FLORAL DLPLOMACY. 



n 



one. Some bear catkins, like the Hazel, Poplar, 

 etc., where stamens only are clustered together, the 

 female flowers being quite different and also separate. 

 Nothing could be better adapted to wind fertilisation 

 than the pendant position and structure of the male 



Fig. 22. — Male or staminate flowers of Oak. 



catkins. They are swayed to and fro by the slightest 

 movement of the air, and their pollen is therefore 

 easily detached when ripe. Moreover, this class of 

 trees and shrubs usually produce flowers before they 

 bear leaves, and in our country the flowers appear 

 generally in the early spring months, when the 

 breezes are strong. The absence of leaves is bene- 



