21. THE FLOWER AND ITS PARTS. 



Illustrative material: As many flowers, of some kind that 

 show well the calyx, corolla, stamens and pistils, as there are 

 pupils in the class; a good pocket lens. The larger the flowers 

 are that show these parts the better. 



Necessity of Flowers. Many flowers are among the 

 most beautiful and delicate of natural objects. While 

 flowers delight us by their beauty and fragrance, they 

 serve a very important use both to man and to the plant 

 that bears them. Without flowers, plants could not bear 

 the fruits we prize so much for food, and the seeds. 

 Without seeds, most kinds of plants would soon disap- 

 pear, for they could form no more little plants to take 

 the place of those that die. 



Parts of the Flower Flowers are prettiest when left 

 whole, but in this lesson we are to learn the names and 

 uses of the different parts of the flower, so we shall need 

 to pull the flowers to pieces somewhat. A flower, when 

 complete, has four principal parts, each of which has 

 a name and use. These principal parts are composed of 

 smaller parts, each of which also has its name. 



The Calyx and the Sepal. Figure 49 shows a cherry 

 blossom, cut through lengthwise. At the base, we find 

 a green part, marked C in the figure, called the calyx. In 

 some flowers, as those of the flax, the calyx is composed 

 of several more or less leaflike parts, each of which is 

 called a sepal. In the cherry flower, the sepals are 



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