FIGWORT FAMILY 



appearing in the flowery depths, out again covered with pollen, in 

 again as they reach the next blossom, shows that they are serving 

 the flower with great satisfaction to themselves. No doubt they 

 think they are attending strictly to their own business; incidentally, 

 they are doing the world's work. The blossom has its own way of 

 making its visitors useful. The bells hang one above another, and 

 we note that the side nearest the stem is longer than the upper 

 side, thus making its central lobe an excellent alighting platform. 

 This is dotted with spots and furnished with long hairs. The 

 filaments of the stamens are curiously curved in order to bring the 

 anthers into one plane; these hug together and the immature 

 stigma is above them. When these anthers mature the pollen is 

 just where the back of the bee rubs it off as she crowds into the 

 flower bell for the nectar secreted by the smooth ridge at the base 

 of the ovary. After the anthers have passed, the stigma matures, 

 becomes two-cleft, and the parts diverge. It then practically oc- 

 cupies the former position of the anthers, and as the blossom con-, 

 tinues to secrete nectar, is able to seize by means of its sticky sur- 

 faces some of the pollen which adheres to a bee's back. There are 

 on every stalk flowers in several stages of maturity. 



If, however, bees are scarce and the stigma has obtained no 

 pollen the hope of the race is not utterly wrecked, there is one 

 chance left. The corolla clings tight until the stigma has matured, 

 then begins to loosen and in time falls. In so doing the anthers 

 are dragged over the stigma and it may be that some stray home 

 pollen will adhere. 



The leaves of Foxglove yield to the materia medica a very im- 

 portant drug called digitalis, whose active principle is digitalin. 

 It is used principally to affect the action of the heart. 



Digitalis, as it now appears in our gardens, runs the color range 

 of white, lilac, purple, rose, and yellow; its flowery stalks are 

 superb, and the entire plant is a magnificent specimen of the gar- 

 dener's art. The structure of the flower has not been broken 

 down. However one monstrous form has been developed which 

 bears a large open flower at tlie top of the flower spike. There 

 are those who consider this beautiful. 



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