^be :ffieaut^ of tbe fflowcr 93 



resembles the shaft of an arrow holding on its top a 

 two-lobed anther like an arrow-head. These lobes 

 when ripe open the entire length of the side, releas- 

 ing the pollen. There are flowers having very long 

 stamen filaments, which are doubled over in a loop 

 upon themselves, as one might bend a strip of whale- 

 bone, holding the ends together. When the anthers 

 are ripened these long filaments suddenly snap out 

 straight, as if one released one end of the strip of 

 whalebone. The result of this sudden snap of the 

 filament is to scatter the ripened pollen abroad or 

 shower with it the insect whose intrusive touch 

 released it. 



It has been noted that all parts of the flower are 

 really modified leaves ; thus the stamen is a pollen- 

 bearmg leaf, and as the pollen is of immense interest 

 to the plant this stamen is a leaf in a high state of 

 usefulness. Therefore when stamens begin to revert 

 to the leaf form, by changing themselves into petals, 

 this process is called by science ''"degeneration." Per- 

 haps no flower will give us as interesting instances 

 of the stamen harking back to the jietal shape, as 

 the white water lily. This flower has a large number 

 of brilliant golden stamens with short filaments and 

 large anthers, seated in the snowy fragrant heart of 

 the corolla, and gently rocked in it by the water as 

 in a beautiful boat. One might think the stamens 



