MORE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 



21 



buds and opening flowers. Only, in the narcissus 

 the spathe is thin, whitish, and papery, while in 

 the cuckoo-pint it is expanded, green, and purple. 

 Though not a corolla, it serves the same purpose 

 as a corolla generally performs : it attracts insects 

 to the compound flower-head. 



Inside the spathe we find a curious club-shaped 

 mass, coloured bright purple, and standing straight 

 up in the middle of the head. 

 This is the stem or axis on which 

 the separate little flowers are ar- 

 ranged. Cut open the spathe, and 

 you will find these flowers below 

 in the centre (Fig. 26). At first 

 sight what you see will look like 

 a lot of confused little knobs ; 

 but when you gaze closer you 

 will see they separate themselves 

 into three groups, which are the 

 true flowers. Lowest of all on 

 the stem come the female blos- 

 soms, without calyx or corolla, 

 each consisting of a single ovary. 

 Above these in a group come the 

 male flowers, equally devoid of 

 calyx or corolla, and each con- 

 sisting of a single stamen. Above 

 these again come abortive or mis- 

 shapen flowers, each of which has 

 been reduced to a single down- 

 ward-pointing hair. I will ex- 

 plain first what is the use of these flowers in the 

 cuckoo-pint as it stands to-day, and then I will 

 go back to consider by what steps the plant came 

 to develop them. 



The upper flowers, which look like hairs, and 



