118 THE GARDEN OF EARTH 



Calix or Sepals; the Corolla or Petals; the Stamens, 

 with their Pollen; and the Pistils. 



Stamens are usually in two parts ; the Filament and 

 the Anther. The word " filament " is from the Latin 

 for " thread " ; and the filaments or stamen-stalks are 

 often so fine and delicate as to be very much like 

 threads. 



But the really important part of a stamen is the 

 anther ; precisely as the really important part of a leaf 

 is the blade. A leaf is still a leaf, though it has no 

 footstalk and no stipules. And a stamen is still a 

 stamen, though it has no filament. But a footstalk 

 without any blade would not be a leaf; and a filament 

 without any anther would not be a stamen. 



Inside the Anther is the Pollen ; and without this 

 curious golden dust the flower could not do its work. 



A Pistil, like a stamen, has more parts than one; 

 generally three — the Stigma, the Style, and the Ovary. 

 Some plants have only one pistil to each flower ; others 

 have two or many pistils; but each pistil may have 

 these three parts. 



By the style is meant the little stalk. The stigma is 

 on that stalk ; and the ovary is down at the bottom of 

 it, often embedded within the flower, out of sight. 

 That small hollow ovary is one of the necessary parts 

 of the whole. It and the stigma are as important as 

 the stamen-anther. 



Sometimes a pistil has no style; and that does not 

 matter. What does matter is that there must be stamens 

 and pistil. Without these two the flower — nay, the 

 plant itself — would be a failure. They need not, how- 

 ever, be always on the same flower. The pistil may 



