50 OBJECT LESSONS IN BOTANY 



or corolla tliej- are said to be perigynous (a Greek word, 

 meaning " around the jDistil"). Otherwise, when free^ thej 

 are said to be hypogynoiis, meaning " under the pistil." 



8i. 1^0 w study attentively these figures, or rather, the 

 flowers themselves. The figures are sections, i. 6., show the 

 flowers as if split. Fig. 132 (the Yiolet) shows tlie stamens 

 hypogynous and the organs all free. Fig. 133 (the Pear 

 shows the stamens perigynous, adhering to the calyx. Fig. 

 131 (the Saxifrage) shows the stamens perigynous and the 

 calyx lialf adherent. Do not fail to examine many flowers 

 until these troublesome terms become familiar, for these 

 distinctions are very important. 



LESSON XIV. 



FORMS OF PERIANTH. 



85. "While all flowers agree in certain general characteris- 

 tics, so that you are never at a loss to recognize any one of 

 them as a flower^ yet in form and fashion they appear in 

 infinite variety, each form endowed with its own peculiar 

 grace. It is impossible to describe or name every form, but 

 we will endeavor to reduce them to a few classes of forms. 



86. Notice first that all forms are either polypetalous or 

 gamopetalous, as already described (§ 75). Again, they are 

 either regular or irregulai'. Compare the flower of Flax 



83. When are tlie stamens said to be perigynous ? When hypogynous ? 



84. How are they in Saxifrage? in Pear? in the Rose? the Violet? 



86. What is the first division of the corolla forms ? What is the second 

 division ? When is a flower said to be regular ? irregular ? 



