CHAPTER XXI 
OTHER FLOWERING PLANTS 
259. The Flowering Plants. — True flowering plants are 
the most highly developed of all. They are numerous, 
it being estimated that there are 120,000 kinds. Some 
varieties are so small as 
hardly to be noticed, while 
others, like the hardwood 
trees, are very large. Some 
live submerged in water, 
while others are found 
only in deserts. 
The flowering plants are 
of special interest on ac¬ 
count of their intimate re¬ 
lation to our daily life, and 
on account of this close.re¬ 
lationship we should study 
some of the most common 
families, such as the grass, 
rose, mustard, and the 
like, all of which are easily 
recognized. 
The Grass Family. — The grass family has long narrow 
leaves with clasping bases and parallel veins, fibrous roots, 
and inconspicuous flowers which are pollinated by the wind. 
The grasses are the most important of all plants as food for 
man and the animals which he uses. This family includes 
corn, wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice, and similar grains. 
The corn plant was found growing in America when the New 
295 
Figure 272. — Walnut Tree. 
