250 LETTER XXI. 



leaves. But in Duckweed there is nothing but a 

 fleshy floating green body, which looks like a green 

 scale, and which is in reality a compound of both 

 root and stem. Most people fancy that Duckweed 

 never flowers : and many are they who have watched 

 it all their lives without succeeding in discoverino- 

 its blossoms. If, however, you will fix your eyes at- 

 tentively upon a mass of it, on a still sunshiny day in 

 the months of June or July, you will probably dis- 

 cover exceedingly minute straw-coloured specks here 

 and there on the edges of the plants ; they have a 

 sparkling appearance, and notwithstanding their mi- 

 nuteness readily catch the eye. These are the anthers, 

 and they being found, you have only to carry home 

 the plants, and place them under a microscope, when 

 all the secrets of their flowering stand revealed. 

 A\Tiere the anthers have caught the eye, will be seen 

 a narrow slit, out of which they peep ; if you widen 

 this slit (Plate XXI. S.fig. 2.) with your dissecting 

 instruments, you will be able to extract the blossom 

 entire {fig* 3.) ; and you will have before your eyes 

 the simplest of all known flow^ers, as Duckweed itself 

 is the simplest of aU known flowering plants. The 

 flow'cr consists of a transparent membranous bag, 

 shaped like a water caraff'e, and split on one side ; 

 within it are two stamens, and one ovary with a style 

 and simple stigma. The fruit {fig. 4.) contains but 

 one cell, in which are one or more seeds {fig. 5.) 

 its shell is a thin cellular integument. 



Such are the simple means that Duckweed pos- 

 sesses of propagating itself ; means, however, which 



