BAKED- APPLE BERRY; CLOUD-BERRY 



Rubus Chamaemorus L. 

 ROSE FAMILY 



One must go to a peat bog in early June to find this curious 

 little raspberry in blossom. Springing from rootstocks creeping 

 through the moss, the stems rise only a few inches high. They 

 are neither woody nor prickly as are most raspberries, and bear 

 two or three simple leaves instead of the usual divided ones. 

 These leaves are plaited in the bud, and in process of expansion 

 the underside, with firm, close ribbing, is first exposed. Slowly 

 the ribs or veins lengthen and spread apart, and as they do so, 

 the leaf settles to its proper position facing the sky, so that its 

 millions of cells, each a tiny starch factory, may by the energy 

 of the sunshine produce a full day's output. Strikingly handsome 

 the leaves are, rich and deep in texture and color. 



A single flower, like a little white rose, tops each stalk. There 

 are two kinds, as may be seen in the picture, where the four centre 

 ones bear clusters of stamens, while the two tall, outside plants 

 have flowers with pistils only. The staminate blossoms soon 

 shed their yellow dust, then shrivel up and that is the end of them ; 

 but the pistillate ones, if they have received the vitalizing touch 

 of the pollen grains, develop into the pleasant berries which give 

 the plant one of its popular names. Many fruits in ripening 

 change from green through yellow to red at full maturity, but 

 here the order is reversed, from green to red, then to yellow. 



When stamens and pistils are produced by separate individuals, 

 the plant is said to be dioecious. This habit makes sure of cross- 

 fortilization, with its advantage of seeds endowed with superior 

 vigor and adaptability. On the other hand, it is not an economical 

 method as only about half the plants can produce seeds, hence 

 most of the higher plants combine stamens and pistils in the same 

 flower, but so arrange things that cross-fertilization is usually 

 assured, or at least encouraged. 



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