126 



Flozvei'S and their Pcdizt'ecs. 



the original and normal position of the parts. How 

 and why, then, has the ovary in the goose-grass kind 

 managed to get below the petals ? Well, the process 

 has been something like this : When the flowers were 

 tubular they were surrounded by a tubular calyx, and 

 the ovarj- stood in the middle of both. But in the 

 course of time, in order to increase the chances of 

 successful fertilisation, the calyx tube, the corolla 



Fig. 28. — SL'awberrj- and .\sperula. 

 To show Inferior and Superior Ovaries. 



tube, and the ovary in the centre all coalesced into 

 one solid piece — grew together, in fact, just as the 

 five petals had already done. So now this little bulb 

 really represents the calwx and ovarj' combined ; 

 while the corolla, only beginning to show at the top, 

 where it expands into its four lobes, looks as if it 

 started from the head of the fruit, whereas in reality 

 it once started at the bottom, but has now so com- 

 pletely united with the calyx in its lower part as to 



