FLOWERS 



129 



To understand how this comes about it will be 

 necessary to study the parts of the flower and find 

 out their individual uses or functions. 



PARTS OF A FLOWER 



If we take for our study any of the following 

 flowers : cherry, apple, buttercup, wild mustard, and 

 start from the outside, we will find an outer and 

 under part which in most flowers is green. This 

 is called the calyx (Figs. 70-74). In the buttercup 

 and mustard the calyx is divided into separate parts 

 called sepals. In the cherry, peach and apple, the 

 calyx is a cup or tube with the upper edge divided 

 into lobes. 



Above the calyx is a broad spreading corolla 

 which is white or brightly colored and is divided 

 into several distinct parts called petals. The petals 

 of one kind of flower are generally different in 

 shape, size and color from those of other flowers. 

 In some flowers the petals are united into a corolla 

 of one piece which may be funnel-shaped, as in the 

 morning glory or petunia of the garden, or tubular 

 as in the honeysuckle, wheel-shaped as in the tomato 

 and potato, or of various other forms. 



Within the corolla are found several bodies hav- 

 ing long, slender stems with yellow knobs on their 

 tips. These are called stamens. The slender stems 

 are called stalks or filaments and the knobs anthers. 

 The anthers of some of the stamens will very likely 

 be found covered with a fine, yellow powder called 



