314 SEXUALITY OF VEGETABLES. CHAP. VI. 



matured all about the same period, so that the whole 

 of them might be blasted by the dews or frosts of a 

 single night ; whereas in the former the blossoms 

 are unfolded, and the stamens and pistils matured, 

 by gradual and successive steps, so that if part of 

 them should happen to be destroyed by the occur- 

 rence of a frosty morning, the rest may escape. 

 But the fruit is equally blasted whether the injury 

 is done to the stamens or to the pistil ; the stamens 

 being the organs in which the impregnating sub- 

 stance is contained, and the pistil being the channel 

 through which it is conveyed to the ovary. Hence 

 we may account for the peculiar care with which 

 these organs have been guarded by the hand of 

 nature from external injury: sometimes this is effected 

 by means of a nodding or pendant flower, as in the 

 case of the Crown Imperial and Cowslip, in which 

 the intention of nature is the more evident in that 

 the flower-stalk after the time of flowering becomes 

 gradually erect, even though loaded with fruit ; 

 sometimes it is effected by means of a capacity in- 

 herent in the petals of folding themselves together 

 in the night and opening themselves out again in 

 the morning, as in the case of many of the Papi- 

 lionaceous and Compound flowers, particularly the 

 Pea and Dandelion. But one of the best examples 

 of this capacity is that of the Nymphcza alba of 

 Linnaeus, which closing its petals as the sun begins 

 to get low, and shrinking into itself, reposes its 

 lovely blossom upon the surface of the water till the 



5 



