226 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



sheath-like base. The blade is triangular in outline, and its edge 

 is cut into large teeth pointing towards the tip. The surface is 

 wrinkled, and the veins project strongly on the lower surface. 

 Small stiff white hairs are scattered on both surfaces, and are 

 more numerous on the veins below. Down each internode of the 

 stem from the interspaces between the two leaves of the whorl 

 run two lines of long white hairs. These rows of hairs thus 

 alternate in successive internodes. 



Inflorescences are developed in the axils of a number of the 

 upper leaves. The lower portion of the stem of this is leafless, 

 but on the upper part are numerous narrow simple green bracts, 



in the axil of each of which is a single 

 flower. The stem is round and bears hairs 

 on all sides, not in two definite rows. 

 Another point of difference from the vege- 

 tative shoot is that the leaves are inserted 

 singly and not in whorls of two. The flowers 

 open in regular succession from below 

 upwards. 



Each flower has a slender flower-stalk, 



FIG. 102. Flower of Ger- 

 mander Speedwell, seen and consists of the following parts. The 

 from in front. (From calyx is green and hairy, and consists 



a PP arentl y f f Ur S6 P als - TheS6 are naiTOW 



and pointed, and only united for a short 

 distance at the base. Comparison with the flowers of related 

 plants, such as the Foxglove, shows that the sepal which 

 should stand in the middle line behind is wanting. The petals 

 forming the corolla are united, and the corolla is very readily 

 removed or falls off in a piece carrying the stamens with it. 

 It appears to be composed of four petals, which alternate in 

 position with the sepals. Comparison with related plants shows, 

 however, that the posterior petal is really the equivalent of two 

 petals fixed together. This lobe of the corolla is broader than 

 the others ; the two lateral petals are also fairly broad, while the 

 anterior petal is narrow (Fig. 102). The tubular portion of the 

 corolla, from which the lobes in full-blown flowers expand almost 

 at right angles, is very short. Looked at from in front, the blue 

 petals are seen to be marked with deeper blue lines converging 



