Thistles and Nettles 331 
to attract insects, the little blossoms have no petals 
whatever, only four small greenish sepals. 
The florets which bear stamens only have in 
their midst a little green affair which is the remi- 
niscence of a pistil. But the pistil now in use has 
a whole flower to itself, and is surrounded by two 
pairs of sepals (Fig. 93), the outer couple small 
Fic. 93.—Single blossoms of the nettle. 
a, Staminate flower just expanding ; 4, fully opened staminate flower ; 
¢, pistillate flower, 
and spreading, the inner broader and upright. At 
the tip of the pistil there is a scattered tuft of 
hairs, to catch any chance pollen blowing by. 
The nettle is connected with much wonder-lore, 
folk-lore, and tradition. Moreover, the family in 
times gone by has been not only famous, but use- 
ful. Its name is derived from the passive partici- 
ple of a verb common to most Indo-European lan- 
