SOME EARLY FLOWERS 



stigma. Surrounding the pistils of the peony are many 

 bodies like No. 2, Fig. 31. Each one is called a stamen, the 

 stem part of it is called the filament, and the upper part the 

 anther; through two openings of the anther escapes a 

 yellow dust, which is called pollen ; and very precious dust 

 it is, for it is only when some of it reaches the stigma and 

 there grows down till it unites with an egg cell of an 

 ovule, that the little plant can begin to grow ; that is, ovules 

 can not become seeds without the help of pollen. Now 

 pollen is easily injured, both by cold and by moisture. 

 Let us see what protects it. Around the stamens are two 

 circles of little leaves, the inner one red, the outer, green 

 or purple and green. The inner circle is called the corolla 

 and each leaf a petal, the outer circle is called the calyx 

 and each leaf a sepal. In the bud, the calyx and corolla 

 are closely wrapped about the stamens ; as the bud opens, 

 they still protect the pollen, because the flower faces down- 

 ward and the calyx and corolla are like a roof over the 

 stamens. 



But why should the bud have opened at all, if it is only 

 necessary that the pollen fall on the stigma ? Could not 

 this happen even better in the bud ? We enjoy the open 

 flowers with their pretty colors, but of what use to the 

 plant is their opening ? Some great naturalists have tried 

 to work out the answers to these questions, and this is 

 what they seem to have proved. Nature prefers that 

 flowers should not work alone at seed-making, for the best 

 seeds result when flowers help each other, when each gets 

 the pollen for seed-making from some other. In fact many 

 flowers are so arranged that their own pollen cannot reach 

 the stigmas. The peony keeps its stigmas quite beyond its 

 anthers, and the pollen cannot easily fall on them. As soon 

 as a peony bud begins to open, the stigmas, all ready for 

 pollen, stand on guard at the entrance. What is to bring 

 pollen to them ? If you have fresh flowers, you will find 



87 



