BOTANY 



15 



and extend several feet horizontally, but do not pene- 

 trate the soil deeply. In the course of time the older 

 roots become hollow and inadlive without becoming 

 detached from the rootstock. The young root forma- 

 tion always takes place a little above the old roots, 

 which circumstance explains why the asparagus plants 

 gradually rise above the original level, thus necessi- 

 tating the annual hilling up or the covering of the 

 crowns with additional soil. 



The asparagus flowers are mostly solitary at the 



f;g. 9 



nodes, of greenish-yellow color, drooping or filiform, 

 jointed peduncles ; perianth, six-parted, campanulate, 

 as seen in Fig. 8. Anthers, introrse ; style, short ; 

 stigma, three-lobed; berry, red, spherical, three-celled ; 

 cells, two-seeded. While the flowers are generally 

 dicecious — staminate and pistillate flowers being borne 

 on different plants — there appear also hermaphrodite 

 flowers, having both pistils and fully developed sta- 

 mens in the same flower. Fig. 9 shows a pistillate, 

 Fig. 10 a staminate, and Fig. 11 a hermaphrodite or 

 bisexual flower. 



