CHAPTER VII 
THE FLOWER 
The flowers of plants are reproductive structures whose func- 
tion is the production of seed. Many flowers are very beautiful, 
are greatly enjoyed by man, and are used by him for purposes 
of ornament. From the standpoint of the plant, however, the 
beauty of the flower is important only in so far as it aids in 
the production of seed. 
REPRODUCTION 
Asexual reproduction. Plants have two methods of repro- 
duction, serwal and asexual. The latter method consists simply 
in the separation of a portion from the parent plant and the 
growth of this portion into a complete plant. Many of the 
lower plants are reproduced asexually by a single cell. A large 
number of higher plants reproduce vegetatively by sending out 
shoots which take root and produce new plants (Hig. 3) .25ia 
many cases the part of the shoot which connects the two plants 
dies, thus leaving them entirely separate. This method is particu- 
larly characteristic of plants with underground or prostrate stems, 
such as grasses that have long runners. It is also frequently 
seen in the aérial parts of plants, where a shoot takes root and 
produces a new individual. Another method of asexual repro- 
duction is the production of bulblets. Many plants that grow 
from underground bulbs reproduce by the multiplication of 
these bulbs, as is the case with the onion. Bulbs may be pro- 
duced on flowering shoots as in Agave and the onion. Many 
plants produce suckers which can be removed and used to pro- 
duce new plants. Conspicuous examples are bananas (Fig. 66) 
and pineapples. A method of artificial reproduction frequently 
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