CHARACTERISTICS 



13 



essential organs of a flower, A flower which has both is said 

 to be perfect; if either alone, imperfect; or if with neither, 

 rudimentary. 



While the floral parts of the oat are being formed they are 

 protected by papery husks called bracts, a bract being or- 



FiG. 2. — Oat. A, Upper part of flower-cluster. B, a single spikelet in 

 flower, with bracts spread somewhat apart. C, one of the outer bracts. 

 D, an inner bract bearing an awn. /, pistil. G, lodicules. A and B 

 about natural size, C, D, and /, enlarged. (Nees.) 



dinarily a small leaf-like organ belonging to a flower-cluster. 

 A little cluster of grass-flowers together with their bracts, 

 is called a spikelet. At the base of the inner bracts are the 

 so-called lodicules which by swelling spread apart the bracts 

 so as to expose the anthers and stigmas at the proper time 

 for shedding or receiving the pollen. An aivn is a bristle- 

 Hke appendage such as make up the "beard" of many grasses. 



