130 



THE STORY OP THE PLANTS. 



The structure of the cuckoo-pint is very 

 peculiar. What looks like the flower is not 

 really any part of the flower at all, but a large 



FIG. 25. — THE COMMON ARUM, OR CUCKOO- 

 PINT, SHOWING THE SPATHE WHICH SUR- 

 ROUNDS THE FLOWERS, AND THE SPIKE 

 STICKING UP IN THE MIDDLE. 



outer leaf or spathe surrounding a group of very 

 tiny blossoms. You can understand this leaf 

 better if you look at a narcissus stalk, where 



