134 THE SCIENCE OF LIFE. 



taining ovules or young seeds, and the stigma, a cellular 

 secreting body for the reception of the pollen-grains. 

 This is sometimes sessile, or resting on the ovary, and 

 sometimes elevated on a stalk, or style. Like the other 

 whorls, the pistil is made up of one or more modified 

 leaves, named carpels. (Fig. 56.) 



Some flowers have no stamens, and are called female 

 flowers ; others have no pistil, and are male flowers ; 

 but both stamens and pistils are always present, either 

 on the same plant or on different plants. Some flowers 

 have neither calyx, corolla, nor stamens ; others, neither 

 calyx, corolla, nor pistil. If they have no corolla they 

 are incomplete, and if corolla and calyx are both absent 

 they are naked. 



The general axis of inflorescence is called rachis ; the 

 stalk supporting a flower or a cluster of flowers is a pe- 

 duncle, and, if small branches are given off by it, they are 

 called pedicels. Sometimes the floral axis is shortened, 

 and is flat, convex, or concave, bearing numerous flow- 

 ers, as in the Daisy. It is then called a receptacle. 



Flowers are always the termination of an axis, branch, 

 or bough, and the order governing their arrangement is 

 a repetition of that which governs the ramification of the 

 plant. 



Bracts, or floral leaves, are leaves from which the floral 

 axis, or the individual flowers, arise. Sometimes they 

 are colored and may be mistaken for parts of the corolla, 

 and at other times they are undeveloped. Bracts are 

 generally deciduous, but occasionally persist, and even 

 form part of the fruit, as in the cones of Firs and the 

 fruit of the Pine-apple. In catkins (or imperfect unisex 



