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CHARACTERISTICS — 13 
essential organs of a flower. A flower which has both is said 
to be perfect; if either alone, imperfect; or if with neither, 
rudimentary. 
While the floral parts of the oat are being formed they are 
protected by papery husks called bracts, a bract being or- 
Fic. 2.—Oat. A, Upper part of flower-cluster. B, a single spikelet in 
flower, with bracts spread somewhat apart. C, one of the outer bracts. 
D, an inner bract bearing an awn. J, pistil. G, lodicules. A and B 
about natural size, C, D, and J, enlarged. (Nees.) 
dinarily a small leaf-like organ belonging to a flower-cluster. 
A little cluster of grass-flowers together with their bracts, 
is called a spikelet. At the base of the inner bracts are the 
so-called lodicules which by swelling spread apart the bracts 
so as to expose the anthers and stigmas at the proper time 
for shedding or receiving the pollen. An awn is a bristle- 
like appendage such as make up the “‘beard”’ of many grasses. 
