NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
BOTANY. 
THE FERTILIZATION OF GRASSES. — In gently flowing rivers of tropi- 
cal America grow many fine aquatic grasses, species of Luziola, Or arg 
ideas with deep purple, and with six long yellow stamens hanging out 
of them, were disposed in a lax terminal panicle; while the slender green 
female flowers grew on the bristle-like branches of much smaller panicles 
springing from the inflated sheaths of the leaves that clothed the stem. 
less, some of it, attain the female flowers disposed for its reception. 
A parallel case to the above is that of the common Maize (ZeaMays L.), 
where the male flowers are borne in a long terminal raceme or panicle, 
and the female flowers are densely packed on spikes springing from the 
leaf-axils. Here the male flowers must plainly eee before the pollen 
on the fem organs 
n. 
In Pharus scaber (H. B. K.) another tall broad-leaved grass, the spike- 
lets stand by twos on the spike — a sessile female spikelet, and a stalked 
male spikelet. 
In the fine forest gre of the genus Olyra, whereof some species, such 
as O. micrantha (H. K.). rise to ten feet in height, and have MORE 
leaves above three Min broad, and a large terminal ri Mp capil- 
lary branches, like those of our Aira c cespitosa, it is the r flowers 
that are male, with large innate (not versatile) anthers, pe d upper 
that are female, with two large stigmas, that are either dichotomously 
t 
po 
male flowers, although placed lower down the axis, are actually sus- 
pasira over the terminal female flowers 
It is generally to be remarked of decliuous grasses, that either the male 
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