CHAPTER XII. 



THE PISTIL. 



Gyncecium Carpels of Conifers and of higher flowering plants 

 Monocarpellary ovary of Leguminosae, &c. Sutures and 

 Placentae Style and Stigma Sessile stigma Polycarpellary 

 pistil of Buttercup, Clematis, &c. Placentation Open and 

 closed carpels Naked and boxed-in Ovules Gymnosperms and 

 Angiosperms Apocarpous and Syncarpous pistil Bicarpellary 

 ovary of Willows, Poplars, &c. Parietal and axile placenta 

 Hypogynous, Perigynous and Epigynous flowers Superior and 

 inferior ovary Number of carpels Abortion of stigmas, 

 &c. Entomophilous and Anemophilous flowers Examples of 

 Hypogyny, &c. Of Apocarpy, &c. 



THE pistil, the terminal or central part of the flower, is 

 composed of one or more carpels, and is sometimes termed 

 the Gyncecium. We shall see that in the Conifers the 

 carpellary-scales, bearing the ovules the young and as 

 yet imperfect seeds on their face, are of the nature of 

 leaves, and like ordinary leaves are flat, open structures. 

 In the higher flowering plants, however, each carpellary 

 leaf-incept, as it developes, becomes so folded that it 

 either grows together at its edges, or joins by each edge 

 to the edge of another carpellary leaf, so that some sort 

 of hollow box is formed, to the sides or base of which 

 the ovules are attached. 



This is well illustrated by any Leguminous plant such 

 as the Gorse, Whin, Broom, Laburnum, Robinia, &c., or 



