1'LAXTS AM> I.NSKCTS 



97 



kind. The apple and pear belong to this group. Ac- 

 cording to Wai re, cross-fertilization is an important fac- 

 tor in the production of pome fruits. 



The pear blossom is a typical flower, composed of five 

 brownish-green calyx lobes, five white or pinkish petals, 

 numerous stamens, a five-celled ovary, and live styles and 

 stigmas. The pear forms at the base of the blossom. 

 There is within the blossom a yellowish-green 

 saucer-shaped disk, upon which the nectar is secreted. 

 Extending from this disk to the ovary are five styles. 

 Within the ovary are the ovules, which upon proper fer- 

 tilization become seeds. The ends and a strip down one 



FIG, 73. Buds of Bartlett pear. (After Wuite.) 



side of the green styles are rough, caused by fringe- 

 like projections for facilitating the reception and re- 

 tention of the pollen grains. The stamens terminate in 

 small roundish bodies, termed anthers. The four-celled 

 anthers, when mature, split, allowing the pollen to escape 

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