58 ELEMENTS OF STRUCTURAL BOTANY. 



SHOWY ORCHIS. 



74. Timothy. The top of a stalk of this well-known 

 grass is cylindrical in shape, and upon examination 

 will be found to consist of a vast number of similar 

 pieces compactly arranged on very short pedicels about 



the stalk as an axis. Carefully separate one 

 of these pieces from the rest, and if the grass 

 has not yet come into flower the piece will 

 present the appearance shown in Fig. 88. In 

 Fig. 88. this Fig. the three points in the middle are the 

 protruding ends of stamens. The piece which you have 

 separated is, in fact, a flower enclosed in a pair of bracts, 

 and all the other pieces which go to make up the top 

 are flowers also, and, except perhaps a few at the very 

 summit of the spike, precisely similar to this one in 

 their structure. 



75. Fig. 89 is designed to help you in 

 dissecting a flower which has attained a 

 greater degree of developement than the 

 one shown in Fig. 88. Here, the two 

 bracts which enclose the flower have 

 been drawn asunder. To these bracts Fig. s'x 

 the name (jhones is applied. They arc present in all 



