26 BOTANY OF LA SALLE COUNTY. 



Thick, like the plantain, beet. 



Fleshy, like the purslane and live forever. 



Stiff, like those of the beech, ironwood, and elm. 



The leaf is made up of two parts the stem and blade. 

 The blade is the broad, green part. 



The edge of the leaf is the margin, the outer end the 

 apex, the part next the stem the base; the upper side, 

 the upper surface the lower side, the lower surface. 

 The two surfaces are frequently very unlike. They 

 may be of very different colors, one may be smooth, 

 the other rough, &c; both sides of the leaf should be 

 looked at. 



The flower is made up of four pa,rts, the calyx, 

 corolla, stamens and pistils. 



The calyx is the outer, generally green envelope in 

 which the flower is at first wrapped up. 



The corolla is the colored leaves generally called the 

 flower. 



The stamens are small, thread like columns at top of 

 each of which is a little box-like body, which opens 

 and discharges a generally colored powder and then 

 withers away. 



The pistil is a larger column, or there may be sev- 

 eral of them, the base of which enlarges and forms the 

 fruit. This part is called the ovary. 



But the flowers of many plants have no corolla and 

 some plants h a ve neither calyx nor corolla. Some- 

 times the stamens and pistils are separate but on the 

 same plant, as in corn, where the tassel is the stamens, 

 the silk the pistils and there is one for each kernel. 

 Sometimes there is a little silk among the tassels and 

 then we have some corn there. In some cases, as in 

 some willows, the stamens are on one plant and the 

 pistils are on another. This is the case \vith some 

 plants, but not many. 



