124 WONDERS OF PLANT LIFE 



revert to a single condition. Very commonly 

 blossoms are to be found in a curious midway 

 stage between the double and single condition, 

 and when this is the case an interesting sidelight 

 as to the connection between stamens and petals 

 is to be seen. Some of the abnormal organs 

 then produced are simply flattened stamens, very 

 much like miniature petals save that the extremity 

 is covered with a deposit of pollen. In other 

 cases there is no pollen at all, and the process is 

 formed of coloured tissue, being in fact a perfect 

 petal on a miniature scale. 



Probably one of the most remarkable object 

 lessons to be found in the vegetable world bearing 

 on the origin of stamens is to be found in the case 

 of the flower of the White Water Lily (Nymphcea 

 alba). If a well-developed specimen is secured 

 and carefully dissected, it is possible to sort out 

 a most instructive series of organs illustrating 

 the stages between the perfect petal and the 

 normal stamen. Commencing with the outside 

 of the flower, we find the green sepal, which, in 

 passing, it may be pointed out, is partially tinted 

 with white. Next we shall find several rows of 

 well-formed petals, the only strange point about 

 these being that they steadily decrease in size the 

 nearer one gets to the centre. If the investigation 



