154 NATURE STUDY. 



the world. So the seed, which is valueless in the sedge 

 family, is of paramount importance in the grass family, and 

 it is no exaggeration to say that in the vegetable world 

 grass is king. 



The attainment of this eminence by the grass family has 

 not been aquired without some sacrifice. The flowers are 

 small, inconspicuous, irregular and incomplete. Yet there 

 is sufl&cient evidence that originally they were regular and 

 complete and followed quite closely the type now seen in 

 the lily family, where there are three outer sepals, three 

 inner sepals (or petals) three outer stamens, three inner 

 stamens and a pistil with three carpels. This, it may be 

 remembered, was also the plan of the primal orchid flower, 

 and appears to have been the general plan of the flowers 

 among the monocotyledons. The grass flower is at present 

 very different from the original type, more than half of the 

 parts having suffered elimination or reduction. The three 

 outer sepals have been suppressed; the three inner sepals 

 (or petals) are now usually represented by two scales called 

 squamulae or lodicules, though occasionally there are three 

 of these and sometimes none ; the three outer stamens usu- 

 all}^ remain, though sometimes one or two of these are sup- 

 pressed ; the pistil has lost one carpel, so that now it is bi- 

 carpellary. So there remain in the typical grass flower of 

 toda}' the pistil, three stamens and two lodicules. The 

 flower is perfect, for it takes only a stamen and a pistil to 

 make a perfect flower. The whorls of perianth leaves, 

 those organs which usually protect the delicate reproduc- 

 tive apparatus, are practically lacking. The stamens and 

 pistil, are not, however, without protection. IVhe office 

 usually performed by sepals and petals is committed to 

 bracts, which completely envelope the flower until the time 

 oi inflorescence. 



One cannot help thinking that these changes in the 

 flower have been brought about in the interest of economy 



