130 WAYSIDE TVEEDS. 



Now as the compass of our paper will not allow 

 of a minute explanation of the structure of aU the 

 certainly dissimilar plants to which it has introduced 

 you, let us take three, at first, as unlike as -possiblej 

 the knot-grass and buckwheat (Fig. 80), as most 

 resembling our ordinary notions of a flower; the 

 spurge (Figs. 81, 83) as a specimen of the curious, 

 and the starwort (Fig- 82) of the simple ; for all 

 three you wiU need your magnifier. 



The knot-grasses or buckwheats you will find 

 have a perianth of five coloured segments (Fig. 80), 

 doing duty for both calyx and corolla, though most 

 resembling the latter ; a definite number of stamens, 

 and a central ovary, at least in the common species 

 we have pointed out to you, crowned with three 

 little knobs or styles ; and if you examine further 

 some of the blossoms which are more advanced, 

 you will see that the ovary thus tipped has de- 

 veloped into a three-cornered little fruit, or, as a 

 botanist would call it, achene. Tou remember we 

 told you that the docks of the rubbish-heap were 

 family connections of the buckwheats ; examine 

 both flower and fruit of the former, and you will 

 find, with certain difiierences of course, how many 

 points they have in coinmon. 



We turn to our friend with the milky juice, the 

 dwarf spurge (Figs. 81, 83) ; not one of the umbel^ 

 bearers properly so called, although its blossoms 

 are arranged in umbels j these same . blossoms 



