14. A flower consists essentially of those parts without which no seed can be formed. A 

 flower must therefore have present either stamens or pistils, or both. Showy and protective 

 parts, such as petals, sepals, bracts, and even leaves, are usually present and help in indirect 

 ways, but never in themselves could form seed. What we see in the "flower" of a ripe head 

 of wheat is but a part of the original flower. A fair idea of the original flower may be ob- 

 tained from a study of Fig. 17. The original wheat flower consists essentially of one 

 pistil and three stamens. The pistil, like that of most flowers, consists of ovary, style, and 

 stigma. The stigma is the two-branched, feathery body at the top of the pistil. The style 

 is short and connects the stigma with the ovary. The ovary is the bulbous part at the base 

 of the pistil and contains the ovule. The latter must be fertilized before the wheat kernel 



~ 





\ 





F & H 



C D E 



K L M 



/ 



N 



Fig. 17. An Immature Wheat Spikelet Dissected, (a) Whole spikelet ; (b-m inclusive) spikelet dissected; (c, 

 a and e) fertile flower dissected; (f, g and h) sterile flower dissected; (i) very small sterile flower not dissected; 

 (j, k and 1) fertile flower dissected; (b) outer glume; (c) flowering glume; (d) normal pistil surrounded by three 

 stamens; (e) palea; (f) flowering glume; (g) abortive pistil surrounded by three stamens; (h) palea; (j) palea; 

 (k) normal pistil surrounded by three stamens; (1) flowering glume; (m) outer glume. (Anderson) 



can form. The three stamens which surround the pistil are made up of the usual divisions 

 of filaments and anthers. The anthers are the yellow sack-like structures in which are found 

 the pollen grains. The filament is the thread-like structure which supports the anther.. The 

 pollen grains are small, round, yellow bodies. These grains falling upon the stigma, are 

 caught by the feathery surface which at this time is covered with a sticky fluid. Soon 

 after the pollen grain falls upon this surface, it bursts and sends out a thread some- 



38 



