SPRING FLOWERS 145 



The stalked heads that are usually known as the " flowers " 

 of the Dandelion are really the inflorescences, each of which 

 bears a large number of small flowers. Each inflorescence or 

 flower-head stands in the axil of one of the leaves of the rosette. 

 Since the main shoot does not grow into an inflorescence, it con- 

 tinues to produce new rosettes of foliage-leaves year after year 

 as the older leaves decay. 



The flower-head is borne on a cylindrical greenish stalk, which 

 is at first short and only reaches its full length shortly before 

 the flowers are ready to open. When the stalk is short it will 

 be found to be covered with long cottony hairs, which doubtless 

 assist in protecting it. The remains of these can be seen at 

 intervals on the fully grown stalk, being most numerous just 

 below the head where growth has been less rapid. The flower- 

 head is surrounded by a large number of narrow green leaves or 

 bracts, which at first fit closely together and completely enclose 

 the little flower buds within. When the head opens the outer 

 bracts bend back, but the inner longer ones stand up around 

 the flowers. The relative positions of the bracts and florets, 

 as the little flowers are called, will be best seen on splitting a 

 flower-head in half. The hollow stalk of the inflorescence will 

 be found to widen out into a hollow expansion which is slightly 

 concave on the upper surface. The bracts are borne around 

 the edge of this, while the little flowers are closely crowded 

 together in the centre. 



The flowers can be readily pulled off singly, and their struc- 

 ture should be carefully made out with the assistance of the 

 pocket-lens. This will be most easily done if fresh inflores- 

 cences with expanded florets are taken on a fine sunny day. 

 All the florets in a flower-head are alike. 



At the base of the floret is an elongated, oval, whitish swelling. 

 This is the ovary, which is here inferior, all the other parts of the 

 flower springing from above it. Immediately above the ovary 

 we come to a very short greenish stalk, narrower than the ovary 

 itself, and at the upper limit of this the structure which takes 

 the place of the calyx is borne. This is a circle of long, fine, 

 white hairs, which stand up around the lower part of the corolla. 

 The use of this peculiarly developed calyx will be seen when we 



VOL. III. 10 



