STRUCTURE.] 



STAMENS THEIR POSITION. 



889 



stamens, or which, occupy their place, but which are destitute 

 of anther, are either petals, or appendages of the petals, or 

 abortive stamens. 



106 



114 



113 



As the petals are naturally alternate with the sepals, so the 

 natural station of the stamens, if of equal number with the 

 petals, is alternately with them; and all deviations from this 

 law are to be understood as irregularities arising from the 

 suppression or addition of parts. Thus, when in the Primrose 

 we find the stamens opposite the segments of the corolla, and 

 equal to them in number, it is to be supppsed that those 

 stamens which are present constitute the second of two rows 

 of which the exterior is not developed ; and when in Silene 

 we find the stamens ten, while the petals are five, the former 

 are to be considered to consist of two rows, although appear- 

 ing to consist of one. This may be understood by examining 

 Oxalis, in which the stamens are all apparently in one row, 

 but are alternately of different lengths. When the number 

 of stamens exceeds twice that of the petals, they will still 

 be divisible by the number of which they were at first a 

 multiple, until their number is excessively increased, when 

 they seem to cease to bear any kind of proportion to the petals. 



The stamens always originate from the space between the 

 base of the petals and the base of the ovary. But botanists are 

 nevertheless in the habit of saying that they are inserted into 

 the calyx or corolla (fig. 120.) (perigynous), or under the pistil 

 (fig. 118.) (hypogynous) , or into the pistil (fig. 119) (epigynous) , 



z 2 



