186 ESSENTIAL ORGANS. STAMENS. 



cup or ring. Even in Calceolaria, there is at first a scooped-otit cup, 

 with four regular and very minute teeth, which are ultimately developed 

 as the corolla ; the nascent calyx having also four divisions. 



Inner Floral Whorls, or the Essential Organs of Reproduction. 



388. These organs are the stamens and the pistil, the latter contain- 

 ing the seeds or germs of yoking plants, and corresponding to the 

 female, while the former produces a powder necessary for fecundation, 

 and is looked upon as performing the part of the male. The presence 

 of both is required in order that perfect seed may be produced. A 

 flower may have a calyx and corolla, and yet be imperfect if the essen- 

 tial organs are not present. The name of hermaphrodite is given to 

 flowers in which both these organs are found ; that of unisexual (one 

 sex), or diclinous) 3<V, twice, and x^ivn, a bed), to those in which 

 only one of these organs appears, those bearing stamens only, being 

 staminiferous (stamen, a stamen, and fero, I bear), or male ; those 

 having the pistil only, pistilliferous (pistillum, a pistil, and fero, I bear), 

 or female. 



389. The absence of one of the organs is due to abortion or non- 

 development. When in the same plant there are unisexual flowers, 

 both male and female, the plant is said to be monoecious (p,6vo$, one, and 

 oix.io, habitation), as in the Hazel and Castor oil plant; when the male 

 and female flowers of a species are found on separate plants, the term 

 dioecious (o<V, twice) is applied, as in Mercurialis and Hemp ; and when 

 a species has male, female, and hermaphrodite flowers on the same or 

 different plants, it is polygamous (vo^vg, many, and ya^oj, marriage). 

 The term agamous ( privative, and yafto$, marriage) has sometimes 

 been applied to Cryptogamic plants, from the supposed absence of any 

 bodies truly representing the stamens and pistil. 



390. Stamens. The stamens (stamina) arise from the thalamus or 

 torus within the petals, forming one or more verticils or whorls, which 

 collectively constitute the androecium (dv^, a male, and omiov, habita- 

 tion), or the male organs of the plant. Their normal position is below 

 the inner whorl or the pistil, and when they are so placed (fig. 306 e), 

 they are hypogynous (ilwo, under, and yvvvi, female or pistil). Some- 

 tunes they become united to the petals or epipetalous (Ivl, upon, and 

 Kt-TttKM, a leaf), and the insertion of both is looked upon as similar, 

 so that they are still hypogynous, provided they are independent of 

 the calyx and the pistil. In fig. 307, the stamens, e, and the petals, p, 

 are both below the pistil or ovary, o, and separate both from it and 

 the calyx, c, and are therefore hypogynous; when the stamens are 

 inserted on the calyx, that is, become united to it to a greater or less 

 height above the base of the pistil, then they become lateral as it were 

 in regard to it, and are perigynous (OT? /, around). This is shown in the 



