ORGANS OF A FLOWER 199 



are larger and more brightly coloured than the sepals. 

 They constitute indeed, the glory and the beauty of 

 the flower. In C^ESALPINIA and in POINCIANA, four 

 are broadly obovate in shape with a narrow stalk, or 

 claw, while the fifth is smaller, and curled up into 

 a tube with a spreading top. 



Inside these and attached to the edge of the top of 

 the pedicel which is slightly hollowed in the centre, is 

 a ring of ten stamens. 



In C^SALPINIA and in POINCIANA, the stamens are 

 red and very long and stick out considerably beyond 

 the petals, while in some species of CASSIA, some are 

 long and curved and others much shorter and straight. 

 At the end of each is a small, or in CASSIA a very 

 large and long, oval-shaped body, the anther, in which 

 are two slits and in these are seen tiny golden yellow 

 grains. The anther is a sort of box, or rather a 

 pair of boxes side by side full of this yellow powder 

 termed pollen and in POINCIANA, CJESALPINIA and 

 most other plants, opens by slits, but sometimes by 

 holes at the ends as in CASSIA and Brinjal, to let 

 the pollen out. 



The stalk of the anther is termed the filament, and 

 may be very long as in C^ESALPINIA, or shorter than 

 the anthers, as in CASSIA. 



In the centre of the flower, is a green oblong body, 

 attached by a very short stalk to the bottom of the 

 hollow at the end of the pedicel, and extending upwards 

 in a long (in C^SALPINIA red) style. The end of the 

 style is a little flat fringed spot, termed the stigma. 



If we open the green oblong part, by running a 

 needle along one edge, we shall find that it is hollow, 



