108 



FIRST LESSONS WITH PLANTS 



a direct means of adaptation to circumstances or as a protection 

 to the plant; but in the present state of our knowledge, this is 



largely assumption 



141. The flowers of 

 hepatica have been 

 studied in Fig. 42 and 

 64. If, however, the 

 artist were to draw the 

 plant at night or in 

 early morning, he would 

 make a picture like 

 Fig. 111. The entire 

 flower droops by 

 the bending of 

 the scape, and 

 it straightens up 

 and expands in 

 the day-time. 

 The sleep of 

 plants, then, 

 may be more than a 

 simple closing of the 

 flowers. 



14 la. Is it common for early 

 spring flowers to close or to droop 

 at night? The -pupil may now be 

 interested to explore the garden 

 with a lantern . 



in 



is 



FIG. 111. 



Sleep of the 

 hepatica. 



of the most remarkable movements 

 that of the leaf and leaflets of the 



