ORGANS OF REPRODUCTION. 



267 



disk is reduced to little separate glandular hodies, as in Cruci- 

 ferous Plants {fig. 422, gl), Sedum, &c. {fig. 584) ; or to scales, as 

 in the Vine {fig, 506) ; or to various petaloid expansions, as in 

 the Aquilegia, Helicteres, &c. 



When the disk is situated under the ovaiy, as in the Orange, 

 Kue, Wallflower, Helicteres, &c., it is termed hypogynous ; when 

 it is attached to the calyx, as in the Kose, Cheny, &c., it is 

 perigynous ; or Avhen on the summit of the ovary, as in Umbel- 

 liferous plants, epigynous. These terms being used in the sense 

 already described Avhen treating of the insertion of the stamens 

 under the head of the Androecium. 



The so-called nectaries are by some botanists treated of in 

 this place as distinct organs. We confine the meaning of the 

 term nectary to those bodies which secrete a honey-like fluid, 

 and have already referred to them under the heads of Glands 

 and Corolla. 



3. The Pistil or Gyncecium. 



We now arrive at the consideration of the last organ which is 

 present in the flower, namely the pistil or female system of 

 flowering plants. The pistil occupies the centre of tlie flower, 

 the stamens and floral envelopes being arranged around it 

 when they are present {fig. 421) ; the envelopes alone in the 

 pistillate flower ; or it stands alone Avhen the flower is 

 pistillate and naked {fig. 392). It consists as we have seen, of 

 one or more modified 

 leaves called carpels. Fig. 566. 



which are either dis- 

 tinct from each other, 

 as in the Columbine 

 {fig. 427), the Stone- 

 crop ( Sedum) {fig- 

 566) ; or combined in- 

 to one body, as in the 

 Tobacco( A7co^za??a 7a- 

 bacum) {fig. 568, 2), and 

 Primrose {Primula vul- 

 garis){fig. 567). When 

 there is but one caq^el, 

 as in the Pea, Broom, 

 &c.(^5r. 568), the pistil 

 is said to be simple; 

 when there is more 

 than one, as in the 

 Stonecrop and Prim- 

 rose, it is compound. 

 Before proceeding to 

 examine the gyncecium 



Fig. 566. Pistil of Stoneirop (Sedum), con- 

 sisting of five distinct carpels, on the outside 

 of which at the base small scaly bodies may 

 be noticed. The pistil is compoimd and 



apocarpous Fig. 567. Pistil of Primrose 



(Frimula), coniposed of several carpels 

 united into one, hence termed compound 

 syncurpous. There is but one style sur- 

 mounted by a capitate stigma Fir/. 568. 



Simple pistil of Broom, o. Ovary, s. Style, 

 t. Stigma. 



