30 MYSTERIES OF THE FLOWERS 



in July pretty clusters of greenish white blossoms, 

 and, in October, strange seed-vessels like transpar- 

 ent chestnut burrs. Xo matter how the vine climbs 

 and twists and disports itself, the flower spires are 



seen to stand ver- 

 tically, with one, 

 or at most a very 

 few, hanging 

 down below the 

 vine, at the point whence 

 the vertical flower - stalk 

 springs. The upper and numerous 

 WILD BALSAM- flowers arc pollen bearers, the lower 

 ones seed-makers. We can under- 

 stand the logic of the arrangement, knowing the 

 habits of the bee. As he works from below, up- 

 ward, he alights first upon the pistillate flowers, 

 then climbs the floral spire, gathering pollen as he 

 goes, to take it down to the pistillate flowers on the 

 next group and so on with drops and climbs till 

 he has disarranged the pollen along the whole gar- 

 land of the vine. 



ARROWHEAD Sagittaria 



This decorative flower which beautifies the mar- 

 gins of our ponds with its white flowers from July 

 to September, presents twelve distinct species. 



