Zbc :fi5eauts of tbe Jflower 85 



green bracts, which form an involucre, or wrapper. 

 Flowers growing in this manner are embraced in 

 the great order composita3. In such compound 

 flowers each floret may be perfect in itself, having its 

 calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistils. Sometimes the 

 outer row of florets has neither stamens nor pistils, 

 but has several petals united into a broad strap ; such 

 straps make a bright border for the whole compound 

 flower. The florets may have stamens only, or pistils 

 only. Asters, coreopsis, zinnias, cockscomb, golden- 

 rod, chrysanthemums, belong to the compositse, with 

 a great many other flowers which each student can 

 search out for himself. 



One very large family of plants is called umbel- 

 lata, because its flower stems all start from one point, 

 spreading out something like the wires of an um- 

 brella, the flowers opening at a level, instead of in a 

 head or spike. The caraway, parsley, wild carrot, 

 and iDarsnip show this very common form of growth. 



A flower is simple when it has its own stemlet, 

 whether or not these stemlets are crowded into heads 

 or spikes. A flower is compound when many flowers 

 are wrapped in one involucre, and appear like a 

 single blossom when they are really many, as the 

 sunflower and dandelion. 



The only really needed part of the leaf is the 

 blade, so the only really indispensable parts of the 



