Correspondence 



171 



all would be clear. If, however, according to present custom we are 

 to call it the forty-fourth, a subtraction sum is needed in order to 

 ascertain his age. Similar inconveniences apply to all B.C. dates, 



Monoecious, Dioecious, and Polygamous.— "Puzzled "directs 

 our attention to the description given in " Babington's Manual " 

 of the flowers of the common Maple. They are described, he says, as 

 being "polygamous" and although all are said to have stamens and 

 pistil, male flowers are mentioned in which " the stamens are longer 

 than the others." "Puzzled" is by no means the first to whom the 

 several terms used in botanical descriptions which have reference to 

 what is termed the marriage of flowers have proved perplexing. 

 Moncecious and dioecious are two of them and polygamous makes a 

 third. 



We will try to make them plain. The raison d'etre of a flower is 

 the formation of seed. If a flower is called "perfect" it contains in 

 itself a seed-vessel from which passes a style with its stigma and 

 stamens which surround the pistil and are destined to produce 

 pollen, which, falling on the stigma, will lead to the formation of seed. 

 Unless the pollen falls on the stigma and passes down the style into the 

 seed-vessel what is called fecundation will not take place, and the other- 

 wise possible seed will perish and its containing capsule will shrivel. 



se two structures, seed-vessel and stamen, are the essentials of 

 a perfect flower. In order to protect them from wind and weather, 

 and also for other purposes, certain wrappages are produced which 

 cover them in, and to these are given the names of calyx and corolla, 

 or floral envelopes. These are exceedingly useful, but not essential. 



The next point which we have to make clear is that not all flowers 

 possess the two essentials together. If a flower has stamens but no 

 pistil and no seed-vessel, it is said to be a male flower and to be stami- 

 niferous. If it possess a pistil with its stigma above and seed-vessel 

 below, but no stamens, it is said to be a female flower, or pistilliferous. 

 These divided or half-complete flowers are dependent upon wind or 

 insects, &c, for the conveyance of the pollen from one to the other, 

 for this conveyance is absolutely necessary for the production of seed. 



Now it is possible that these imperfect flowers of each sex may be 

 found together on the same plant, or, on the other hand, that they may 

 occur, with mutual exclusion, on different plants. If a plant produce 

 both it is said to be monoecious, but if only one it is dioecious. These 

 unfortunate terms do not explain themselves, and many who find no 

 difficulty in realising the facts, yet find it hard to remember which 

 is which. Dioecious means that the two differently sexed flowers have 

 different homes (or, literally, houses), and moncecious that they are 

 content to dwell together on the same plant, or, etymologically, in 

 " one house." 



