THE FLOWER 105 



seeds with one seed-leaf have their flowers built upon 

 a three-fold plan. 



Questions and Exercises : — 



(1) Look at various kinds of flowers, and note that (a) plants 

 with leaves that have a net- work of veins have flowers that are 

 nearly all on the five-fold plan ; (b) plants that have leaves with 

 parallel veins have flowers that are on the three-fold plan. 



(2) Pollen is generally yellow. What is the colour of the pollen 

 in the geranium, and in the petunia ? Can you name any other 

 flower that has pollen of unusual colour ? 



(3) The corolla of the geranium has five petals. How many 

 have Wall-flowers and Poppies ? 



(4) How many stamens have salvia, veronica, wall-flower, 

 larkspur, foxglove? 



Composition Exercise : — Tell how the geranium flower is 

 planned so that the insect cannot reach the honey without getting 

 dusted with pollen. 



Drawing Exercise: — (1) Draw a, single geranium flower {a) 

 entire ; (J) with all the parts removed except the stamens and 

 pistil ; (e) with only the pistil (with divided stigma) left. 



(2) Draw the ripe geranium seed-case. 



XVIII.— THE FLOWEE.— Paet IV. 



The Geranium's Debt to Insects. 



1. I am now ready to reply to the question which 

 you have been waiting to ask : " Why was the stigma of 

 the geranium so late in opening ? Why was the 

 pollen nearly all shed before the stigma was ready to 

 receive it ? " Because, I reply, the flower is planned so 

 as to be able to send its pollen to other geranium flowers, 

 .and, in return, to receive their pollen. The geranium 



