The Cornflower 



The last stage of this sensitive little floret's 

 history is reached when the two branches of the 

 column-fork roll back and touch the hairs below 

 them, for on these hairs still lie traces of the pollen 

 that was swept before them, and this fertilises them 

 if, perchance, insects have failed to do so. The 

 seeds are small and silvery-grey, and have a short 

 purple crown of hairs to aid in their dispersal. Thus, 

 then, does the Cornflower arrange for division of 

 labour — the outer empty gay set of florets are merely 

 dummies to attract, the inner compact set are the 

 workers that produce the seeds. 



The story of the Cornflower's specific name, 

 Cyanus, is that Cyanus was a youth who, when 

 the world was young, loved the blue Cornflower with 

 a passionate adoration, and daily thanked the 

 goddess Flora for this her priceless gift. When the 

 Cornflower was in bloom he rarely left its neigh- 

 bourhood. One day he died, and was found l5ang 

 in a cornfield surrounded by his favourite flowers, 



and Flora, pitying, transformed his body into them. 



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