SX11 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSES. 



clom. Often, indeed, one or more entire verticils are suppressed, 

 presenting flowers destitute of calyx, or corolla or sometimes with 

 one of these, and either the stamens, or pistils, also wanting.* In 

 the MONOCOTYLEDONS, or Endogenous Plants, such as the Liliaceous 

 and Orchideous tribes, Grasses, Sedges, &c., three, and its multiples, 

 constitute the regular, symmetrical number, of the members of each 

 floral verticil ; but they are often incomplete, or wholly suppressed. 

 In the Liliaceae, we frequently find some of them doubled, while 

 in the Grasses, and Cyperaceae, all but the ataminate verticil are 

 usually deficient. 



The leaflets, or component parts of the several verticils, are in 

 many instances all free i. e. separate and distinct from each other ; 

 and this is regarded as their normal or regular condition : But we 

 often find them united, or cohering together, to- a greater or less 

 extent either by their margins, or surfaces, or both ; and this 

 union is apt greatly to disguise their primitive character. Such 

 cohesions, or solderings, as they are termed, are analogous to the 

 process of ingrafting, or rather inarching, and may be readily sup- 

 posed to take place while the tender organs are closely packed 

 together, in their forming stage. Sometimes the sepals are united 

 by their margins, so as to form a cup, at the base of the flower, and 

 this suggested the name of calyx. When the union is nearly com- 

 plete, a careless obserrer might be puzzled to know whether the 

 calyx were really compound, or simple, in its structure ; but our 

 theory leadsus to lo-ok for evidences of a compound structure, and we 

 accordingly find them in the free points of the sepals, which are 

 usually obviows enough, under the name of segments, or teeth, 

 and also in the seams, or sutures, formed by the junction of the 

 margins. The union of the petals is often quite as remarkable as 

 that of the sepals, and sometimes greatly obscures the normal struc- 

 ture, as we see in what are called personate, and labiate flowers. 

 Similar cohesions take place, likewise, among the stamens, and 

 pistils. The modified leaflets, or parts of the same floral verticil, 

 are not only liable to cohere with each other, but the different 

 verticils are also frequently soldered together, at base so as to form 



* Flowers are termed symmetrical, when all the parts of each verticil are devel- 

 oped; regular, where the parts, present in a verticil, are all of the same form and 

 size; complete, when both calyx and corolla are present; and perfect, when each 

 flower is furnished with both stamens and pistils. When stamens, or pistils, are 

 defective, or wanting in & portion of the flowers, while they are perfectly developed 

 in others, the flowers are said to be polygamous ; and they are termed monoicous, 

 or dioicous, when simply staminate, or pistillate, according to their distribution OB 

 the same, or on different, plants. 



