276 



ORGANOGRAPHY. 



and other matters connected with their order of development 

 may be easily traced in apocarpous ])istils, but in those cases 

 where carpels placed under like circumstances become united 

 and form syncarpous pistils, they give rise to very complicated 

 structures, vvliich will be alluded to hereafter. 



2, Syncarpous Pistil. — Having now considered the simple car- 

 pel, and the compound apocarpous jnstil, we pass to the con- 

 sideration of the compound syncarpous pistil, or that in Avhich 

 the component carjicls are more or less united. We have already 

 seen in speaking of the floral envelo])es and stamens, that the 

 different pai'ts of which they are resi)ectively composed may be 

 also distinct from each other, or more or less united. From 

 the position of the carpels with respect to each othor, and from 

 their nature, they are more frequently united than any otuer 

 parts of the flower. This union may take place either partly, 

 or entirely, and it may commence at the summit, or at the 

 base of the carpels. Thus in the former case, as in many 

 Asclci)iade;c and Xanthoxylon fraxineum {fig. 593) the carpels 

 are united by their stigmas only; in the Dictanmus fraxinella 

 (fig. 609) the upper i)art of their styles are united; while in 

 the Labiatai (fig. 594) and most Boragineai (fig 595) the whole 

 of the styles are united. In all the above cases the ovaries 

 are distinct. These examples are to be considered, therefore, 

 as transitional states between apocarpous and syncarpous pistils. 



It is far more common to find the carpels united by their 

 lower portions or ovaries, and this union may also take place 

 to various extents. Thus, in the Hue (fig. 596) the union 

 only takes i)lace by the bases of the ovaries, the upper parts 



Fig. 593. Fig. 594. Fig. 595. 



Fill. 596. 



Fifj. •''O'l- Pistil of XfintlioTi/lon fraxineum supported on a gynopliore, (j. The 



ovurlc-s. o. and HtylcB nre dii-ttiicr, hut tlie stiffmns, », are united Fii/. SJH. 



Pistil ot Horchouiid (.A/anuhiinii vuUiare), a Labiate plant. Its ovaries, ov, 



are distinct, tlif htjies, «, being united Fig. Wr,. Pistil of Mi/<>8ntig, a 



IJoruKincous Plant, or. distinct ovurieg; </. styles united Fig. rm. 



Flower of Uuc (/i;«/n (//«rto/rn«), showing tliu ovuries, of, united by their 

 band. 



