THE FLOWER 255 



grows with the fruit and becomes the cone-shaped central part 

 of the ripe fruit. The receptacle of the Sunflower becomes a 

 large, flat d^sc supporting not only one, but a collection of flowers. 

 •Now, imagine the brim of this flat disc turned up so as to form 

 a cup, and you have the shape of the receptacle, as it appears 

 in a tig, supporting many small flowers, or in the Guava, the 

 Rose, or the Poinciana supporting one flower only. These three 

 latter flowers differ, however, as to the adhesion of the ovary to 

 the receptacle, and as to the duration of the receptacle. In the 

 Guava the receptacle adheres to the ovary so completely that 

 even their suture cannot be discerned. It grows with the ovary, 

 and becomes part of the pulpy pericarp of the guava fruit. The 

 cup-like receptacle of the Rose contains several free carpels in 

 its cavity, which do not adhere to the walls of the receptacle. 

 The receptacle is also durable, and becomes the red, tough wall 

 of the well-known Rose-fruit, attracting birds which scatter the 

 seeds. In Poinciana, Anally, the hollow receptacle is open and 

 contains one free, stalked ovary. The receptacle takes no part 

 in the formation of the fruit, and fades with the flower. 



The Glory Lily and Crinum have small and flat receptacles. 

 But the ovary is superior in Gloriosa, as the other floral leaves 

 spring from the receptacle and below the origin of the ovary, 

 whereas the ovary of Crinum is inferior, the ovary only origin- 

 ating from the receptacle and the remaining floral parts form 

 the top of the ovary. 



6. The Floral Covers: Calyx and Corolla. — If there 

 are two distinct floral covers, the outer whorl of leaves, which 

 are generally small and green, is called calyx, and the inner 

 one corolla. The calyx is formed of sepals, the corolla of 

 petals. In several flowers (Liliaceae, Amaryllidace^, Orchidacese, 

 Palmes) the two floral envelopes are coloured alike, and are 

 about the same size: they are termed pey^iantli as a whole. 



The sepals of the calyx may be free (poly- or chori-sepalous), 

 as in the Lotus, or connate = grown together (gamosepalous), as 

 in Tulasi. As far as symmetry is concerned, the calyx may be 

 radial or zygomorphic. The latter is often the case in Papilio- 

 nace^ and in Labiatse. It is then termed bilabiate = two-lipped. 



