14 CLASS-BOOK OF BOTANY. 
(they are termed staminate flowers — represented by wie 
mark 3, or male—and therefore) they cannot proc ee ae 
seed. Now examine some of the smaller specimens. d ee the 
single ring of stamens, and make a transverse section t ce 
the anthers; you will then find there as no pollen in them. 
Now remove one of the carpels from the central tuft, noting 
the small lower portion or ovary covered with silky hairs, and 
the long silky style with its small terminal stigma. On 
making a longitudinal section through the ovary you will 
observe the single ovule, as in buttercup. This kind of flower 
has both stamens and carpels present, but the former are in 
an imperfect condition, and are useless. Their presence can 
only be explained on the theory that they are relics of a 
former condition of things, the ancestors of this species having 
probably had flowers in which both perfect stamens and 
carpels were present. h* 
Flowers which have both stamens and pistils present are 
said to be hermaphrodite (represented by ¥%), those with 
stamens only are staminate or male (3), those with pistil 
only are pistillate or female (2). In some species of plants 
you will find that the same specimen produces both staminate — 
and pistillate flowers, and these plants are called monoecious : 
a familiar example is the vegetable marrow. In other species 
one plant produces staminate flowers only, and a separate 
plant produces pistillate flowers only, and these are called 
dicecious: you will meet with many examples later on. 
Lastly, some plants bear hermaphrodite, staminate, and pistil- 
late flowers apparently indiscriminately, and these are said to 
be polygamous: these also are common enough. 
Now, our Clematis has staminate flowers on one plant 
and pistillate flowers. on another; for, though 
these latter have a ring of stamens present, 
they are quite useless (so that, though these 
flowers are structurally hermaphrodite, they 
are only pistillate a function). ‘Therefore we 
say this Clematis 1s a dicecious species. 
The examination of the fruit will have to 
be done later on in the season; for, while the 
flowers usually come out from August to 
October (according to the locality), the seeds 
only mature from about January to March, 
whereas in buttercup and many other kinds 
of flowering plants you can often get flowers 
Fig.8. Achene and fruit on the same plant. On obtaining 
of Clematis the fruit notice that the style has remained 
as ea attached to it (= persistent), and now forms 
plumose style 2 long feathery plume, the object of which mani- 
(mag. x 2). festly is to carry away the seed to some distance 
a 
