THE WELCOMES OF THE FLOWERS 



109 



oiler. 



corolla 



Fig. 2 



sure such comprehension it is well, perhaps, to 

 freshen our memory by reference to the accom- 

 panying diagram (Fig. 2) of an abstract flower, 

 the various parts being 

 indexed. 



The calyx usually en- 

 closes the bud, and may 

 be tubular, or composed 

 of separate leaves or se- 

 pals, as in a rose. The 

 corolla, or colored por- 

 tion, may consist of several petals, as in the rose, 

 or of a single one, as in the morning-glory. At 

 the centre is the pistil, one or more, which forms 

 the ultimate fruit. The pistil is divided into three 

 parts, ovary, style, and stigma. Surrounding the 

 pistil are the stamens, few or many, the anther at 

 the extremity containing the powdery pollen. 



Although these physiological features have been 

 familiar to observers for thousands of years, the 

 several functions involved were scarcely dreamed 

 of until within a comparatively recent period. 



In the writings of ancient Greeks and Romans 

 we find suggestive references to sexes in flowers, 

 but it was not until the close of the seventeenth 

 century that the existence of sex was generally 

 recognized. 



