"Blossom Hosts ami Insect Guests 



under separate canopies — that is, the stigmatic 

 flowers and pistillate flowers are found in different 

 blossoms. Jack stands, you will find, on a bulb 

 which, in the pistillate flowers, is composed of small 

 ovules, and, in the stigmatic flowers, is covered with 

 thread-like filaments. As in the arum, the coloring 

 of the hood is not an infallible guide to the sex of 

 the flower. 



Small fungus gnats visit these blossoms and are 

 often imprisoned in their deep chambers, for, 

 though entrance is easy, egress is difficult, the way 

 being blocked by the projection of the spadix. 

 Many insects escape from this prison cell through 

 the folds of the floral envelope, but many others 

 perish. It is thought that Jack-in-the-pulpit is in a 

 transition state and that its plan to insure cross-fer- 

 tilization is not yet perfected. This view is borne 

 out by the fact that, although the intention of the 

 plant is to separate its staminate and pistillate 

 flowers, they are frequently found on the same 

 spadix. When Jack has reached the ideal state 

 which he aims at, his own and the insects' interests 

 will be provided for in a better fashion. 



THE HERMIT OF THE BOG 



By far the humblest of all the arums is the skunk- 

 cabbage. This lowly hermit of the bog is the first 



