22 THB SECOND BOOK OF BOTANY. 



EXERCISE V. 

 Perfect, Imperfect, and Neutral Flowers. 



Pictures, illustrating this and the following exer- 

 cise, may be found upon the charts. Living speci- 

 mens of the kinds described will, perhaps, but rarely 

 occur in the collections made for study. It would be 

 well, therefore, to keep a constant lookout for them. 

 You are likely to get them in this way before a long 

 time, and a special search might not be successful. 



FIG. 12. FIG. 13. FIG. 14. 



A Perfect Flower. Imperfect Flowers. 



A PERFECT FLOWER has both the essential organs 

 (Fig. 12). 



An IMPERFECT, or DICLINOUS, flower has but one 

 of the essential organs. If it have stamens only, it is 

 said to be staminate (Fig. 13) ; if pistil only, it is said 

 to be pistillate (Fig. 14). 



NEUTRAL FLOWERS are destitute of both stamens 

 and pistil (Fig. 15). 



When imperfect flowers are staminate (Fig. 13), 

 they are said to be sterile, because they never produce 

 seed. Sometimes they are spoken of as male flowers. 



