172 MYSTERIES OF THP: FLOWERS 



umbrella-shaped calyx, like berries in 

 a basket. 



Some plants, fertilised by the wind, 

 perfect their pistils before the stamens, 

 as we saw in the case of the two plan- 

 tains. In the sketch are seen two florets 

 of the common plantain, the upper in 



the pistillate and the 

 lower in the staminate 

 stage. 



IMany flowers grow 

 in stiff spikes with the 

 staminate above and 

 the pistillate below. 

 The cat-tail is a well-known type 

 of this arrangement. The burr- 

 reed shown in the drawing is a 

 singularly decorative plant of like 

 habit. 



Finally, we come to a class of 

 flowers, fertilised by the wind, 

 which discharge their pollen into 

 the air explosively. It is said that 

 the mulberry, the pelletory, and 

 the nettle are so organised. I 



COMMON 

 PLANTAIN 



Floret above 

 with pistil 



Floret below 

 sbedding 

 pollea 



BURR-REED 



have read that between five and 

 six o'clock of a dry morning one 



