced and easily thrown 

 off, because nutrition to the individual plant must 

 there be failing. Hence flowers are generally borne 

 at the terminal ends or shoots of branches, where 

 nourishment is least, and not most abundantly 

 supplied. ^It may seem to many people very strange 

 to regard flowers as lower in organisation than 

 leaves ; but we have seen such is the case from a 

 structural point of view. Floral organs are in reality 

 aborted leaves, although, since flowers came into 

 existence, and have had to adapt themselves to their 

 organic and inorganic surroundings, they have done 

 the best they could with them, and even converted 

 and modified their auxiliary and other floral organs, 



