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THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



vegetative propagation the plant has in these specially modified 

 branches. 



The origin of the inflorescence and the explanation of its 

 apparently lateral position has been already considered above. 

 It is an erect cylindrical, hairy stem, bearing small and reduced 

 leaves. The internodes are long. The leaf borne at the first node 

 has the form of a small foliage-leaf, while that at the second node 

 consists of the leaf-base with the stipules and a single small green 

 leaflet. The main stem of the inflorescence continues above this 

 second leaf, and ends in the flower which is the first to open. 

 Branches are, however, formed in the axils of both the leaves 

 and end in flowers, while further branching proceeds from the 

 axils of the reduced leaves they in turn bear. 



Each flower (Fig. 80) has a calyx of five pointed sepals, 



between and below 

 which are five 

 smaller green 

 leaves. These are 

 not a second series 

 cf sepals, but are 

 probably derived 

 from the stipules 

 belonging to the 

 five sepals. Since we might have expected to find a stipule to 

 either side of each sepal instead of one pointed leaf between 

 every two sepals, this explanation is not quite clear. The 

 fact that flowers are often found in which a more or less com- 

 plete division into two affects one or more of the outer segments 

 supports the suggestion that each of them corresponds to two 

 stipules belonging to adjacent sepals fused together. We shall 

 meet with a similar state of affairs in the Common Avens, which 

 is a not very distant relation of the Wild Strawberry. 



The five white petals, which form the conspicuous corolla, 

 alternate with the sepals. They widen out rapidly from the 

 narrow base by which they are attached to the receptacle. The 

 petals, unlike the other parts of the flower, are very readily shed, 

 so that uninjured and fresh flowers should be chosen for study. 

 Within the corolla come the numerous stamens, the yellow anthers 



FlG. 80. Wild Strawberry. A, entire flower ; B, flower 

 cut in half. (After Baillon.) 



