PISTILS AND STAMENS 15 



A pistil like that of the Apple is called a compound pistil, 

 and the pistil-like structures which compose it, instead of being 

 called pistils, are called carpels. Thus in Figure 8, each of the 

 branches in the upper region of the pistil is the upper portion of 

 a carpel. If the enlarged bases of these were separated, then 

 each carpel would resemble the pistil of the Cherry or Plum 

 flower. Pistils like those of the Cherry and Plum consist of only 

 one carpel and are, therefore, called simple pistils. In flowers 

 having but one carpel, pistil and carpel mean the same thing. The 

 flower of the Cotton Plant, shown in Figure 9, has a compound 

 pistil in which the carpels are more united than in the Apple. 



In most flowers the stamens are separate from one another 

 (polyadelphous), but in some groups of plants they are more or 



4 



FIG. 11. A, hypogynous flower of Pink; B, perigynous flower of Cherry; 

 C } epigynous flower of Wild Carrot. Modified from Wanning. 



less united (monadelphous). In Cotton and other plants of this 

 group, the stamens are joined in such a way as to form a tube 

 around the pistil. (Fig. 9.) In Clover, Alfalfa, and some other 

 plants of this family, the ten stamens form two groups (diadel- 

 phous), nine being joined and one remaining free. 



The relative positions of the different parts of the flower show 

 considerable variation. In some flowers, as those of the Dande- 

 lion or Sunflower illustrate, the calyx, corolla, and stamens arise 

 from the top of the ovary. (Fig. &f.) Such flowers are epigy- 

 nous, i.e., the floral structures are on the gynous the word 

 " gynous " referring to the ovary, which in this case is described 

 as inferior. In the Basswood flower, calyx, corolla, and stamens 

 are attached to the receptacle at the base of the ovary, which is 



