CHAPTER XIX 



THE COROLLA 



1. The Corolla is in nearly all flowers the most 

 conspicuously coloured and beautiful part (in a few 

 it is the calyx that is coloured, and again several 

 plants have no corolla or only a small dull green 

 or yellowish one). It may consist of 3, 4, 5, or 

 6, separate petals, as in BERBERIS the Barberry, 

 .and ANONA SQUMOSA the Custard-apple, in CLEOME 

 (fig. 8) and MATHIOLA the Stock, in the Rose, the 

 Guava and the Mango or in ANONA RETICULATA the 

 Bullock's heart. There may be a short or long 

 tubular part below with 3 to 6 lobes (or petals) at 

 the free end, as in PHLOX, SOLANUM the Brinjal and 

 Potato plants, SESAMUM the Gingelly plant, ANTIR- 

 RHINUM the Snapdragon, etc. The lobes (petals) may 

 be very long as in STROPHANTHUS, or very short, or 

 even quite absent as in CONVOLVULUS and IPOM^EA 

 where the corolla is all one entire bell or funnel 

 shaped organ. 



In the first case it is termed polypetalous (literally 

 meaning many petalled), in the second monopetalous 

 (meaning one petalled), or sympetalous (meaning that it 



