THE ANDRCECIUM. 



145 



becomes united with it so as to constitute but one body. 

 In this last case the stamens are gynandrous ( ywvj a female, 

 and dv7p a male), and the central body or column is called the 

 gynostemium (ywri pistil, and a^/uw a stamen), as in Aristolo- 

 chia, (Fig. 50.) 



Fig. 50. 



Fig. 49. 



Fig. 51. 



Fig. 51. Gynandrous stamens of Aristolochia rotunda, a. The ovary. 6. The 

 gymnostemium. c. The six stamens d. The six lobes of the stigma. 



Let us now examine briefly the parts of which the stamen is 

 composed, having viewed them collectively. We have seen 

 that a fully developed stamen is composed of a petiole termed 

 a filament : a limb or blade named an anther, the pulverulent 

 parenchyma contained in the anther being called pollen. 



The filament or petiole of the stamen supports the anther or 

 metamorphosed lamina of the leaf, and commonly justifies its 

 name from its form, that is to say, it is generally filiform and 

 slender. Sometimes, however, it is dilated and petaloid, as in 

 Ornithogalum umbellatum, the Star of Bethlehem, a white 

 flower with a bulbous root, quite common in meadows and 



pastures about the middle of Spring. 



13* 



