. Handbook of nature-study for teachers and parents, based on the Cornell nature-study leaflets. Nature study. /. Jack-in-the-pulpit unfolding; 2. Spadix with pistillate flowers; P, pistillate flanker enlarged; 5. Spadix with staminate flow- ers; an, a staminate flower enlarged, show- ing the four anthers. strated that when a plant be- comes very strong and thrifty, its spadix will be set with the pistillate flowers and its berries will be many; but if the same plant becomes weak, it produces the pollen-bearing flowers the next year. When "Jack" first appears in the spring it looks l
. Handbook of nature-study for teachers and parents, based on the Cornell nature-study leaflets. Nature study. /. Jack-in-the-pulpit unfolding; 2. Spadix with pistillate flowers; P, pistillate flanker enlarged; 5. Spadix with staminate flow- ers; an, a staminate flower enlarged, show- ing the four anthers. strated that when a plant be- comes very strong and thrifty, its spadix will be set with the pistillate flowers and its berries will be many; but if the same plant becomes weak, it produces the pollen-bearing flowers the next year. When "Jack" first appears in the spring it looks like a mottled, pointed peg, for it is well sheathed. Within this sheath the leaves are rolled lengthwise to a point, and at the very center of the rolled leaves is a spathe, also rolled lengthwise, and hold- ing at its heart the developing flower-buds. It is a most in- teresting process to watch the unfolding of one of these plants. On the older plants there are two, or sometimes three leaves, each with three large leaflets; on the younger plants there may be but one of these compound leaves, but the leaflets are so large that they seem like three entire leaves. The spathes, or pulpits, vary in color, some being maroon and white or greenish, and some greenish and white. They are very pretty objects for water-color drawings. Small flies and some beetles seem to be the pollen carriers for this plant. Various ingenious theories have been suggested to prove that our Jack-in-the- pulpit acts as a trap to imprison visiting insects, as does the English species; but I have studied the flowers in every stage, and have seen the insects crawl out of the hoods as easily as they crawled in, and by the same open, though somewhat narrow, passage between the spadix and the spathe. After a time the spathe falls away showing the globular, green, shining berries. In August even the leaves may wither away, at which time the berries are brilliant scarlet. Jack-in-the-pulpit is a perennial. It does
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