16 THE VEGETATIVE ORGANS 



are bulged or saccate at the base. Now press the flower 

 backwards against the stem and determine whether these 

 two sepals stand right and left, i. e. are lateral with refer- 

 ence to the stem ; or are anterior and posterior. These 

 sepals, though apparently lower, are fixed a little higher on 

 the receptacle than the other two. Now notice the next 

 four inner leaves, the petals. These, like the sepals, are 

 free from one another and form the corolla, which is 

 therefore polypetalous. The petals alternate with the 

 sepals and are said to be placed diagonally in the flower. 

 Each petal (Fig. 3, 2) consists of a long stalk, the claw (cl), 

 which reaches to the top of the narrow tube formed by the 

 sepals, then spreads out at right angles as a broad, white or 

 highly coloured, thin blade, known as the limb (/). Further 

 inwards, and higher on the receptacle, are the stamens (s), 

 six stalked bodies together forming the androecium 

 (Gr. aner, a ndros = man, oikos = house). Each stamen 

 consists of a stalk or filament (/) bearing a two-lobed 

 yellowish body termed the anther (a), and each lobe con- 

 tains two parallel chambers called pollen-sacs filled with 

 minute bodies known as pollen-grains. The stamens are 

 not all alike : two are short and lateral in position, fixed 

 a little lower on the receptacle than the remaining four 

 longer ones, which are in two pairs, anterior and posterior. 

 Examine the base of each short stamen and you will find 

 on the inner side two swellings, known as nectaries (), 

 which secrete honey. The bulged sepals provide accom- 

 modation for these. When sepals, petals, or stamens are 

 free from and arise below the pistil they are said to be 

 hypogynous (Gr. hypo = under, gyne female). 



When the stamens are removed we find in the centre 

 of the flower an elongated green body, the pistil or 

 gynoecium (g). All the other parts sepals, petals, and 

 stamens stand below, i. e. are inferior to this. In other 

 words, the pistil stands highest on the receptacle and is 



