MINT— ASH— WILLOW. 



33 



calyx. In the mint flower, Fig. 39, the pet- 

 als are united in a peculiarly irregular man- 



Fig. 39. Fig. 40. 



ner. If we were to pick one of the dark 

 purple clusters which are seen on the bare 

 twigs of the ash in early spring, we should 

 discover that it is made up of many flowers. 

 One of these flowers is shown in Fig. 40. 

 It has no calyx, no corolla, simply two sta- 

 mens and a styleless pistil. We pick a 

 gold-dusted "pussy" 

 from a willow, examine 

 it closely, and find it to 

 be made up of many lit- 

 tle flowers like a in Fig. 

 41. Each of these little 

 flowers is composed sole- 

 ly of two anthers which 

 are subtended by a mi- 

 nute scale ! Let us find 

 another willow bush 

 which bears greener and less conspicuous 

 3 



Fig. 41. 



