232 THE ALPINE THICKETS AND FORESTS 



the stomata and also glandular hairs are situated. 

 This is another adaptation, similar to those to which 

 attention has already been drawn, for reducing the 

 risk of excessive loss of moisture from the leaf by 

 means of the stomata, which are here protected by 

 their position in the half-closed chamber formed by 

 the rolling in of the leaf. 



The flowers, which are very small and stalk- 

 less, are often produced in great numbers near the 

 tips of the twigs. As a rule, each plant is either 

 male or female that is, all the flowers on one plant 

 belong to one sex. The pollen of the male flowers 

 is carried to the stigmas of the female by the agency 

 of the wind. In some cases, though rather rarely, 

 the flowers are hermaphrodite i.e., they contain both 

 male and female organs in the same flower. 



The fruit is like a berry externally, but, in its 

 structure, it more closely resembles that of a Cherry 

 or a Peach, in that the inner portion is hard or 

 stony. This type of fruit is distinguished botanically 

 as a drupe. In the drupe of the Crowberry, there are 

 from six to nine stones. The fruits are not eaten 

 in Switzerland, but, in Scandinavia, the Laplanders 

 and Finns make use of them. In Northern Europe 

 these fruits grow naturally much larger and are 

 more juicy than in the Alps, as is also the case with 

 the fruits of several other Alpines which occur in 

 Scandinavia. 



