98 



Principles of Plant Culture. 



smaller and more delicate upper or inner palets which 

 are just above and inclosed within the outer palets. 

 Between- the outer and inner palets are the stamens and 

 pistils, shown separately in Fig. 55. 



,, - - sv ~ 



&. 



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



Fig. 53. Spikelet of wheat; st, stamens. (After La Maout and Decaisne) , 

 Fig. 54. The same dissected; x, axis of spikelet; g, glumes; b n b 2r 



outer pales; B lf B 2 , flowers displaced from the axis of outer pales; p s r 



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



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



(After La Maout and Decaisne). 



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

 male and female cell by which the new plantlet is formed. * 

 The ovule produces within itself a female cell which 

 may be fecundated by the male cell produced by the 

 pollen (144). This fecundated cell then grows to form 

 a young plant the embryo (56), and the parts of the 

 ovule develop about it, the whole forming the perfect 

 seed. Unless the ovule is fecundated, the seed very 

 rarely develops. A flower that contains no pistil and 

 hence no ovule, can of course produce no seed. 



151. Pollination (pol-lin-a'-tion), is the access of pollen 

 {144) to the stigma (145) the first step in the process 



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

 for this process, tends to confusion, because this term is also applied to 

 the addition of plant food to the soil. 



