LIFE HISTORIES OF FAMILIAR PLANTS 



tubes ; so that we get, apparently, all round the 

 yellow central florets strap-shaped white petals ; 

 but in reality these outer florets are just like the 

 inner ones, except that the tubes are abnormally 

 developed on one side, that their stamens are 

 absent, and that they are white, whereas the 

 central florets are yellow. Fig. 5 (Plate 3). 



Thus the daisies have mimicked the appearance 

 of a single flower, owing probably to the fact that 

 insects had so thoroughly learned to distinguish 

 that style of floral form that it had become indis- 

 pensable. Insects, however, and especially bees, 

 have learnt to distinguish between single flowers 

 and the composite class, and they patronise the 

 latter much more freely, for the simple reason that 

 they find them so much more profitable ; that is to 

 say, they get a bigger supply of nectar and pollen 

 in a shorter time with less trouble. This patron- 

 age results in further establishing the daisy tribe, 

 and therefore to-day it is the most extensive 

 family of flowering plants in the world. 



The wild camomile presents many other in- 

 teresting aspects, such as its method of dividing 

 up its foliage into the finest segments, so that, 

 no matter how crowded it may be amongst grasses 

 and such hke leaves, it can edge its way between 

 and get some of the all-important sunlight. Such 

 details all point to the keen struggle it has had 

 to attain the rank and power that it now pos- 

 sesses. However, I will conclude this brief 

 monograph by pointing out a somewhat strik- 

 ing feature that I particularly noticed while 



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