

FLOWERS, THEIR STRUCTURE AND KINDS 181 



288. The stamens. There are three stamens. These are 

 seated on the upper part of the tube of the perianth, on the middle 

 line of what would correspond to the sepals, or outer members 

 of the perianth. The filaments are long and attached by a joint 

 near one end of the anther. The anthers are long and two- 

 loculed. 



289. The pistil is compound and consists of three parts, as can 

 be seen by the three lobes of the stigma. The style is long, 

 slender, rises along the inner face of the upper lip, and the 

 stigmas lie just underneath the apex of the upper member of 

 the perianth, with the three anthers directly in front of the 

 stigmas or slightly below them. The ovary is elongate, three- 

 angled, and with three locules. 



290. The gladiolus belongs to the order of lilies (Liliales), 

 which includes many plants with beatuiful flowers, cultivated for 

 ornamental purposes, as tulips, crocuses, daffodils (Narcissus), 

 hyacinths, iris, lilies, etc. The culitvation of the Easter lily 

 (Li Hum harrisii and L. longiflomm) forms a large industry in 

 Bermuda and Japan, from whence come most of the bulbs, which 

 are forced in greenhouses by the florists. Some plants in this 

 order are used for food, as asparagus, onion, etc. 



291. The orchid family (Orchidaceae), also belonging to the 

 Monocotyledons, contains many plants with beautiful flowers and 

 wonderful mechanisms for cross-pollination by the aid of insects.* 



* See Darwin, On the fertilization of orchids by insects. 



