208 OF THE PISTILS. 



it is commonly a membranous bag, round or an- 

 gular, rough or smooth, which remains entire till 

 it meets with any moisture, being contrary in this 

 respect to the nature of the Anther ; then it bursts 

 with great force, discharging a most subtile vapour. 

 In the Orchis family, and some other plants, the 

 pollen is of a glutinous nature, very different from its 

 usual aspect. See remarks on Mirabilis longifloray 

 Exot.Bot. V. 1. 44. 



The Stamens are changed to petals in double 

 flowers, and rendered useless. They are often ob- 

 literated by excessive nourishment, or when the 

 plant increases much by root, as in the Fiery Lily, 

 or true Lilium bulbifeimm. 



4. PiSTiLLA. The Pistils, no less essential than the 

 Stamens, stand within them in the centre of the 

 flower, and are generally fewer. When in a dif- 

 ferent flower, on the same or a different plant, they 

 are not always central. Linnaeus conceived them 

 to originate from the pith, and the stamens from 

 the wood, and hence constructed an ingenious hypo- 

 thesis, relative to the propagation of vegetables, which 

 is not destitute of observations and analogies to sup- 

 port it, but not countenanced by the anatomy and 

 physiology of the parts alluded to. 



Each Pistil,/. 1 77, consists of three parts. 1 ,the Ger- 

 me?if3.,or rudiment of the young fruit and seed, which 

 of course is essential ; 2, tlie Stylus^ b, style, various in 



