LIFE HISTORIES OF FAMILIAR PLANTS 



rounded central mass arranged about the wall of a 

 hollow conical space, and this walled space is 

 really the equivalent of the foxglove's elongated 

 stalk. Also we notice in Fig. 3 on the same plate 

 that the highest tube, or floret, which comes from 

 the top of the central mass is unopened, because it 

 is one of the youngest flowers. The second one is 

 seen to be opening its petals, and the third is 

 opened and pouring from its mouth a mass of 

 pollen, pushed from the united ring of stamens 

 within by the stigma as it makes its way through. 

 The stigma, however, does not open its receptive 

 surface while working through lest it should be 

 pollinated with its own pollen. In the lowest 

 floret the stigma has appeared and opened its 

 receptive surface. 



If you watch a bee when it visits a daisy in- 

 florescence, you will see that it starts on the lowest 

 and widest-opened florets, and then works round 

 thrusting its proboscis in each tube as it goes in 

 search of the nectar. Having just come from a 

 neighbouring blossom, with its body and legs well 

 dusted with pollen, the projecting and sticky 

 stigmas, being outermost on these florets, are 

 practically certain to receive some of this pollen. 

 The bee eventually reaches the higher tiers of 

 florets where the pollen has appeared, but from 

 which the stigmas have yet to protrude, and after 

 it has ransacked these for their nectar it is again 

 well dusted with pollen. It leaves the younger 

 and unopened florets for some other day, and so 

 departs loaded with fertilising pollen for the 



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