OCR Text |
Show The Smallest. Flowering Plant. The smallest flowering plant is Wolffia microscopia, a native of India, It belongs to the duckweed family. It is almost microscopic in size, destitute of proper stem, leaves and roots, but having these organs merged in ODO, forming a frond. There is a prolongation of tha lower surface, sur-face, the purpose of which socnis tp be to enable the plant to float upright in the water. The fronds multiply by sending ont other fronds from a slit or concavity, and with such rapidity docs this take phice that a few days often Buf!ice to produce from a few individuals enough similar ones to cover many square rods of pond surface with the minute green granules. Small as these plants are they bear flowers. flow-ers. Two are produced on a plant, each of them very simple, one of a single stamen sta-men and the other of a single pistil, both f which burst through the upper surface f tbe frond. London Tit-Bits. |