OEGANS OF EEPEODUCTIOX. 267 



A flower with Six carpels or Six styles is Hexagynous. 



„ ,, Seven carpels or Seven styles is Heptagynous. 



,, ,, Eight carpels or Eight styles is Oetogynous. 



,, „ Nine carpels or Nine styles is Enneagynous. 



„ ,, Ten carpels or Ten styles is Decagynous. 



„ „ Twelve carpels or Twelve styles is Dodeca- 



g}-noiis. 



„ „ More than twelve or numerous Polygynous. 



These terms will be referred to again when we treat of the 

 Linncean System of Classification, as some of the Orders of that 

 arrangement are determined by the number of carpels in the 

 flower. 



1 . Apocarpous Pistil. — An apocarpous pistil may consist of two 

 or more carpels, and they are variously arranged accordingly. 

 Thus when there are but two, they are always placed opposite 

 to each other ; when there are more than two, and the nimiber 

 coincides with the sepals or petals, they are opposite or alter- 

 nate with them ; it is rare, however, to find the carpels corre- 

 sponding in number to the sepals or petals, they are generally 

 fewer, or more numerous. The carpels may be arranged in one 

 whorl, as in the Stonecrop (Scdum) {fig. 566) ; or in several 

 whorls alternating with each other, either at the same level, or, 

 as is more generally the case, at diiferent heights upon the tha- 

 lamus so as to form a spiral arrangement. When an apocarpous 

 pistil is thus found with several rows of carpels, the thalamus, 

 instead of forming a nearly flattened top, as is usually the case 

 when the number of carpels is small, frequently 

 assumes a number of other shapes ; thus, in the 

 Magnolia and Tulip Tree, it becomes cylindri- 

 cal {fig. 590); in the Easpberry {fig. 592), 

 Eanuncidus {fig. 528), and Adonis {fig. 593), 

 conical; in the Strawberry {fig. 591), hemi- 

 spherical ; while in the Eose {fig. 437, r), the 

 thalamus becomes hollowed out like a cup, or 

 urn, and has the carpels arranged upon its 

 inner surface. These modifications of the tha- 

 lamus, together with some others, will be 

 more particularly referred to hereafter under 

 the head of Thalamus. The varying conditions 

 of this portion of the floral axis necessarily 

 lead to correspondins: alterations in the mu- 

 tual relation of the diflferent whorls of carpels p. ^^^ central part 

 which compose an apocarpous pistil. Thus, of'tiie'flowerof the 

 when there are two whorls of carpels placed '^l.J;;^^^^^. 

 upon a flattened thalamus, the inner have their Tiie thalamus, «, is 

 ventral sutures directed towards the centre al-icai?'' c!* c^ Car- 

 of the flower, while the outer have their pels. e,e. stamens. 



