Sexuality in Plants 



19 



corn-plaut, which bears the stamens on the tassel and 

 the pistil in the silk, each strand of silk being connected 

 with an ovule, and hence the stigma of each strand of 

 silk or pistil must receive a pollen -granule in order that 

 the ovule to which it is attached may produce a grain of 

 corn. All of the melon family belong to this class, the 

 ovary in these cases showing before the flowers open, 

 below the female flower or that containing the pistil. 

 The flowers containing the stamens are readily recognized 



Fig. 1. Bisexual flower 



K. M. AV. 



Pistillate flower 



by the absence of the ovary. Plants of this class are 

 more liable to cross -pollenizing than are the bisexual, 

 because they are largely dependent upon the priestly 

 office of the bee for marrying them. The melons, 

 squashes and others of that class are so completely- 

 dependent upon insects that flowers which open under 

 such weather conditions as prevent the visits of insects 

 fail to produce. 



