186 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



So far the flower resembles in general construction that of 

 the Dead-nettle. If the corolla is removed and slit up along 

 the middle line in front the stamens will be seen attached to its 

 inner surface. The two well-developed stamens join the corolla 

 opposite the lines of junction of the anterior and lateral petals, 

 which form the lower lip, and have a very peculiar shape. Each 

 has a stout, white, cylindrical filament, the shape of which is shown 

 in Fig. 86, B. A curved portion is fixed at right angles to the free 

 end of the filament, like the cross-piece of a T. At the forwardly 

 directed end of this is a yellow anther-lobe and at the other a 

 small knob. Comparison of this peculiar stamen with that of 

 the Dead-nettle will show that the cross-piece corresponds to 

 the connective between the two lobes of the anther. This in the 

 Sage is greatly extended, and separates the two anther-lobes 

 widely. Only one of the lobes of the anther forms abundant 

 pollen ; the knob-like one forms little or none. The Dead-nettle 

 had four stamens, and careful examination of the flower of the 

 Sage will reveal traces of the second pair as two small, white, 

 bodies, no longer bearing anthers, inserted opposite the junction 

 of the petals of the posterior lip with the lateral petals (Fig. 86, B) . 

 As compared with the Dead-nettle, then, the stamens are reduced 

 in number to two, and these are peculiarly developed so that only 

 one-half of the anther forms pollen. Another feature to be noted 

 in the corolla-tube when slit open is a ring of white hairs which 

 stand at the junction of the lower colourless portion of the tube 

 with the upper coloured part. These hairs serve to protect the 

 nectar, which is secreted by the large purple-coloured nectary at 

 the base of the ovary, and accumulates in the lower portion of 

 the corolla- tube. 



If the corolla is carefully removed from a flower the style 

 and stigma, which lay beneath its posterior lip, will remain pro- 

 jecting from the calyx. The tip of the style bears a two-lobed 

 or forked stigma, the lobes of which diverge only in the later 

 stage of flowering. On splitting the calyx open the style will 

 be found to spring from the centre of the ovary, which is com- 

 posed of four, rounded, green lobes. In each of these is a single 

 ovule. 



Having dissected one or two flowers and studied the form 



