ROSA. 115 



filling the entire space within the original corolla. What 

 has become of the stamens ? Look again at the semidouble 

 Rose. You find the stamens in a state of transition, as it 

 were ; some perfect, yellow ; some with a slight red expan- 

 sion on one side, others on both sides ; some again half sta- 

 men and half petal, and in all degrees of progress plainly 

 indicating whither the stamens are going and have gone. 

 From this study, the nature of the double Rose, and the 

 tendency of the stamens become manifest. In the semi- 

 double, a part of the stamens have been transformed to 

 petals, and in the double, all of them. 



The metamorphosis often goes still further. In that curi- 

 ous variety, the Green Rose, the stamens have all reverted 

 first to petals, and then to leaves. In the Damask Rose, we 

 have occasionally seen a leafy branch occupying the place of 

 the stamens and pistils. Similar changes are continually 

 occurring not only in Rose, but in Pasony, Camellia, Bal- 

 samine, Violet, and other plants, and all agree in teaching 

 that the stamen is a leaf modified and adapted to a special 

 purpose. The student will look for further illustration of 

 this interesting doctrine, which was first suggested by Lin- 

 naeus about A. D. 1750. 



The Name Rosa is of Latin origin. The wild species 

 just described and portrayed is R. Carolina. 



Classification. The Strawberry, Apple Tree, and Rose, 

 as we now see, are allied to one another and to the Order of 

 the ROSACES, or Roseworts, by the following characters : 



Stipules present. Stamens GO perigynous. 



Flowers regular. Seed anatropous. 



Corolla quincuncial. Embryo straight. 



Albumen none. 



The Roseworts, moreover, having the embryo 2-lobed, their flow- 

 ers !f. and 5 parted, their leaves net-veined, and their wood, if any, growing 



