210 THE FLOWER. 



There are two remarkable palm-trees in Italy, which 

 have been celebrated by the Neapolitan poet, Pontanus: 

 the one, situated at Oiranto, has no stamens ; the other 

 at Brindisi, which is about 40 miles distant, has no pistils, 

 consequently neither of these trees bore seed ; but when, 

 after the growth of many years, they rose superior, not 

 Only to all the trees of the neighboring forests, but over- 

 topped all the buildings which intervened, the pollen of 

 the palm-tree at Brindisium was wafted by the wind to the 

 pistils of that at Otranto, and, to the astonishment of eve- 

 ry one, the latter bore fruit. 



Caroline. How extremely curious ! 



Mrs. B. Having now completed our examination of 

 the flower, it will be necessary to bestow some attention 

 on the stalk which supports it. This is called a peduncle^ 

 or pedunculus. It generally expands a little at the sum- 

 mit, and forms a common base by which the several parts 

 of the flower are connected together. This little expan- 

 sion is called torus, which signifies a bed. 



Emily. It is the bed on which the flower reposes ; but 

 it belongs to the stem, and, I believe, forms no part of 

 the flower ? 



Mrs. B. You are quite right : the flower consists of 

 the calyx, the corolla, the nectary, the pistil, and the sta- 

 mens. If you pluck off these several parts, the tours will 

 remain on the peduncle ; but we shall see hereafter, that, 

 though it forms no part of the flower, it sometimes enters 

 into the composition of the fruit. 



The peduncle is not always crowned by a flower : it 

 often branches out into a number of smaller flower-stalks 

 called pedicels, each of which supports a flower. 



When pedicles diverge regularly from the summit of 

 the peduncle, as rays from a centre, it is called an umbel, 

 from the resemblance which the pedicels bear to the 

 branches of an umbrella. A second umbel frequently 

 shoots from each pedicle of the first ; the umbel is then 

 said to be compound. 



Emily. I observe that the peduncle expands, so as to 

 form a base for the pedicels which grow from it, and this 



1149.- And of two remarkable palm trees in Italy 1 1150. What 

 is the pedunculus'? 1151. And what is called the torus! 1152. 

 Of what does the entire flower consist 1 ? 1153. What are the pedi- 

 cels 1 1154 What is called the umbell 



