484 



PLANTS AND MAN 



of the most ancient of cultivated flowers — the carnation (fig. 

 298), which has become a favorite cut flower as well as outdoor 

 ornamental. Native to the Mediterranean region, carnations 

 may be white, pink or red in color, each flower with an elongated 

 calyx and five broad fringed petals. In many varieties a doubling 

 of the flower parts has resulted in a flower with more numerous 

 petals. Sweet William is a related species with structurally 

 similar but smaller flowers in flat topped clusters. 



Fig. 299. — Ornamentals in the Buttercup Family include larkspurs (A) and 



peonies (B). 



The Buttercup Family (see p. 436) of which there are so many 

 native wild flowers, contributes larkspurs, delphiniums and 

 peonies to our list of garden plants (fig. 299). Larkspurs are 

 native flowers but the related garden delphiniums are natives of 

 Europe and Siberia. The garden forms of peonies are all derived 

 from European or Asiatic species; their flowers — white, yellow, 

 orange, pink, purple or red — are characteristically very large 

 and colorful, often with numerous petals as a result of the dou- 

 bling of the floral parts. 



Ornamental flowers in the Poppy Family include the numer- 

 ous species of true poppies (fig. 300). The Iceland poppy is a 



