THE STOCK AND CABBAGE FAMILY. 87 



parts of any whorl overlap one another by their edges 

 they are said to be inibricate. 



The side or lateral sepals have little pouches at the 

 bottom to contain a drop of honey (Fig. 30). Eemove 

 the sepals very carefully. The four petals will now be 

 seen to be fixed by slender stalks called claios. In 

 some flowers they are much longer, the broader part 

 above being called the limb of the petal. Before we 

 remove the petals look at them from the sides and you 

 will observe a little hole at the 

 bottom just over the pouch of the 

 side sepals. It appears to be 

 fringed. Now, if we remove the 

 petals, we shall discover what that 

 fringe is. It is composed of three 

 parts ; one is on the stamen, and 

 one on each of the two adjacent 



, , mi 7 7 7- ^'°- 30.— Cruciform flower, 



petal-claws. Ihe honey-gland is Sit with saccate, i.e. "pouched" 



sepals and clawed petals. 



the spot where that stamen arises. 

 This is formed by a superficial swelling on the 

 receptacle. The hole not only allows the honey to 

 escape into the pouch of the sepal, but the proboscis of 

 an insect can pass through the hole to get it. 



Next observe there are six stamens; the two side 

 ones (Fig. 31, L, a) are usually shorter than the four 

 others {b). The stamens are said to be tetradynamous, 

 a word meaning " four in power," in reference to the 

 four tall ones. 



