ON PRIMROSES AND THEIR FERTILIZATION. 87 



as with the Buttercup ; they are all united, hence 

 the calyx is yamosepalous, and it encloses the seed 

 vessels until its contents are perfected, hence it is 

 ytermtent. You recognise the five sepals, however, 

 by the five points at the summit. 



Inside this calyx we come to the five coloured 

 leaves or petals forming the corolla, and these like- 

 wise are united gamopetaUms, Concerning the 

 colours of these petals naturalists are divided, 

 though it is highly probable that many of us have 

 no doubts upon the subject ; but if you gather num- 

 bers of blossoms from different localities, you will 

 find them varying from light yellow to yellowish 

 green, and in some parts of England they are 

 decidedly pink. Some call the colour green because 

 it turns green when dried, but that seems to me an 

 absurd reason ; this dried cowslip is blue, but I do 

 not suppose anyone would talk of blue cowslips. 

 Inside the corolla again we come to the stamens five 

 in number; and here mark a peculiarity. It is 

 another general rule in the arrangement of the 

 organs of the flower, that each member of a circle of 

 organs is inserted opposite to the opening, between 

 two members of an outer or inner circle ; e.g. each 

 petal is inserted between two sepals, though inside, 

 each stamen between two petals and so on. But 

 here, as you see, the stamens are inserted upon the 

 petals (hence styled epipetalous) and opposite to each 

 not between them ; in a case like this it is con- 

 sidered that an outer circle of stamens has been 

 suppressed, and hence the members of this second 

 and inner circle come between where the others 

 would have been. 



