100 Principles of Plant Culture. 



with a bristle (the awn or beard) are called the lower 

 or outer pales or palets (pa'-lets) or flowering glumes 

 to distinguish them from the smaller and more deli- 

 cate upper or inner palets which are just above and 

 inclosed within the outer palets. Between the outer 



FIG. 53. FIG. 54. FIG. 55. 



FIG. 53. Spikelet of wheat; st, stamens. (After LaMaout and 

 Dacaisne.) 



FIG. 54. The same dissected; x, axis of spikelet; g. glumes; 

 bl, b2, outer pales; Bl, B2, flowers displaced from the axis of 

 outer pales; ps, inner pales; a, anthers, f ovary. (After Prantl.) 



FIG. 55. Flower of wheat, enlarged; st, stamens; p, pistil; o, 

 ovary. (After LaMaout and Dacaisne.) 



and inner palets are the stamens and pistils, shown 

 separately in Fig. 55. 



149. Fecundation (fec'-un-da'-tion) is the union of 

 the male and female cell by which the new plaritlet is 

 formed.* The ovule produces within itself a female 

 cell which may be fecundated by the male cell pro- 

 duced by the pollen (143). The fecundated cell then 

 grows to form a young plant the embryo (55), and 

 the parts of the ovule develop about it, the whole form- 

 ing the perfect seed. Unless the ovule is fecundated, 

 the seed very rarely develops. A flower that contains 



* The term fertilization (fer-til-i-za'-tion), that has been com- 

 monly used for this process, tends to confusion, because this term 

 is also applied to the addition of plant food to the soil. 



