178 



THE POPULAE EDUCATOE. 



so named after a Russian princess. It is a native of Japan, 

 remarkable for the beauty of its heart-shaped leaves, and its 

 long, blue, odorous flowers, disposed in panicles. 



SECTION XXXVII.-COMPOSIT^E, OR COMPOUND-FLOWEB 

 TRIBE. 



Characteristics : Inflorescence ; a capitulum receptacle or 

 torus common, surrounded by an involucre ; calyx tubular, 

 adherent to the ovary; corolla epigynous, monopetalous ; 

 stamens five, rarely four, inserted on the corolla ; anthers 

 united into a tube by their edges ; ovary inferior, unilocular, 

 uniovular ; ovule erect ; fruit, an achaenium ; seed, dicotyle- 

 donous, exalbuminous ; radicle inferior. 



The Composite, of which at the present time not less than 

 9,000 species are known, constitute the tenth part of the 

 flowering plants, and, therefore, perhaps ought to form a 

 class rather than a natural order ; nevertheless, the type which 

 they present is so uniform that, in spite of their great nume- 

 rical superiority over other natural groups, botanists have con- 

 tinued to regard them as an order. 



For the most part the Compositce are herbs, generally peren- 

 nials; certain' species are ligneous; indeed, a few are arbo- 

 rescent, constituting trees of large size. The leaves are 

 generally alternate, various as to their form, but always with- ! 

 out stipules. The capitula, as a whole, present the appear- 

 ance of a corymb ; the aggregate inflorescence is therefore 

 definite ; but each capitulum entering into the corymb is in- 

 definite, as is sufficiently made known by the order of floral 

 development the external florets always being the first to ex- 

 pand. Perhaps the best manner of studying the compound 

 inflorescence is to regard each capitulum as a spike flattened 

 down upon itself in such a manner that what it loses in length 

 is gained in thickness. Upon this normal spike each floret 

 grows from the axilla of a bract ; therefore, we ought to find 

 apor this compound spike bracts in equal number to the flowers, : 

 and situated externally to them. But the normal state is still , 

 further disturbed by the perishing, or abortion, to use a ( 

 phrase common in botanical descriptions, of some of the florets, 

 in consequence of pressure made upon them by their fellows. 

 Hence it follows that only the bracts appertaining to the outside ; 

 florets arrive at maturity, and form the general involucrum. 

 The internal bracts are merely represented by minute scales, 

 silk-like filaments, or hairs. 



When we analyse in this manner the nature of a capitulum, 

 the explanation is seen of the different aspect assumed by the 

 torus, or flower-disc, in various genera of compound flowers. In 

 the chamomile it is covered with hair ; in the blue corn-flower 

 it is silky ; in the Onopordon, or cotton thistle, it is alveolar 

 (Latin, alveolus, a socket, the diminutive of alveus, a large hollow 

 vessel), that is to say, studded with socket-like indentations, 

 similar to those in which are embedded the teeth of animals. 

 Finally, in certain Compositce of which the Dandelion may be 

 taken as an example, it is absolutely naked. 



In the greater number of cases, each floret of a compound 

 flower bears stamens and pistils, as in the corn centaurea(Pig. 

 93, page 280, Vol. I.), the full representation of which will be 

 given in Fig. 173 ; but in others the florets of the circumference 

 alone are pistilliferous, as is seen in the chrysanthemum (Fig. 

 101, page 280, Vol. I.) ; or even sterile, or devoid of both -pistils 

 and stamens. Again, certain remaining members of the Com- 

 posite order have staminiferous flowers in the centre and pistil- 

 liferous flowers on the circumference ; of this kind is the marigold. 

 Finally, there are yet others, the flowers of which are entirely 

 staminiferous, or entirely pistilliferous ; and these flowers may 

 be on one or two separate plants. 



The calyx, the tube of which is adherent to the ovary and 

 altogether confounded with it, terminates in a limb or free 

 portion, which is subject to numerous modifications of form; 

 thus furnishing excellent characters for the distinction of genera. 

 It is completely effaced in the chrysanthemum (Fig. 101) ; it 

 forms a crown in the wild chamomile and tansy ; and is developed 

 in tooth-like protuberances, or lamellar scales, in the sunflower 

 (Fig. 83, page 241, Vol. I.), French marigold, and chicory. 

 Frequently it has the form of hairy or silk-like filaments, form- 

 ing a plume, called the pappus. 



The stamens are inserted upon the tube of the corolla, and 

 are alternate with its divisions ; the pistil is composed of a 

 single carpel ; the ovary one-celled, uniovular. Certain botanists, 



having regard to the aggregation of many individual florets in 

 a compound flower, have imagined this great natural order to 

 be the most highly developed of all the flowering plants, and 

 as deserving to take precedence of all the other natural 

 families. To decide on the matter of precedence is in no case 

 an easy task ; but it is certain that the Composites contain a 

 very large number of highly valuable plants; it is certain, 

 boo, that extraordinary means are taken by nature for their 

 generation and preservation. How beautiful is the provision 

 which is made for the dispersion of their ripe fruits, com- 

 monly termed seeds ! These^ fruits, which the reader will now 

 remember are termed by botanists achaenia, remain upon the 

 torus, or receptacle enclosed by the withered bracts, until ripe ; 

 they are then dispersed. Various methods are adopted to bring 

 about this dispersion, and they are all beautiful. In some 

 species, the torus, after the withering of the floral envelopes, 

 shoots up in the form of a spire, thus presenting every facility 

 for the achasniums to escape. In other species, as the colt's- 

 foot, the torus becomes, during the ripening of the fruit, inverted 

 in such a manner that the fruits are emptied, as it were, out of 

 their sockets. In the chamomile the same result is accom- 

 plished by the assumption by the torus, as the fruits ripen, of 

 a globular instead of a plane condition. In the cotton thistle, 

 the alveolar processes become so contracted during the ripening 

 of the fruits, that the latter are extruded; but amongst all 

 provisions made by Nature for the distribution of the fruit of 

 Compositce, perhaps the most beautiful consists in the plume, 

 or aigrette, with which some are furnished. This plume is 

 nothing else than the dried limb or free portion of the calyx. 

 In the genera which have this appendage, it is worthy of remark, 

 that the involucrum is supplied with long, serrated, imbricated 

 bracts, which surround the achsenia, protect them, and favour 

 their ripening. In certain species, the involucrum opens of 

 itself as soon as the fruits arrive at maturity, thus allowing 

 the latter to escape and float on their winged appendages. In 

 others there is another provision. The involucrum, instead of 

 opening spontaneously, has a tendency to remain closed ; whilst 

 the wing-like appendages of the achaenia are yet unripe and 

 devoid of elasticity, there is nothing to prevent the closing ten- 

 dency of the involucrum from taking effect; but no sooner do 

 the fruits ripen than their plumes or wings, tending to expand 

 the outermost ones to a horizontal position, force open the 

 involucrum by their spring-like elasticity, and the fruits are 

 now free to move in obedience to the first passing breeze. In 

 this way the achaenia are transported often to the distance of 

 several miles. Not content even with this beautiful provision 

 in all its simplicity, the plumes of certain Compositce, mindful, 

 as it would seem, of their citizen-like traditions, aggregate to- 

 gether. In this manner occasionally a mimic cloud of dande- 

 lion fruits may be seen pursuing their devious course to some 

 unknown spot. 



LESSONS IN GERMAN. XXIX. 



SECTION LVIL EXAMPLES ILLUSTRATING THE VARIOUS 



USES OF THE PREPOSITIONS. 

 51 n.. 



3m Snnern <eutfcf>lanb gefcfxtfj', 

 toaS ton jeljer gefctyal)', toenn e 

 bent f)rone an einem Jtaifer, ober 

 bem JJaifcr an einem Jtai'ferfmne 

 feljlte. (Skitter.) 



2Bir flefyen toett on einan'ber ab an 



Satyren, an gepruf'tem 2Bert. 



(ctf)e.) 



@r ift an ber 2lu'je^rung geftor'fcen. 

 QKuji tcfy aucty an beiner 8te6e jtcet* 



fetn ? (Skitter.) 

 SHe Sreunbe rocrben trr' an btr ! 



(Scarier.) 

 n bte Slngft ber Gutter bcnfji bit 



mfyt. 



r fdjrteb einen Srief an mtcty. 

 (@r fctyricb mir einen Srief.) 



fennt ben 3Soget an ben %t> 



bent. 



In the interior of Germany 

 events took place which have 

 ever occurred before, when 

 the throne was without an 

 Emperor, or the Emperor 

 without an imperial mind. 



We stand far from each other 

 in years, in recognised worth. 



He (has) died of consumption. 

 Must I likewise doubt of thy 



love? 

 (The) thy friends are becoming 



perplexed about thee. 

 Of the anxiety of the mother 



thou dost not think. 

 He wrote a letter to me. 

 (He wrote [to] me a letter.) 

 One knows the bird by its (the) 



feathers. 



