THE COLTSFOOT 



The head ot minute flowers, at first glance, is 

 not unhke a dandehon, but you have only to look 

 at it closely for a minute to see that it is really 

 more like a daisy with several rows of fringe-like 

 yellow ray florets. Of the numerous florets them- 

 selves I need say but little, as these are very 

 similar to those of the wild camomile described 

 in Chapter I. Like the last-mentioned plant, the 

 outer ray florets are female, possessing no stamens 

 or pollen-producing organs. The inner disk ones, 

 however, produce both ovary and stamens, also 

 like those of the camomile ; but although they 

 possess an ovary, they rarely, if ever, mature 

 their seeds ; the ray florets alone ripening their 

 seeds. 



This feature of an existing ovary losing its 

 power of maturing its seeds is interesting, as it 

 shows how the coltsfoot is struggling to insure 

 that every one of its seed-producing flowers shall 

 be cross-fertilised. The stigmas of the ray florets 

 come to maturity several days before the pollen of 

 the disk florets ripens, hence they receive pollen 

 brought by insects from neighbouring blossoms. 



There was always a risk, however, that some of 

 the pollen from the disk florets might be conveyed 

 to the stigmas ; at least, if not to the stigma of the 

 same flower, to stigmas in the same head of 

 flowers ; but the suppression of the functions or 

 the ovaries of the disk florets completely prevents 

 this, for, seeing that the ray florets are usually 

 fertilised before the pollen on the same flower 

 appears, it follows that the pollen can only be 



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