SPRING FLOWERS 139 



The action of the insect can be imitated by passing a fine bristle 

 down one of the openings between the stamens, and on then 

 inserting the bristle into a second flower this will be pollinated 

 and will develop a fruit. 



In the wild state in this country many of the flowers do not 

 form fruits, though these can be found on careful search. The 

 corolla, with the stamens and the style, drops off, while the two 

 halves of the ovary separate and increase in size. When ripe, 

 these open along the line of union and liberate the seeds (Fig. 21). 

 Many of the flowers drop off without forming fruits, even when 

 pollination has taken place. 



THE WHITE DEAD-NETTLE (Lamium album, L.). 



The White Dead-nettle grows in social groups, often on grassy 

 banks or beneath hedges ; and can be found in flower from about 

 May until late in the year. It is a perennial plant, and, though 

 the leafy shoots die down for a short time in the winter, can be 

 found year after year on the same spot. Although the arrange- 

 ment and shape of the leaves resemble the Stinging Nettle, the 

 two plants are not related, and the hairs on the shoots of the 

 Dead-nettle have not the special complicated structure of those 

 of the Stinging Nettle, nor do they sting. 



To understand the growth of the plant, the leafy shoots must 

 not be merely picked off, but the underground parts bearing them 

 must be carefully dug up (Fig. 71). The green, leafy shoots will be 

 found to be the ends of longer or shorter underground branches. 

 These are whitish, and have a four-sided stem with distinct inter- 

 nodes. At each node is a pair of small scale-leaves. The cross 

 section of the stem is square, and the internodes are not hollow 

 as they are in the aerial stems. Numerous roots spring from the 

 nodes and extend into the soil, giving off lateral roots. In the 

 axils of the whitish scale-leaves are buds. These grow out into 

 branches, which may have a longer or shorter underground portion 

 and then grow into an erect shoot. The crop of new shoots grow- 

 ing up in the spring comes from such buds. 



The stem of the aerial shoots is also quadrangular, but it is 

 only solid at the nodes. The internodes are hollow, and this 



