OF GREAT BRITAIN 5 



It is sometimes a mere viscid point, but more often it is a flat, lobcd, or 

 globular organ. 



Most flowers have but one pistil ; but there is frequently a single ovary- 

 bearing several styles and stigmas. The ovary, in such cases, usually con- 

 sists of several cells, each of Avhich, including its style and stigma, is termed 

 a carpel (67). The same name is given to the ovaries in flowers when they 

 are separated, or in others, when they are united. 



The same plant sometimes bears flowers, some of which have only 

 stamens, Avhile others have only pistils {68, 69), as in "Willow and Oak. Such 

 are termed monoecious plants. In other cases the pistils and stamens grow, 

 not only on different flowers, but on different plants. These are then said to be 

 dioecious. As those flowers only which contain pistils produce seed, these are 

 termed fertile ; while those which have stamens only are said to be barren. 



When the ovary is inserted above the base of the perianth, it is termed 

 superior, as in the Primrose (70) ; when below, inferior, as the Rose. The 

 perianth is termed superior or inferior, according as it is inserted above or 

 below the ovary. 



The Fruit. The fruit is the enlarged ovary, and is the naked seed, or 

 the seed with its case or covering, also termed the pericarp. The following 

 are some of its various forms : — 



The capsule; a dry case or bag, either opening by valves, as in the 

 Violet ; by teeth, as in Lychnis ; by pores, as in Poppy ; or by dividing into 

 an upper and under portion, as in the Pimpernel (71). 



The silique ; a dry long pod, consisting of two halves or valves, and a 

 central partition, to the internal margin of which the seeds are attached, as 

 in the Cabbage (72). 



The silicle or pouch is a shorter, broader pod, like that of the Shepherd's 

 Purse. 



The pod or legume is a long seed-vessel without a partition ; the seeds 

 forming a single row, as in the Pea (73). 



The berry ; a pulpy fruit, in Avhich the seeds are immersed, as the Blae- 

 berry or Currant (74). 



The nut ; a dry fruit in a hard shell, as the Hazel (75). 



The drupe ; a nut enclosed in a pulpy covering, as the Cherry (76). 



The cone; a number of scales overlapping each other, each of which covers 

 tAvo seeds (77). 



The Seed. This is said to be dicotyledonous when composed of two 

 lobes, like the Bean (78), which are termed the cotyledons, and enclose the 

 plumule, or embryo of the future plant. As the seed germinates, the cotyle- 

 dons either rise above the ground, as in Mustard, or remain beneath, as in 

 the garden Pea. 



ItECEPTACLE. This is the part of the flower on which all the other parts 

 rest. It is very obvious in the Dandelion, where it is white and dotted (82). 

 It is sometimes conical, as in the Daisy (79) ; chaffy, as in Cat's Ear (80) ; 

 bristly, as in Thistle (81). 



Nectary. Any distinct organ which contains honey. In the Crown 

 Imperial it consists of a number of cells around the centre of the flower. In 

 the Crowfoot (83) it is a scale at the base of the petal. 



