ROSE 55 



is situated, is the most convenient alighting place, an insect dusted 

 with pollen coming from another flower is likely to effect cross- 

 pollination. As the opening of the stamens proceeds pollen will 

 fall on the stigmas of all flowers that do not stand erect. The 

 pollination mechanism of this flower is thus a simple and little 

 specialised one as compared with that of many of the flowers that 

 have been described. 



That pollination is successfully effected is shown by the large 

 crop of fruits that almost every bush of the Dog Rose bears. The 

 fruits are known as " Hips," and are derived from the hollow 

 receptacle enclosing the fruitlets. Each fruit is surmounted by 

 the remains of the calyx, stamens, and stigmas, the petals having 

 fallen off. On cutting open the fruit we find that the floral 

 receptacle has increased in size and thickness, while the separate 

 carpels have developed into the fruitlets. The wall of the 

 receptacle in the developing fruit is at first green and firm ; later 

 it becomes bright red and softer. Each fruitlet is pale brown in 

 colour and is clothed with hairs ; it bears the remains of the style. 

 The wall of the fruitlet is hard and stony, and protects the thin- 

 walled seed. The fruits often remain on the branches after the 

 leaves have fallen, and are sought after by birds as food. They eat 

 the succulent tissue, and either leave the fruitlets on the ground 

 or swallow them. In either case the fruitlets are deposited at a 

 distance from the parent plant, and the seeds thus dispersed. 



THE ASH (Fraxinus excelsior, L.) 



The Ash, like any other tree, requires to be studied at different 

 seasons of the year to gain a proper idea of its annual history 

 and to obtain the flowers, buds, foliage, and fruits. The Ash is 

 one of the most beautiful of our native trees, and is largely planted 

 through the whole of Britain. Good specimens attain a height 

 of over one hundred feet, and have a longer or shorter trunk and 

 a loose crown of branches bearing the foliage. The root system 

 extends deeply into the soil, from which it obtains the relatively 

 large quantities of water that this tree requires. During the 

 winter the branches are bare ; in early spring the flowers open, 

 and flowering is over before the buds have expanded. The leaves 

 unfold later than those of most other trees, and also fall early in 



