ANGIOSPERMS. 



567 



into the interior, may be regarded as the prolongations of the margins of the carpels 

 downwards on the inside of the ovary. A similar explanation may be given of the 

 longitudinal dissepiments of the multilocular inferior ovary ; the same differences 

 occur in them as those which have already ]?een described in the case of the 

 superior ovary; for they may either meet in the middle and bear the ovules in 

 the axile angles of the loculi (Fig. 358), or they may split into two lamellae, bend 

 back, and bear the ovules in the middle of the cavity of the loculus (as in Cucur- 

 bitaceae). Usually two, three, or more carpels share in the formation of the upper 

 part of the inferior ovary, their elongated margins being prolonged inwards and 

 developing downwards into the parietal placentae or the dissepiments of the multi- 

 locular ovary. In such cases the inferior ovary must be termed polycarpellary, like 



F'G. 393.— /-AV/ stages of development of the flower of 

 Helianthus annutts; I calyx, c corolla, y filaments, a anthers, 

 X basal portion which afterwards developes into the lower 

 part of the tube of the corolla which bears the epipetalous 

 stamens, fK the inferior ovary, SK the ovule, A carpel, 

 S^r style. 



Fig. 394. — ^/—Z? stages of development of the flower of 

 Calanthe veratrifolia (after Payer) ; A and C seen from above, 

 B and D in longitudinal section, s sepals, / petals, // the 

 petal which developes into the labellum, (r/the single fertile 

 anther, ae and at abortive anthers of the outer and inner 

 whorl; in B as are the sterile stamens, in D ep one of the 

 three carpels. 



the superior ovary of similar structure. Examples of a monocarpellary inferior ovary 

 appear to be very rare ; Hippuris (Fig. 360) affords one ; its inferior ovary consists 

 of a single carpel, and contains a solitary anatropous pendulous ovule. 



The Style is a prolongation of the carpel above the ovary ; in monocarpellary 

 ovaries there is therefore only one style (Figs. 382, 384), which may however be 

 branched ; when the ovary is polycarpellary, the style consists of as many parts as 

 there are carpellary leaves ; these parts may be free for the whole distance above 

 the ovary (Fig. 386), or coherent for a certain distance above it, separating only at 

 a greater height; or, finally, they may cohere for their whole length (Figs. 388 G^ 

 390). Although the style arises from the apex of the young carpel, it may subse- 

 quendy stand on the axile side of the monocarpellary ovary, the carpel becoming 

 considerably bulged outwards by the more rapid growth of the dorsal side of the 



