78 ELEMENTS OP STRUCTURAL BOTANY. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



EXAMINATION OP GLUMACEOUS PLANTS TIMOTHY AND 

 OTHER GRASSES. 



100. Timothy. The top of a stalk of this well- 

 known grass is cylindrical in shape, and upon examina- 

 tion will be found to consist of a vast number of similar 

 pieces compactly arranged on very short pedicels about 



the stalk as an axis. Carefully separate one of 

 \mJ these pieces from the rest, and if the grass has 

 ITI not yet come into flower the piece will present 

 \ttjf the appearance shown in Fig. 101. In this 

 Fig. the three points in the middle are the pro- 

 ' truding ends of stamens. The 

 piece which you have separated is, in 

 fact, a flower enclosed in a pair of bracts, 

 and all the other pieces which go to 

 make up the top are flowers also, and, 

 except perhaps a few at the very sum- 

 mit of the spike, precisely similar to this 

 one in their structure. 



101. Fig. 102 is designed to help you in dissecting a 

 flower which has attained a greater degree of development 

 than the one shown in Fig. 101. Here the two bracts 

 which enclose the flower have been drawn asunder. To 

 these bracts the name glumes is applied. They are 

 present in all plants of the Grass Family, and are often 



Fig. 101. Closed flower of Timothy. 

 Fig. 102. Expanded flower of the sam. 



