SUCH SHAMEFUL WHOREDOM

The ancient view that plants ore non-sexual because they hold a place below animals on the ladder of nature was still held by many scientist s in the 18th century. Paradoxically, at this time, Linnaeus and other s were also postulating the universality of plant sexuality by using a nalogies with animals to overextend the slowly emerging experimental e vidence about the functions of floral parts. Today's school leavers se em to have similarly diverse views. A lack of school focus on gamete f usion appears to result in a continuing reliance on analogies with ani mals, and a belief that plants undergo only a qualified version of sex ual reproduction. Suggestions for classroom activities to overcome thi s are offered, and some wider implications are considered.