BOTANY. 31 



The ovary may be either free in the centre of the floAver, or it may be 

 adherent, especially to the calyx. When this is united throuirhout it becomes 

 superior, the ovary itself being inferior. When the union takes place but in 

 part, the ovary is half inferior., and the calyx lutlf superior. 



The Style, Avhich proceeds from the summit of the carpel, may be con- 

 ''sidered as the upward prolongation of this, and hence called apicilar. The 

 carpellary leaf may be so folded that the style appears to proceed from the 

 side of the ovary ; in this case it is lateral, and basilar Avhcn proceeding from 

 the base. When the ovaries are grouped around a central prolongation of the 

 torus, continuous with a united coluinnar style, the arrangement is termed a 

 gynohase. The style, although usually smooth, may be coated ■with hairs, 

 termed collecting hairs, which aid in distributing the pollen. When the 

 styles of a syncarpous pistil are united completely into a single one, this is 

 said to be simple ; when the union is only partial, the style is bifid, trifid, 

 &c. ; and bipartite, tripartite, (fcc, when the union extends but a short dis- 

 tance above the apex of the ovary. A style which falls off after fertilization 

 is said to be decidnous, otherwise it is persistent. 



The Stigma terminates the style, and is usually in direct communication 

 Avith the placenta. Its position may be either terminal or lateral. It consists 

 of loose cellular tissue, and secretes a viscid matter Avhich retains the pollen, 

 and causes it to protrude tubes. A stigma which is divided by one or more 

 grooves may be bilobed, trilobed, &c., or bilamellar, trilamellar, &c., accord- 

 ing as the partial divisions are rounded or flattened. The form of the stigma 

 varies considerably. 



In Cryptogamous Plants there are organs termed pistillidia, supposed 

 to perform the functions of pistils, which consist of hollow cavities, termed 

 sporangia, or thecee, and containing the equivalents of ovules termed spores. 

 The sporangia may be immersed in the body of the plant, or supported on 

 stalks, termed setcc. 



The Ovule is attached to the placenta, and is destined to produce the 

 I'uture plant. Although usually embraced within an ovary, in some cases 

 it has no proper covering, then called naked. A partial inclosing by the 

 carpellary leaves renders the ovules senihmde. The ovule may be attached 

 to the placenta, either directly, when it is sessile, or by the intervention of 

 a prolongation of the latter, termed funiculus, wnibilical cord, or podosperm. 

 The placenta is sometimes called the trophosperni. The part by which the 

 ovule is attached to the placenta is known as the base or hilum, the opposite 

 extremity being the apex. The ovule consists of a cellular mass, termed 

 the nucleus, inclosing a cavit}"^ in Avhich the embryo is suspended by a 

 thread-like cellular process, called .suspensor, and attached to the summit 

 of the nucleus. In some cases the cavity is lined by an epithelial 

 membrane, which constitutes the embryo-sac, containing the amnios, a 

 mucilaginous fluid in Avhich the embryo forms. The nucleus itself may be 

 either naked or enveloped in one or two coverings ; when two are present 

 the outer is called primine, the inner, secundine. These integuments leave 

 an opening at the apex of the nucleus composed of tAVO apertures ; the one 

 in the primine, called exostome, the other in the secundine, termed endostome. 



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