4o8 ROSACEA 



Cut longitudinal and transverse sections of an apple and a pear. Note 

 the number and position of the seeds in each loculus within the ' fruits.' 



Ex. 217. — Examine the structure of a hawthorn flower. 



Watch the growth of the ' haws ' after the flower fades : cut sections and 

 examine the structure of young and old 'haws.' Compare a 'haw' with 

 an apple. 



Ex. 218. — Repeat Ex. 217, using a quince and medlar instead of the haw- 

 thorn. 



14. Common weeds belonging to the Rosacese and possessing 

 flowers and fruits somewhat different from any previously dis- 

 cussed are : — 



Meadow Sweet {Spircea Ulmaria L.) ; Wood Avens {Geum 

 urbanum L.) ; Agrimony {Agrimonia Eupatoria L.), and species 

 of Burnet. 



The fruit of meadow sweet consists of five or six follicles each 

 containing from two to six seeds ; that of wood avens is composed 

 of achenes which when ripe have long hooked styles. In agrimony 

 the fruit consists of one or two achenes imbedded in a small 

 woody receptacle. 



Lesser Burnet {Poteriutii Sanguisorba L.). — A perennial 

 herbaceous plant common on dry calcareous soils in various 

 parts of the country. It grows to a height of 18 inches or 2 feet, 

 and has a slightly angular stem bearing pinnate leaves, with 

 from five to ten pairs of coarsely serrate leaflets. The flowers 

 are 'small of reddish-green colour and arranged in dense heads at 

 the end of long furrowed stalks. The upper flowers of the 

 head are female with one or two carpels : the lower ones male or 

 bisexual with twenty or thirty stamens. None of the flowers 

 possess a corolla. 



The fruit consists of one or two achenes enclosed in the four- 

 winged receptacle. Lesser Burnet has been recommended for 

 growth on dry calcareous soils, alone or in mixture with grasses 

 and clovers, especially for sheep food. 



By itself it is of little value as it is liable to become hard and 

 woody, and is rejected by all kinds of stock unless the latter are 



