Dandelions 43 



extended to touch the insect as he flits by, pollen 

 freighted. But if no winged wayfarer comes along, 

 the arms of the "pistil bend downward still 

 further, and as the flower grows older they curl 

 backward like the horns of a ram (Fig. 4, c). 



Coiled up in this way the sticky inner surface 

 of each little arm is brought into contact at several 

 points with its outer surface. And on the outer 

 surface there will probably be pollen-grains brought 

 from other florets by the same enterprising insects 

 which carried off the golden store of this one. 

 So the Dandelion pistils help to gather pollen for 

 themselves, and can supplement the good offices of 

 flies and bees. 



The very first dandelions are apt to appear in 

 the bleak days of early spring, which are not 

 tempting to insect-rovers, so that they may receive 

 no visitors at all. In that case the little florets 

 make shift to do without them. The arms of the 

 pistil when they curve downward will come into 

 contact with the sweeping hairs still covered with 

 the pollen from the anther-tube. And this will be 

 turned to account to meet the needs of the case, 

 for the dandelion floret can, at a pinch, set its seed 

 by means of its own pollen. 



Many flowers, especially many spring flowers, 



