IMPERFECT AND PERFECT FLOWERS 



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thread of the " silk," when it receives its grain of pollen, 

 produces a kernel on the ear. If one of the threads 

 fails to receive its grain of pollen, a kernel on the ear 

 will be missing. By looking closely at an ear of Indian 

 corn, we can tell where the silk was attached to each 

 kernel. (Fig. 54.) 



Other Examples of Imperfect Flowers The flowers 

 of the melon, cucumber, squash, and pumpkin are imper- 



FIG. 55. Cucumber blossoms; A, pistillate; B, staminate. 



feet. By looking closely, we can easily see the two kinds 

 of flowers. Those that bear the pollen are like B, Figure 

 55 ; while those that have the pistil are like A, Figure 55. 

 Notice how many points of difference you can see in 

 these two flowers. In some plants, like the maple tree 

 and the hop plant, all the flowers on one plant bear sta- 

 mens only, and all the flowers on other plants bear pistils 

 only. The plants that bear the staminate flowers of 

 course never produce any seed. 



