The Flowering of the Forest Trees 77 



bore both stamens and fruits. For here and there 

 on the boughs of this species a pistil can be 

 found standing between two stamens. The modest 

 trio attract no attention, by color, petals, or fra- 

 grance. Yet the technical botanist calls the little 

 group " a perfect flower," and the evolutionary 

 botanist sees in it an indication that once all 

 ash-flowers contained both stamens and pistil and 

 each tree was sufficient to itself. 



FIG. 13. Perfect (a), staminate (), and pistillate (c) flowers of 

 the European ash (Fraxinus excelsior}. (All magnified.) 



The European ash, frequently cultivated in parks 

 and gardens, is an individualist even to this day. 

 Parted from all its kind by leagues of sea, like 

 Crusoe on his island, it could take entire charge 

 of its own affairs and carry them to a successful 

 conclusion. The stamens and pistils are borne 

 always on the same tree, and often in the same 

 flower (Fig. 13), 



