CALYCIFLOR^ 213 



hollowed out, and the stamens and perianth may be 

 either perigynous with a superior ovary, or epigynous 

 with an inferior ovary. The calyx is gamosepalous 

 and may be superior or inferior. It usually consists 

 of five or four sepals united below, free, or more or 

 less adnate to the ovary, overlapping or valvate in 

 the bud. The corolla is polypetalous, with five 

 petals, sometimes five united, or four, or none, over- 

 lapping or valvate in bud, inserted between the 

 sepals. There are five or twice as many stamens, 

 which are perigynous, in two whorls. The carpels 

 are two, spreading at the apex, or as many as the 

 petals, the pistil being syncarpous. The styles are 

 distinct, or united, the stigmas having a small head. 

 The fruit is a capsule or berry, one- to three-celled, 

 or a follicle and many-seeded. The seeds contain 

 abundant endosperm. The flowers are honeyed and 

 the anthers ripen first. 



The fruit is dispersed by birds when a berry, as in 

 Rihes, or the seeds in Saxifrages are blown out of the 

 capsule by the wind. 



Some Saxifrages are partly insectivorous, many 

 are crevice plants. In the gooseberry and currants 

 we have valuable fruit-trees. The Saxifrages, as 

 London Pride, are lovely garden flowers. 



Meadow Saxifrage {Saxifraga granulata). 



Not all the Saxifrages are confined to Alpine dis- 

 tricts, and the one here described is typically low- 

 land, and one of our loveliest wild flowers. The 



