1 64 Field, Forest, and Wayside Flowers 



Sometimes, as in the oat-blossom, they are large 

 enough to shut the whole spikelet in between 

 them. 



When we separate the empty glumes of the oat- 

 spikelet we find the enclosed flowers (Fig. 40, c). 

 Each is shut in between two green scales, which 

 are like the "empty glumes," but smaller, and 

 blossom and scales together look like a green oat- 

 grain. 



Scales similar to these enclose the blossoms of 

 all typical grasses. They are generally two in num- 

 ber, and are sometimes called " flowering glumes" 

 and sometimes " paleae," while Gray's "Manual" 

 calls the lower and outer one the "flowering 

 glume " and the upper and inner one the palet. 

 However designated, they correspond to those 

 scale-like leaves which stand beside the florets of 

 many-clustered flowers, and are variously named by 

 the technical botanist (Fig. 40, d\ 



At some fair future day we will have, let us 

 hope, the same name for the same organ, what- 

 ever the organism in which it occurs. This plan 

 will save the nature-student much tribulation, and 

 will give him far clearer ideas of relationship and 

 development than he can possibly get under the 

 present system. 



