Blossom and Seed 203 



times the pistil is ready first ; its tip is unfolded and 

 sticky, and waiting for pollen, before that of the sur- 

 rounding stamens is ripe enough to burst from the 

 anthers. But the pistil cannot go on waiting, and if 

 pollen does not reach it at the right time, it is of no use 

 its coming at all ; the time is gone by, and the ovules 

 are left to shrivel. 



Often, too, the pollen is ripe first and all scattered 

 before the pistil is ready for it ; and here again the 

 ovules must perish, unless pollen is brought from else- 

 where. Even when pollen and pistil are ripe together, 

 they may be out of one another's reach ; for the pistil 

 may be taller than the stamens, or the anthers may 

 open outwards instead of inwards, and in neither case 

 will the pollen be scattered on the pistil-tip, or be of 

 any use to the ovules. 



But there are more difficulties even than these. A 

 perfect flower, as has been said, consists of a double 

 set of outer and a double set of inner organs ; but very 

 many flowers are quite imperfect. One or both of the 

 outer set of leaves may be altogether wanting, and one 

 or other of the inner set may be also wanting. That is 

 to say, some plants grow the pistil in one blossom and 

 the stamens in another, but never both in the same 

 blossom ; and others go a step further than this, and 

 grow their pistils and stamens not merely in different 

 blossoms, but on different plants. 



Those plants or blossoms, which bear stamens only, 

 are of course barren, for they posssss no ovules, as they 

 possess no pistils ; and those which bear pistils only 

 are, or may be, fertile, since they possess ovules, which 

 may become seeds provided pollen be brought to them 

 from another blossom or plant, but not otherwise. 



