241 
The five larger ones, marked co, belong to the corolla. 
These, you notice, are not all alike. The upper one is 
much the largest. 
The two side ones are alike. 
In the real flower the two lower ones are joined so as 
to form a little pocket. 
And what else do you 
find? 
Now, if you do not 
pull apart the pea blos- 
som, you find nothing 
else. But you know that 
the seed-holding fruit is 
the object of the flower’s 
ve sand. that. - soi this 
flower is pretty sure to 
have somewhere either a 
pistil with its seedbox, or 
FIG. 256 
stamens with their dust 
boxes, or both; for without the seeds of the seedbox, 
and the pollen of the dust boxes, no fruit can result. 
So, knowing that the pea blossom cannot 
give birth to a pea pod without stamens and 
pistil, let us have a search for these. 
As I told you, the two lower leaves of the 
corolla are joined so as to form a sort of pocket 
(Fig. 257). Now, surely, a pocket is meant to 
hold something. So take a pin and slit open 
Fic. 257 this pocket. As the two sides spring apart, out 
flies some golden pollen, and we see that the little pocket 
is far from empty. It holds ten stamens and one pistil. 
DANA’S PLANTS. — 16 
