Fig. 117. Slightly two-sided flower of the Foxglove, with the petal tube cut open to show the four stamens bending to the front.
In others which are nearly circular, there is a little difference between the back and front of the flower, and the stamens are so placed that the visiting insect must touch them. For example, look into the bell of a foxglove, where you will find only four stamens, but they are bent so that the anthers together form a kind of platform in the front of the flower, over which the bees must pass as they enter (see fig. 117). Frequently the stamens bend in this way towards the front of the flower, and in many cases the whole flower becomes quite definitely two-sided, with a front and back, and a special place for the entrance of the bee. This is the case with the violet, pea, monkshood, and many others (see fig. 118).
Fig. 118. Two-sided flowers: A, Monkshood; B, Violet.
When flowers have this form, you frequently find that the number of stamens is quite small, seldom more than ten, and often less.
A plant of this kind very interesting to watch is the yellow gorse. If you can get up and sit by a flowering bush from about half-past five to seven one sunny morning, you will be able to learn a great deal about the doings of the bees and flowers.
