MEANS OF POLLINATION 



139 



#*p 



because the pollen of one flower 

 is impotent on the pistil of 

 that flower. Buckwheat is 

 another such plant. 



285. The corn plants are 

 monoecious, and therefore self- 

 pollination is impossible. The 

 staminate flowers of the In- 

 dian corn are in a terminal A ^'^M 

 panicle or tasi 

 The pistillate 



dense spike (ear), inclosed in a 

 sheath or husk. (Fig. 231.) Each 

 "silk" is a style. 

 Each pistillate 

 flower may produce 

 a kernel of corn. 

 Sometimes a few 

 pistil- 







flowers are in a ',**«* *•'■"*' -^k 1 wr & 



232. Panicle or tassel of a sorghum in 

 blooming time. 



late flowers are borne in the tassel 

 and a few staminate flowers on the 

 tip of the ear. In sorghums, broom- 

 corn and kafirs (Figs. 232, 233, 234), 

 the two kinds of flowers are in the 

 same cluster or tassel. 



286. Although most flowers are of 

 such character as to insure or increase 

 the chances of cross-pollination, there 

 are some in which crossing is abso- 

 lutely forbidden. These flowers are 

 usually borne beneath or on the 



233. Head or 

 brush of 



broom - corn 234. Head of 

 at seeding one of the 



co'rn Br i°s 0m ; ^unseed! ground, and they lack showy colors 



and perfumes. They are known as 

 clr i stoga mous flowers (meaning "hidden 



peduncles or grownm dry fl^rs")- The P^t haS 1U,nnal 



th? ftiff ffiTmlK cleistogamous flowers (meairing "hidden 



