216 SPECIAL EXERCISES ON TYPICAL FLOWERS 



to dig up the strong taproot which penetrates the ground to 

 a considerable depth. In addition to a whole plant, there 

 should also be a supply of buds, flowers, and ripened fruits. 

 A magnifying glass is a necessity. 



How does the root adapt the dandelion to withstand the 

 cold and the efforts of the gardener to exterminate it? 

 Taste of the root. How does the dandelion withstand the 

 ravages of root-eating animals? 



What can be learned of the stem f What advantages has 

 a so-called stemless plant ? What of the leaf arrangement ? 

 Account for the rosette form. How does this prove an 

 advantage to the dandelion? What effect does such a 

 growth have on other plants, such as grasses, which grow 

 close by? Break off a leaf. Describe the sap, its taste, 

 color, etc. Draw. Account for the shape and peculiar mar- 

 gin of the leaves. 



Study a bud, making note of the many circles of bracts 

 which surround it. What is their position in a bud, in an 

 expanded head, in the withered flower, and in the ripe 

 fruit? 



Examine the flower. Has it ray flowers and disk flowers 

 like those of the sunflower? Wherein does it differ? Re- 

 move a flower and study it with a magnifier. Find the 

 ovary, its crown of very delicate bristles (pappus), and the 

 other parts of the flower. Study and draw as in the preced- 

 ing exercise. Remove some pollen and examine it dry 

 with a low power of the microscope. Draw. Select a fully 

 expanded ball of ripened fruit. Blow it gently to see the 

 fruit (achenes) float away. Study a single fruit and draw it. 

 Examine the receptacle after all the fruits have been blown 

 away^ Note the pits where they were attached. Draw. 

 Compare with lettuce, chicory, and cynthia, 



