THE FLORAL ENVELOPES. 31 



88. Both blade and petiole are distinguishable in the floral 

 leaves, especially in the petals. The blade, or expanded part, is 

 here called limb, or lamina ; the petiolar part, when narrowed 

 into a stalk, is called the claw. In form, or outline, there is a 

 general resemblance between the limb and the leaf. It is ovate, 

 oval, lanceolate, obcordate, orbicular, etc. In margin it is gen- 

 erally entire. (See 308.) 



89. Some peculiar forms, however, should be noticed, as the 

 bilobate petal of the Chickweed (44), the pinnatifid petal of 

 Miterwort (43), the inflected petal of the Umbelliferse (42), the 

 fan-shaped petal of Pink, the fringed (fimbriate) petal of Cam- 

 pion (Silene stellata) (40), the hooded sepal of JSTapellus (29), 

 the saccate petal of Calceolaria, Cypripedium (71). The limb 

 is, moreover, often distorted into a true nectary, spurred, as 

 already shown ( 78), or otherwise deformed, as in Napellus, 

 Coptis, etc. 



90. We have seen that the floral organs are often in various 

 ways united. Considering their crowded state in the flower, we 

 rather wonder that they do not always coalesce in their growth. 

 The calyx with united sepals was called by the early botanists 

 monosepalous ; the corolla with united petals was called mono- 

 petalous (fxovo, one from the false idea that such an organ con- 

 sisted of a single piece or leaf!) Opposed to these terms were 

 polypetalous (tfoX^, many), petals distinct; and polysepalous, 

 sepals distinct. 



91. The monosepalous calyx, or monopetalous corolla, although 

 thus compounded of several pieces, is usually described as a sim- 

 ple organ, wheel-shaped, cup-shaped, tubular, according to the 

 degree of cohesion. The lower part of it, formed by the united 

 claws, whether long or short, is the tube / the upper part, com- 

 posed of the confluent laminae, is the border, or limb; the 

 opening of the tube above is the throat. 



92. The border is either lobed, toothed, crenate, etc., by the 

 distinct ends of the pieces composing it, as in the calyx of Pink, 

 the calyx and corolla of Primula, Phlox, and Bellwort, or it may 

 become, by a complete lateral cohesion, entire, as in the Morning- 

 glory. Here the compound nature of the organ is shown by the 

 seams alone. 



