1 66 



GROWTH AND WORK OF PLANTS 



line of what would correspond to the sepals, or outer members 

 of the perianth. The filaments are long and attached by a joint 

 near one end of the anther. The anthers are long and two-loculed. 

 275. The pistil is compound and consists of three parts, as can 

 be seen by the three lobes of the stigma. The style is long, slender, 

 rises along the inner face of the upper lip, and the stigmas lie just 



Fig. 126. 



Flowers of Glad.olus: at right, 

 irtly dissected. The six petal- 

 ike parts form the "perianth." 



underneath the apex of the upper member of the perianth, with 

 the three anthers directly in front of the stigmas or slightly below 

 them. The ovary is elongate, three-angled, and with three locules. 



276. The gladiolus belongs to the order of lilies (Liliales), 

 which includes many plants with beautiful flowers, cultivated for 

 ornamental purposes, as tulips, crocuses, daffodils (Narcissus), 

 hyacinths, iris, lilies, etc. The cultivation of the Easter lily 

 (Lilium harrisii and L. longiflorum) forms a large industry in 

 Bermuda and Japan, from whence come most of the bulbs, which 

 are forced in greenhouses by the florists. Some plants in this 

 order are used for food, as asparagus, onion, etc. 



277. The orchid family (Orchidaceae), also belonging to the 

 Monocotyledons, contains many plants with beautiful flowers and 

 wonderful mechanisms for cross-pollination by the aid of insects.* 



* See Darwin, On the fertilization of orchids by insects. 





