GAMOPETAL.E loi 



is gamopetalous, with five lobes, hypogynous, funnel- 

 shaped or salver-shaped, regular, deciduous, and 

 valvate or tv^isted in bud. The throat is naked or 

 there may be scales, hairy within. There are five 

 stamens, which are epipetalous, on the throat or tube 

 of the corolla, and alternate with the petals. The 

 filaments are very short and included. The anthers 

 are free, attached by the base or united at the base 

 and adhere to the stigma. The pollen is large and 

 granular. The anther-cells may be filled with pollen 

 to the base, or empty below and prolonged into rigid 

 spines. There is usually a disc which is annular. 

 The pistil is syncarpous, and consists of two carpels 

 which are superior, free or united belcTw. The style 

 is short, dilated. The ovules are numerous and 

 pendulous. The fruit consists of a berry or drupe or 

 two many-seeded follicles. The seeds are flattened, 

 often winged, or provided with a crown of hairs and 

 then dispersed by the wind. 



The anthers and stigma ripen together. The seeds 

 are dispersed by the wind, being blown out of the 

 follicles. 



Some members of this group are poisonous as the 

 Oleander. One, the Cow Tree, yields a milky juice. 



Greater Periwinkle {Vinca major). 

 This lovely wild flower is a familiar feature in old- 

 fashioned gardens, where it is often grown in shady 

 spots on banks and rockeries. From such spots it is 

 frequently found to spread to more natural habitats. 



