THE WILD CAMOMILE 



Or, I will put it in another way ; the flowers of 

 those plants which happened to develop coloured 

 petals about their floral parts (i.e., the ovary and 

 stamens) caught the eyes of passing insects first. 

 These petals were to the insects the equivalent of 

 the signboard of the inn to the thirsty traveller ; 

 the insect read from them ^'Stop here for prime 

 sweet nectar." The coloured petals, then, were 

 advertisements pure and simple ; the plant pro- 

 vided nectar for insects and in return asked of the 

 insect that in seeking the nectar it should rub 

 against its stamens, and so (unknowingly) carry 

 its pollen to the stigmas of sister blooms. Of 

 course, the insect at the same time was bringing 

 pollen from some brother flower to this flower 

 for its own stigma. 



These petals, be it noted, were comparatively 

 easy to produce by sacrificing a few outer stamens ; 

 these stalked bodies readily flatten out and become 

 petals, as you may witness for yourself in any 

 double flower that your garden produces. The 

 gardener, too, is well aware of this, and by cultiva- 

 tion readily produces double roses and other 

 flowers, for it will be remembered that the wild 

 rose has only five petals but numerous stamens, 

 while the cultivated garden rose has numerous 

 petals and few or no stamens. 



The bright petals of the flowers of the butter- 

 cup, rose, or bramble are, then, simply devices for 

 attracting insects. The essential parts required 

 for reproduction are stamens and ovary. But, as 

 I have previously stated, the little florets of the 



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