MaKHIAGK AMON'(i THK CLOVERS 95 



variety to be found within tlic limits of a single 



To bcj^in witli, however, 1 piopose to examine, 

 as a mere introduction, a couple of llowers of a 

 well-known and dainty iiot-house bej^onia, which 

 may help us to the comprehension of tlie more 

 plebeian clover-iieads. Proverbial philosophy has 

 lon^ since tauj^ht us that " the lon<*est way round 

 is the shortest way home " ; and when I dra}4 in 

 the bej^onia, which has apparently so little con- 

 nection with clover, antl which is really about ;.s 

 unrelated to it by descent ;is two llowerinj^ plants 

 can well be I0 one another, you may suspect that 

 1 do so for sonie suiticient reason. The fact is, 

 be<ionias liappen to be plants in which the differ- 

 ences of the sexes are exceptionally well marked, 

 so that they may be apprehended with e.ise by the 

 naked eye and by every observer, even the moht 

 casual. I advise those uho have conservatories of 

 their own to verify my statements in this matter 

 on the specimens in their pc^ssession ; for those 

 who have not, Mr. Knock's excellent illustrations, 

 which accompany this paper, will serve almost as 

 well as the orii^inal objects. 



Most cultivated begonias have the fiowers on 

 their branches arranj^ed in groups or clusters of 

 three, the central one of which is often a female, 

 while the two outer blossoms are usually males. 

 This is the ordinary plan, but it does not hold good 

 of all the species, some of which, on the contrary, 

 have only one male to each pair of females. Now, 

 th<ise male and female flowers are so very unlike in 



