CHAPTER VII 



FLOWERS 



60. Introductory. — You think of flowers as the bright- 

 colored parts of plants, and you have learned that their 



work is the pro- 

 duction of seed. 

 This idea as to 

 flowers is only 

 partly true. It is 

 true that flowers 

 lead to the pro- 

 duction of seed, 

 but it is also true 

 that many kinds 

 do not have 

 bright colors. 

 To define flowers 

 as to function is 

 easy. We can 

 call them organs 

 of seed production 

 and be done with 

 it. But to define 

 them as to their 

 structure is diffi- 

 cult. In structure they are exceedingly various. 

 As to function, flowers are much more alike than roots, 



258 



Fig. 93 A . — Flowers and leaves of marsh marigold 

 (Caltha palustris). Common in swamps and wet 

 meadows in early spring. 



