Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 13 



specialization is carried to the highest degree in the 

 great Angraecum Orchid of Madagascar, that has a 

 nectar tube eleven inches in length. But one insect, 

 a huge sphinx-moth, has a tongue of sufficient length 

 to drain this nectary and to this insect alone, the 

 plant owes its existence. It is related that Darwin, 

 being confronted with the evidence of this flower 

 against one of his theories, claimed that such a moth 

 lived, even before it had been discovered. 



The seeds having been matured must be dispersed. 

 The simplest method is simply allowing them to drop 

 to the ground; a better one is to provide for their 

 spreading, this constantly widening the range of a 

 species and making a stronger race by bringing to- 

 gether widely distant families. 



We have all seen the rough-coated milkweed pods 

 that burst open in the Fall and release quantities of 

 silky-winged seeds. This flossy subtance is not for 

 ornament; neither is it designed to amuse children. 

 Each seed has an airy parachute that often carries 

 it miles from the scenes of its birth before it finally 

 conies to earth. This method is perhaps the sim- 

 plest and best for wide dispersal; many flowers 

 have adopted it, thistles, dandelions, etc. Others 

 have seeds in pods, like touch-me-not, that explode 

 when they are matured and scatter the seeds over 

 an area of several square yards. Still another 

 method is of having tiny hooks, like the seeds of the 

 genus Bidens, or in burs, like the burdock, that at- 

 tach themselves to the hair of passing animals or 

 the clothing of persons, and travel, perhaps, miles be- 

 fore they are shaken or brushed off. 



