2&S Of Flowers . 
it is ufually lower than the apices; and when we ob¬ 
serve it to be grown higher, we may conjecture' the fruit 
has begun to form itfelf, and has no further occafion for 
the male dull. Alfo, as foon as the work of generation 
is over, the male parts, together with the leaves, fall off, 
and the tube leading to the uterus begins to fhrink. Nor 
muft it be omitted, that the top of the piftil is always 
either covered with a fort of velvet tunicle, or emits a 
gummy liquor, the better to catch the dull of the apices. 
In flowers that turn down, as in the acanthus, cyclamen, 
and the imperial crown, the piftil is much longer than 
the ftamina, that the dull: may fall from their apices in 
fufficient quantity thereon. 
This fyftem favours much of that admirable uniformity 
found in the works of nature, and carries with it all the 
feeming charadlerifticks of truth. Mr. Geoffrey fays, 
that the plant is rendered barren, and the fruits become 
abortive, by cutting off the piftils before the dull could 
impregnate them, which is fince confirmed by other ex¬ 
periments of Mr. Bradley. 
In many kinds of plants, as willow, oak, pine, cyprefs, 
mulberry-tree, &c. the flowers are fterile, and feparate 
from the fruit; but then they have their ftamina and 
apices, which may eafily impregnate the fruits, which 
are not far off. 
There is fome difficulty in reconciling this fyftem to 
a fpecies of plants, which bear flowers without fruits, 
and another fpecies of the fame kind and name, which 
bear fruits without flowers ; hence diftinguifhed into male 
and female ; of which kind are the palm-tree, poplar, 
hemp, hops, See. for how fhoulcl he farina of the male 
here come to impregnate the feed of the female. Mr. 
Tournefort imagines, that the fine down always found 
mi the fruit of thefe plants, may ferve inftead of flowers, 
and- 
