ASCLEPIAS. 197 



(staminate crown) to view. This consists of 5 fleshy, rose- 

 white hoods attached to the mass of united anthers and stig- 

 mas. From the opening of each hood projects a little curved 

 horn. Both hood and horn are of unknown use. 



*Po22en . Of the 5 anthers, each contains 2 club-shaped 

 masses of pollen (pollinia) suspended in pairs beneath the 

 disk of the stigma by slender stipes attached to 5 double 

 glands. The pollinia of adjacent anthers are so united. The 

 glands are very sticky and adhere to such insects as call in 

 quest of honey, while their pollinia are dragged out of the 

 anthers and carried to other flowers. This may be for 

 the purpose of cross-fertilization ; but the double pollinia 

 dangling "like saddle-bags" from the legs of the insects 

 often prove very annoying. 



Under the staminal mass are 2 ovaries, each 1-celled with 

 numerous ovules. But few of the ovaries in the umbel are 

 fertilized and come to maturity. 



The Jfytrit is lance-shaped, with a rough exterior, 1-celled, 

 and opens by a slit along the inner side. Such we call a 

 follicle. It incloses many flat seeds imbricated on the large 

 placenta, each fledged with a tuft of long silky hairs called 

 a coma. These serve, like the down of the Dandelion, to 

 waft the seeds to a distance. 



The Scientific Name of the Milkweed shown in the 

 figure, is AscUpias Cornuti, or the Horned Asclepias, the 

 genus being dedicated to ^Esculapius, the god of Medicine. 

 There are 50 species, which differ, however, in only a few 

 particulars from the description in the text. 



Classification. The order of the Asclepiads (AscLE- 

 PIADACE^E) may be formulated as follows : 



Plants with, a milky juice. 



Flowers regular, perfect, 5-parted, symmetrical. 



Stamens and stigma consolidated. 



