256 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



Syriaca)^ a beautiful and fragrant flower. I have observed 

 the first appearance of its blossoms for two years on this day. 

 It usually grows in large groups or beds ; and is a tall plant, 

 as you see, with large broad oval leaves ; when broken, a 

 white glutinous fluid exudes, whence it, with other plants, 

 has acquired the name of milkweed. The flow^ers which, as 

 you perceive, grow in large close heads, are very curious in 

 their structure : the order to which they belong is " known 

 from all others by the single character of its grains of 

 pollen adhering together within a sort of bag, which occupies 

 the whole of the inside of each cell of the anther ; and when 

 it falls out, sticks to glands of a peculiar character occupying 

 the angles of the stigma." Besides this, the anther and 

 the stigma adhere firmly to each other. A large Sphinx, 

 the Zebra Hawk-moth (Sphinx Kalmice), resorts to these 

 flowers in considerable numbers, during the warm evenings ; 

 and many smaller moths. The Zebra Hawk I have invari- 

 ably found as soon as the milkweed is blown, but at no other 

 time, and on no other flowers. You may, no doubt, see 

 some there this evening, soon after the sun has set. The 

 flowers of this plant are succeeded by large spindle-shaped 

 pods, (that is, thick in the middle and pointed at each end,) 

 about three inches long, containing many rows of flat round 

 seeds, lying imbricated one upon the other, attached to a 

 pithy substance that runs through the centre, the placenta; to 

 each seed are aflixed long silky filaments of down, which, 

 when ripe, act the part of wings to convey the seeds on the 

 wind, and scatter them in different directions. 



C — Many plants have downy seeds : those of the com- 

 mon dandelion (Leontodon Taraxacum) are very regularly 

 and beautifully arranged. 



F, — The modes by which the seeds of plants are trans- 

 ported about, are exceedingly various, and well worthy of 

 attention : and perhaps none are more so than those of syn- 



