12 THE BROAD BEAN PLANT. 



29. The Pistil (Fig. 3), the innermost part of the flower, is now 

 seen. It consists of a long green lower part with flattened sides, and a 

 tapering free end produced into a slender outgrowth (style), which bends 

 upwards and bears a tuft of hairs on the lower side of the bend, just 

 below the tip. Examine these parts carefully, and sketch the whoie 

 pistil in side view. The lower part of the pistil resembles a small 

 bean-pod, and for the present we may call it the " young pod." Is it 

 hollow, and does it contain anything answering to the seeds found in 

 the bean-pod ? Cut it across, and open it up, to see what we may at 

 present call the "young seeds." To which side (upper or lower) of the 

 cavity are they attached ? 



Make and sketch a longitudinal section of the entire flower corre- 

 sponding to that shown in Fig. 4. 



STANDARD PETAL 



FREE STAMEN 

 / CALYX 



STYLE'' ' / CALYX 

 STAMEN- OVARY 



TROUGH 



Fig. 4. Longitudinal Section of Broad Bean Flower. 



3O. The Fruit. You should watch some flowers from day 

 to day, or compare different flowers on the same plant, and note 

 any changes that occur as they grow older. What becomes of 

 the calyx, corolla, stamens, style, young pod ? What parts of 

 the flower (a) wither, (6) persist, (c) grow larger ? Watch 

 the growth of the fruit (pod), opening up pods of different 

 ages, to see what changes have occurred. How does the pod 

 change in texture and in colour as it grows older and larger ? 

 How does the ripe pod open to let the ripe seeds out ? 



Do any changes occur in the rest of the plant (leaves, etc.) 

 while the pods are ripening ? What happens if you leave the 

 plant undisturbed in the ground after the pods have ripened ? 

 What parts of the fruiting Bean-plant remain alive during 

 the winter ? What will next year's plants be produced from ? 



