CHAPTER VIII. 

 FLOWERS. 



PROVIDING MATERIALS. 



If the work in botany is begun soon after the Christmas holidays, 

 the early wild flowers will probably begin to appear by the time the 

 work already outlined has been completed. When there is doubt of 

 the availability of wild flowers at the required time, material placed in 

 formalin the previous summer should be at hand ; or arrangements 

 should be made with a greenhouse for forms which can be supplied in 

 abundance, such as sweet alyssum, Chinese primroses, Freesias, Tri- 

 teleias, and single hyacinths. 



It is desirable to select for preservation in formalin flowers which are 

 somewhat stiff and leathery, such as those of the honeysuckle, trumpet 

 creeper, Yucca, tiger lily, and some of the larger composites. The 

 Yucca is particularly good for introducing the student to the structure 

 of flowers, since all of its parts are large and simple in construction, 

 and it has the further advantage of being one of the most interesting 

 flowers in the method of its cross pollination. (See page 196.) As 

 soon as the structure of a few typical flowers has been learned, wherever 

 practicable, entire plants should be provided for the study of plants as 

 a whole. 



When flowers have become sufficiently abundant out of doors to admit 

 of choice, only those forms should be selected which show well some 

 definite facts of floral structure, adaptation to pollination, or relation- 

 ships such as are exhibited by the different species of a genus. No- 

 where in an introductory course in botany is the limited time usually 

 available more in danger of being misapplied than in the promiscuous 

 study of flowers without reference to some definite problem. 



To illustrate : Anemone or Ranunculus might be chosen to show a 

 simple type of flower, with parts distinct and regular ; larkspur, to bring 

 out relationship to the simple Anemone type, but with profound modi- 



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