14 



FLOWERS 



while the other having pistils only is called a pistillate flower. Such 

 flowers are said to be unisexual. Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Corn, 

 Hemp, Willows, and Poplars are some of the familiar plants 

 which have unisexual flowers. In Figure 6 are shown the uni- 

 sexual flowers of the Pumpkin. In some cases, as in Corn, 

 Cucumbers, and Pumpkins, both staminate and pistillate flowers 



are borne on the same plant. 

 Such plants are said to be monw- 

 cious (meaning " of one house- 

 hold "). In other cases, as in 

 Hemp, Willows, and Poplars, 

 the staminate and pistillate 

 flowers are borne on different in- 

 dividuals, that is, one plant has 

 Fig. 9.— Section through the flower only staminate while another has 

 of Cotton, s, stamens joined into a only pistillate flowers. Such 



tube which surrounds the pistil; p, 

 pistil composed of carpels more united 

 than those of the Apple. Smaller 

 than natural size. After Baillon. 



plants are said to be dicecious 

 (meaning " of two households ")• 

 Pistils and Stamens. — As 

 everyone knows, the pistils are 

 the organs in which fertilization occurs and seed is produced, while 

 the stamens furnish the pollen, which is essential for fertilization. 

 Flowers usually have more stamens than pistils, but the number 



Fig. 10. — A flower of a Legume with petals removed to show the dia- 

 delphous stamens, a, free stamen; b, tube formed by the joining of the 

 other stamens. 



of each varies much in the flowers of different plants. Some 

 flowers, as those of the Strawberry, have numerous stamens and 

 pistils, while in some flowers, as in the Peach or Plum, there is 

 only one pistil, but many stamens. {Fig. 7.) The Apple flower, 

 which has many stamens, really has five pistils, but the lower 

 parts of the pistils are joined, leaving only the upper parts free. 



