hess] THE SUNFLOWER 239 



on the inner surface. Later the parts curve outward. When the 

 head has partly blossomed you can see the ring of ray flowers, then 

 a ring of disk flowers, fully open with pistils projecting above the 

 corolla tube, next a ring of disk flowers only partly open and in the 

 center of the head are disk flowers not opened at all. I have seen 

 sunflowers, in fact I now have some in my room, and it is the first 

 of December, from which the banner petals have fallen, the outer 

 rings of disk florets have gone to seed, the seeds are ripening and 

 falling off, while the central disk flowers are still in bloom. 



Bees and other insects are the frequent visitors of the sunflower. 

 They crawl over the flowers and the bees drag the pollen from the 

 open florets where the pistil is closed, to florets where the pistil is 

 open. Since the pistils and stamens do not ripen at the same time, 

 the pollen from one floret must go to the pistil of another floret, as 

 it cannot get to its own. Taking the pollen from one flower to 

 another is called cross pollination. This is good for the plant as it 

 gives vigor to the life in the seeds. 



During our few days study of this beautiful head of gold we 

 learned other things besides its blossoming and fertilization. We 

 learned that the flower itself does not turn with and toward the sun 

 as many poets express and as St. Francis de Sales tells us in the 

 following quotation: "The sunflowers not only rejoice at the 

 sight of the sun, but follow with loving fidelity the attraction of its 

 rays, gazing at it and turning toward it from its rising to its 

 setting," a sentiment repeated by Moore when he sang, 



"The sunflower turns on her God when he sets 

 The same look which she turned when he rose." 



But we found that during the period of growth the leaves, as well 

 as the growing stem are very sensitive to light. On sunny days 

 the leaves on the growing end of the stem are drawn somewhat 

 together so that they form a rosette. This rosette faces the sun 

 when rising, the growing stem does also as this aids in bringing the 

 upper surfaces of the leaves to face the sun through the day. 

 Light has a great influence on the leaves. When the leaves are 

 crowded you will notice each takes a certain position so as to 

 receive light. The leaf does not take this position of itself alone, 

 but is caused to do so by the light. The leaves open to the sun are 

 larger and a brighter green than those in the shade. W T e all know 

 it is necessary for the leaves to have light in order to cam- on 

 photosynthesis . 



