RAMBLES IN SEARCH OF WILD

FLOWERS.

AND

HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM.

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EFORE treating of the numerous varieties of Wild Flowers,

it is well to make ourselves familiar with the simple structure of a plant and the forms of its parts. This may seem dull and uninteresting to eager searchers for beauty and variety; but if they will task their patience for an hour in mastering this first step, they will find the advantage it gives them in identifying the plants collected in their early rambles, and save them the necessity-so much more trying to patience in the long run-of constantly referring back to the first description.

"All plants, from the forest tree to the microscopic Fungus, are divided into three classes, according to the form of the seed :—I. The Two-LOBED (Dicotyledonous). II. The ONELOBED (Monocotyledonous). III. The LOBELESS (Acotyledo

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nous). The greatest part of our trees and plants belong to the first class the Two-lobed; bulbous plants, water plants, Grasses, Sedges, and a few other families, belong to the Onelobed or second class; Ferns, Mosses, Lichens, Sea-weeds, and Fungi, belong to the third or Lobeless class. The first two classes contain the FLOWERING PLANTS, the third the FLOWER

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Fig. 1.

LESS PLANTS. If you take a Bean and a grain of corn and keep them in a warm, moist place, you will see the Bean open in two valves or lobes (fig. 1, A), and a small bud will arise from the lower end, which is the embryo of the new plant (fig. 1, B). This proves the Bean to be a member of the first, or Twolobed class. The corn, on the other hand, makes no division-it has only one lobe; roots push out at the lower end; and the bud, containing stem, leaves, and flower, shoots from the upper. It stands for an example of the One-lobed class. Fig. 2 represents a germinating seed of Indian Corn-a is the one lobe, perforated by the plumule, b; c is the root-sheath; d the radicle; and eee the adventitious roots. Supposing the seedling to have become a perfect and mature plant, we find it possessed of six distinct partsroot, stem, leaves, flower, fruit, and seed. The office of the root is to draw nourishFig. 2. ment from the ground, while the leaves answer to the breathing organs of animals. The principal divisions of the classes depend upon the form and arrangement of the flower, so before proceeding further we must consider its parts. Here is a blossom of the Lesser Celandine.

a

These greenish leaves which enfold the flower when in bud are called sepals. Collectively they form the calyx. The bright yellow glossy leaves forming the largest portion of the flower are petals singly, collectively the corolla. This tassel inside the

INTRODUCTORY.

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flower is formed of an indefinite number of pistils and stamens, the former being generally called carpels; the latter are composed of the filaments, and the heads or anthers, in which the pollen is contained. The carpels, as well

as the stamens, are seated on the receptacle, and their summits are called stigmas. You cannot very well distinguish the parts of the pistils in that one of the Celandine; but if you examine the little pillar-looking body that is found in the centre of the flower of the Primrose you will find it to resemble a drumstick. The round end or base is called the germ or ovary, the stalk of the pillar is the style, and the top or capital is the stigma. There are generally nectaries or honey-cups situated near the base of the petals of the Celandine.

Fig. 3.

The next division is into sub-classes. These are decided according to the various arrangements of the parts of the flower. In the first sub-class the stamens and petals are inserted into the part of the stem beneath the ovary, which is called the receptacle or thalamus. In this sub-class the petals are always distinct; the plants belonging to this group are called THALAMI

FLORALS.

In the second sub-class the petals and stamens are inserted on the calyx or close to its base, and the petals are generally distinct. These plants are called CALYCIFLORALS.

In the third sub-class the stamens are fixed either upon the petals, or inserted on the receptacle, as is the case in the first sub-class; and the petals are no longer distinct, but joined together so as to form what is called a monopetalous corolla. These plants are called COROLLIFLORALS.

In the fourth sub-class either the calyx or corolla, or both, are wanting; the plants are called APETALS. These four subclasses comprise the great class of Dicotyledons, or Two-lobed plants. The first two are many-petalled, the third one-petalled, and the fourth petalless.

The One-lobed class is but once divided, the first sub-class having petals, and the plants being called PETALIDS and the second sub-class having, in lieu of petals, chaffy scales, or glumes, and so being named GLUMALS. In this are comprised Sedges and Grasses.

In order to be able readily to fix the place of a plant hitherto strange, we need to understand the variation its different parts are liable to, the relations of such variations, and the manner in which to describe them. Let us, therefore, have patience enough to study these in detail.

Plants are composed entirely of cellular tissue, vascular tissue, and woody fibre. There is no plant of any size or age without the cellular tissue. On the contrary, many are composed of it entirely, whereas the vascular tissue and the woody fibre are often but slightly developed and sometimes quite absent. The cells of which the

Fig. 4.

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plant is formed are egg-shaped, and stick together so as to make a network. Fig. 4 shows a section of irregularly compressed cellular tissues; the honeycomb appearance of the greater part is due to the 12sided form of the cells, the walls of which, when cut across in any direction, present hexagons or 6-sided figures. These cells increase very fast; they assume different forms when pressed lengthways or breadthways. Vascular tissue is composed of thin tubes containing spiral vessels; woody fibre has long tubes pointed sharply at the ends. Ducts are tubes of another sort; transparent and spiral, they are supposed to convey moisture to the different parts of the plant, while the vascular spirals convey air (figs. 6, 7). The collection of cells called a plant has five parts; a root, a stem, leaves, flowers, and fruits.

Fig. 5. Woody tissue, or

fibre.

INTRODUCTORY.

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The ROOT is the feeder of the plant. Its thread-like branches contain suckers which draw from the earth the food which

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a

Fig. 6.

Portions of Spiral Vessels: a, common form, with single fibre partly drawn out; b, from Nepénthes, with the quadruple fibre.

nourishes.

Roots are of various kinds. The so-called " creeping roots" of Solomon's Seal (A, fig. 8), Anemone (B), Coral

wort (C), and Water Lily, are merely underground stems with little roots at their joints. They are marked with scales, which appear to be the rudiments of imperfect leaves. The Creeping Crowfoot (D, fig. 9) has prostrate stems rooting at the