1 66 



FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. 



ultimately follow, one after another, the same course. 

 Whilst the perfect flowers are bending, the whole 

 peduncle (flower-stalk) curves downwards, increasing 

 in length until the flower-head reaches the ground. 

 Nineteen upright flower-heads, arising from branches 



in all sorts of posi- 

 tions were marked, 

 and after twenty-four 

 hours six of them 

 were vertically de- 

 pressed, having 

 travelled through 

 180° Ten were ex- 

 tended horizontally, 

 and these had passed 

 through about 90° 

 Three very young 

 peduncles had as yet 

 only moved a little 

 downwards. 



"When the flower- 

 heads reach the 

 ground, the younger 

 imperfect flowers in the centre are pressed together in 

 the form of a cone, whereas the perfect, and the outer 

 imperfect flowers are reflexed and closely surround the 

 footstalk. Thus the form they assume is adapted to 

 offer as little resistance as possible in penetrating the 



Fig. 21. 



-Trifolium subterraneum 

 fruit. 



