44 INTERRELATIONS OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS 



some flowers. Snails are said in rare instances to carry pollen. 

 Man and the domesticated animals undoubtedly frequently 

 pollinate flowers by brushing past them through the fields. 



Pollination by the Wind. — Not all flowers are dependent upon 

 insects or other animals for cross-pollination. Many of the earliest 

 of spring flowers appear almost before the insects do. Such flowers 

 are dependent upon the wind for carrying pollen from the stamens 



A cornfield showing staminate and pistillate flowers, the latter having becoms 

 grains of corn. An ear of corn is a bunch of ripened fruits. 



of one flower to the pistil of another. Most of our common trees, 

 oak, poplar, maple, and others, are cross-pollinated almost en- 

 tirely by the wind. 



Flowers pollinated by the wind are generally inconspicuous 

 and often lack a corolla. The anthers are exposed to the wind 

 and provided with much pollen, while the surface of the stigma 

 may be long and feathery. Such flowers may also lack odor, nectar, 

 and bright color. Can you tell why ? 



Imperfect Flowers. — Some flowers, the wind-pollinated ones 

 in particular, are imperfect ; that is, they lack either stamens 



