STAMENS AND PISTILS. 63 



SITUATION OF THE STAMENS AND PISTILS. 



We have described and illustrated only the most ordinary 

 form under which the stamens and pistils are found, viz., 

 those of the Lily. These parts occur under a great variety 

 of situations with respect to each other. Their numbers are 

 also exceedingly various, being with respect to the stamens, 

 from one to a hundred or more, the pistils being somewhat 

 less numerous. On the number and situation of these parts 

 depend the scientific arrangement of the whole Linnaean 

 System of vegetables. 



We have already seen that that part of the stamen called 

 the filament, and that part of the pistil called the style, may 

 both be wanting. But the anthers, and the stigma, are never 

 absent, there being no plant hitherto discovered, except some 

 of the Crypto gamia, that is destitute of them, or of an equiv- 

 alent part, either in the same flower, or in separate flowers, 

 in the same or in different plants. 



In further illustrating this subject, we cannot do better than 

 to extract from Dr. Drummond his cuts and explanations. 



Fig. 121. 



The stamen, Fig. 121, consists of three parts, 

 the filament, the anther, which sits on its top, and 

 the pollen, or farina, a sort of mealy powder which 

 the anther throws out when it is ripe and bursts. 

 Thus a represents the filament and anther, and b 

 the pollen falling from the latter. 



But not unfrequently in examining 

 flowers, it will be found that the an- 

 thers are sessile, or immediately at- 

 tached to the corolla. This is shown 

 by Fig. 122, which represents a corolla 

 laid open, the situation of the anthers 

 being marked by the small black dots 

 above the letter c. 



What are the uses of the stamens and pistils to the botanist ? Are the 

 anthers and stigmas ever wanting ? When the filaments are wanting, 

 where are the anthers situated ? 



