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HANDBOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



tubes from which protrude little bodies, looking like horns. 

 Inside of these is a ring, in which every tube bears a hat 

 of yellow pollen. If, now, a bee crawls about on the sun- 

 flower, it gets its head all dusty, when it introduces its long 

 lips into the tubes. With its body it brushes away the 

 little pollen caps, and scatters the dust all over the curved, 

 horn-like bodies. These are the pistils, and in this way the 

 insect carries the pollen of one tube to the pistil of another. 



FIG. 12. FLORETS OP CULTIVATED SUNFLOWER. 



1, showing the projected anther tube with pollen on top; 2, the same, 

 with half of the corolla tube removed; 3, showing the two tubes and the 

 style ; 4, the same with the corolla tube removed, and showing how the 

 anther tube is retracted ; 5, half of the anther tube and half of the corolla 

 tube removed. All enlarged. 



Insects, no doubt, also carry pollen from one head to another, 

 and also from one plant to another. 



The parts of the florets. With a pin or small knife, open 

 one of the tubes lengthwise. Tlie tube itself is the corolla. 

 Inside of it you will find little threads grown together at 

 their upper end and forming a second short tube. The 

 threads are the stamens, and the second tube is formed by the 

 growing together of the anthers. In the centre of the stamens 

 is the style. It grows through the anther tube and pushes 



