86 



THE PLAN OF THE FLOWER. 



268, Pistillate flower of Balm-of-Gilead. 2G9, Staminate. 270, Diploclinium Evansianum. 

 a, staminate ; b, pistillate. 



422. A neutral flower is a periauth or calyx only, having neither stamens nor 

 pistils. Such are the ray-flowers of many of the Composite, and of the cymes of 

 Hydrangea, high cranberry, etc., which in cultivation may all become neutral, as in 

 the snow-ball. 



271 423. Unsymmetrical flow- 



ers. The term symmetry, as used 

 in botany, refers to number only. 

 A flower becomes unsymmetrical 

 by the partial development of any 

 set or circle in respect to the num- 

 ber of its organs. The mustard 

 family affords a good example. 



424. Flowers of the cruci - - 

 fers. The flowers of mustard, 

 cress, etc , are understood to bo 

 4-merous {V)- The sepals aro 

 four, petals four, but the stamens 

 are six and the styles but two. 

 The stamens are arranged in two 

 circles, having two of those in tho 

 outer circle suppressed or reduced 

 to mere glands. Two of the car- 

 pels aro also suppressed. (256.) 



425. In the mint family and 

 the figworts one or three of the 

 stamens is generally abortive. 

 Here, while the flowers aro \/, 

 the stamens are four in sorao spe- 

 cies and only two in others. Tho 

 missing stamens, however, often 

 appear in the guise of slender 

 processes — the rudiments of sta- 

 mens — proving in an interesting 

 manner tne natural tendency to 

 symmetry. 



426. Other examples. In the V flowers of poppy, the sepais aro but two ; in 

 V spring-beauty they are but two ; in both cases too few for symmetry. In lark- 



271, " Radiant" panicle of Hydrangea quercifolium ; 

 the larger flowers neutral. 



