1-20 



Till': FLOWER 



247. 'I'lie protection of the nectar from rain is effected 

 sometimes hy the habitually drooping attitude of the 



flo\yer, sometimes 

 by the bending or 

 bowing of the 

 flower stalk on the 

 approach of rain, 

 sometimes by some 

 special construc- 

 tion of tlie flower. 

 248. The group- 

 ing of flowers in a 



172. Two (if the florets in .a lie.id of Dandelion specialized T)art of 

 (diai;iamniatic). ,i i , • 



the snoot m a man- 

 ner likely to secure tlie attention of insects, and so lead 

 to the process of cross-fertilization, should be noted. The 

 Dandelion (Fig. 172) and the .Tack-in-the-pulpit (Fig. 173) 

 may 1)6 taken as illustrations. In 

 both these cases clusters of flowers 

 are commonly mistaken for single 

 flowers. Tlie apparent "petals" of 

 the Dandelion head are the several 

 separate corollas of as many small 

 flowers or florets. On close examina- 

 tion each of these florets is seen to 

 possess its own twr>-parted stigma, 

 and andra'cium of live stamens united 

 around the style. What might pass 

 at a casual glance for a calyx, sur- 

 rouiiding the whole head, is a collec- 

 tion of subtending leaxes (^bracts') 

 serving to protect the bud. 



249. In the Jack - in - the -puli^it 

 (Fig. 17o), a flesliy spike of small 

 flowers rtermed a spndix) is sur- 

 rounded and overarched by a single 

 more or less striped or colored bract (termed in sue) 

 a case a spathe). 



17.3. lutlorescence of the 

 .Jack-in-the-pulpit. 

 The bract (spathe) 

 partly cut away 

 below to show the 

 tleshy spike (spa- 

 dix) of flowers 

 which it surrounds. 



