THE FLOWER 



109 



by the plant, or the stamens in the individual flowers, are 

 very numerous, the pollen may be exceedingly ^^ 

 abundant. ^ 



206. In a few families the stamens are regularly 

 united, either by the anthers — as in the Compositce, 

 of which the Daisy is an example ; or by the fila- 

 ments, as in the ]\I allows and 

 the Leguminosce Qe.g. the Sweet- 

 pea, Bean, etc.. Figs. 146-148). 



207. The pistils collectively are 

 known as the gyyioeciuyn ; the 

 stamens as tlie androeeium. It 

 is well to hold clearly in mind 

 that these two groups of organs. 



146 



147 



though often concealed or ren- 



146-148. United stamens: 146, of a 

 plant of the Pulse family ; 



147, in the Mallow family; 



148, stamens united by 

 anthers in the Composite 

 family. 



dered inconspicuous by the vi- 

 cinity of highly colored floral 

 envelopes, are essentially the 

 flower. That is to say, pistils 



and stamens perform the essential function of the flower ; 



and the floral leaves 

 act a subordinate 

 part. Xot very 

 rarely flowers con- 

 sist of pistils or 

 stamens alone. 

 This is practically 

 the case in the 

 Willows. The familiar 

 catkins are of two kinds. 

 The more showy ones 

 are made up of numer- 

 ous flowers, each com- 

 prising stamens, usually 

 two, with a scale at the 

 base. In catkins of the 



149-152. Flowers of a Willow: 149, staminate other SOrt each minute 

 catkin; 150, one of the flowers ; 151, pis- n • ^ £ 



filiate catkin ; 152, a pistillate flower. nower IS COmpOSed 01 



