6 4 



Commercial Gardening 



is really a very short piece of stem that bore the various floral leaves 

 just described. It undergoes many modifications in different plants. In 

 the Buttercup and Wallflower it remains small; in the Strawberry it 

 becomes enlarged and pulpy (fig. 51); in the Raspberry and Bramble it 

 becomes large, conical, and spongy; in the Apple it grows up around the 

 carpels, completely enclosing them, and, though only a fleshy, cellular 

 flower stalk, it forms the edible portion of the fruit. The receptacle of 



Fig. 53. A Dioecious Plant 



1, Twig of Crack Willow (Salix fragilis), with pistillate (female) catkins. 2, Twig of same with 

 staminate (male) catkins (nat. size). 



the Cherry or Peach forms a little cup round the base of the ovary, and 

 carries the sepals, petals, and stamens on its edges. In the Rose or Brier 

 it forms a hollow tube enclosing the carpels, and becomes the brightly 

 coloured hip at maturity. The Fig is also a hollow receptacle, enclosing 

 a whole inflorescence of numerous small flowers. 



A flower is said to be hermaphrodite when it contains both stamens 

 and pistil; male, when it contains stamens only; female, when only the 

 pistil is present. A plant or tree is monoecious when male and female 

 flowers occur on different parts of the same individual, as in Begonia, 

 Cucumber, Marrow, Oak (fig. 52), and Melon; and dioecious when only 



