The Flowering of the Forest Trees 73 
these trees issue from other buds, which grow lower 
on the boughs, on the old wood of last year. 
But in all these trees we notice that the pen- 
dulous chains of stamens are more numerous on 
the upper branches and the pistil-bearing flowers 
grow more plentifully on the lower boughs. So 
the swing of the tree-tops in spring winds helps 
to shake the pollen out of the stamens, and the 
natural falling of the golden grains helps them to 
find their way to the waiting pistils. 
The seedlings of these trees may have but one 
plant-parent apiece, and every healthy and mature 
tree of these species yields seed. 
The poplars, as we have seen, conduct their 
affairs after a different fashion, and so do the 
willows, their nearest of kin. They bear stamens 
on one tree, and pistils on another. Each seed- 
ling-poplar or willow has had two tree-parents, 
and only certain individuals among the poplars 
and willows yield seed. 
But some spring-flowering trees are apparently 
in a curious state of indecision and_ transition. 
Their habits are described by the technical botanist 
as ‘‘ moneeciously ’’ or ‘‘ diceciously’’ polygamous. 
Sometimes their blossoms contain both stamens 
and pistils, sometimes they have only stamens and 
