, 1910-01-29

q needle, and looking down into it we soon
see the meaning Of that uniform caulitower
appearance that the surface presented, for
we find n great number Of tiny bracts, ex-
ire nelly small below but widening out above,
and with the wide upper edge fringed with
numberless minute projections, ana it is
these masses Of fringe oil pressed close to-
gether that give the apparent uniformity to
the hower-hea l.. What then is the use Of
the close covering Thus formed? Undoubt-
eddy ii is the protection Of the minute flow
ers that we find among the bracts. Very
small. they are and without fruits, but they
HI sc anthers, Joined into q tube as in the
larger marigolus. But in the case of the
marigolds we saw that it was the style pro-
j4cting from the oyary that grew up and
pushed the pollen ont of the tubs. Here
there is no ovary, will there then be Il style ?
Yes, although there is no proper oyarv, the
style remains, but not having the usual duty
of q style it is a very simple affair, merely
an undivided stem with some fine %pr0iec-
tions on its upper part to push out the pollen,
These brushes with the pollen on their tops
are the little posts that we sec projecting
r. few at q time above the cQulih0wer-like
surface, and the numerous little flowers ont
Of which they come are what we see as Slight
prof actions above the surface, when the dow
ers are either coming out or are retiring
after their work is done.
That the frin9es of the tiny bracts are a
real protection is shewn by the fact that the
surface formed by them is exposed as soon
as the flower head exceeds the size of an
ordinary pinhead. Thus the fower-head
discharges the involucre, so to speak, at
quite an early stage OF its career, and trusts
for protection to its fringed bracts, a con
- l.,oo ,l:,I -, s--k,E-J L.. Al. 49,
ordinary spread of the plant everywhere.
Shall we now turn to the five seed bearing
flowers that form the ray. The corolla is
described BY Grisebach as"broadly ligulate. .
1t is white and looks like a minute
porcelain scoop or like n valve
of a shell. Two little ears, one on
each side, seem to oome up behind it, and
these are the scales that mark the top of the
calyx and IN the marigolds were represented
by the crown elsewhere, as in the Wild
salad, by q flying machine, and in other
cases, as@ln the cosmos, by hooks, and so on.
1t is not evident what purp 1se these two
little scales serve, and the same must be
said Of n very curious attachment of these
ray flowers now to be described. In front
of each minute black oYary, which is inn
mediatoly below the c%orolla, we see two
disc bracts which are larger than the others,
one towards each side of the said calyx-coy-
cred ovary. Grisebach refers to this peculi-
arity by calling the two bracts "gcmin-
ate that is to say twiu-ljke, bu he does not
mention the further fact that each is attach
ell at its base to a curious little springy
bristle that connects the base of the bruct
with the top Of the ovary. Hence each ovary
carries two of these little wine springs
The present writer noticed this curiosity
long ago, but has never been able to inter
pref it. Perhaps some ingenious reader
with a good lens and a good stock Of patti
ence may solve the problem, or possibly has
solved it already. At all events it is likely
that we should find that the problem has been
solved, if we only knew where to look for
the information.
Having learned the structure of the
fower-head, having seen that the five
ligulate flowers of the ray are females,
while the numerous flowers Of the disc are
all males, and having seen that the pollen is
pushed up by the remains of n style, we
may next ask how fertilizati n takes place.
1t seems likely that it is done by the flies
large or small that may often be seen NOV
ing about among the plants, but it should
be noted that the female flowers in any