The Honeysuckle 



flowers — the younger ones, and our day-old flower, 

 though still offering plenty of honey, will only be 

 their second choice. Still that exactly suits the 

 plant's plans, for the moths rub their pollen- 

 dusted breasts on the stigma — the end of the 

 ovary column — which is in the position that 

 the stamens were twenty-four hours ago. Thus is 

 fertilisation effected. The flowers now become a 

 still deeper colour — almost orange — the scent ceases, 

 and finally the petals, stamens and ovary column 

 fall off altogether, leaving behind just a collection 

 of minute seed-cases wrapt up in the tiny green 

 caJices. These seed-cases now rapidly swell and, 

 first green, then a vivid orange-scarlet, they become 

 luscious semi-transparent fruits, maybe as large as 

 peas. One old writer tells us that "the ripe seed 

 gathered and dried in the shadow and drunk re- 

 moveth wearisomenesse." 



Mr. Step points out that these clustered flowers 

 of the Honeysuckle are a half-way house, as it 

 were, between ordinary single flowers, as a pea, 



39 



