PHANEROGAMIA: FLOWERS. 339 



they are not coherent, usually oval or lanceolate. They may be green, 

 as in the male flower of the Urticacece, or of various colours, as in 

 Thymelacece ; they may be firm and solid, and that especially when 

 green, as in Elaagnacea ; or of delicate texture, as in Aristolo- 

 chiacecB ; or they may be developed as delicate sapless scales 

 (paleci), or bristles and hair, as in the Typhacea and Cyperacece. The 

 perianth is almost universally regular, rarely (in some Ranunculacece 

 and Orchidacece) symmetrical; in these cases never (?) two-lipped, but 

 often with one lip, as in the Orchidacece. This is then not infre- 

 quently developed hollow (cucullatum in Aconitum, calcaratum in 

 Orchidaccce), and it is commonly the uppermost leaf of the perianth. 

 Its foliaceous portions may be free, as in Juncacece ; or coherent, as 

 in Funkia, Hemerocallis, &c. ; they may consist of one circle, as 

 in Urticacece, or of more, as in Liliacece. The parts are frequently 

 blended with the stamens : in the coherent perianth the tube 

 is sometimes straight, as in Narcissus ; sometimes curved, as in 

 Aristolochia. The mouth is mostly naked ; sometimes, but seldom, 

 as is the case in Narcissus, furnished with appendages which 

 form a corona, which, however, are rare in the perianth, and 

 in free foliar organs only (?) occur on the lip : the inner circle 

 often has a beard. 



According to the definition that has been given of the perianth (196.), 

 it cannot be questioned that in some families, as, for instance, the 

 Rosacece (in its widest sense) and in the Ranunculacece (fig. 197), 



we may sometimes have a peri- 



197 anth, and sometimes calyx and co- 



rolla. But when the matter is cor- 

 rectly considered, this is of no im- 

 portance, since the unity of the type 

 depends not upon the names we give 

 things, which are merely to express 

 our experiences, but upon the gene- 

 ral structure of the plants, which 

 ever is and must be subject to a 

 multitude of specific modifications 

 and changes. Floral envelopes are 

 only foliar organs, and the character 

 of any particular group of plants 

 seldom rests only upon their peculiar formation. The attentive ob- 

 server of nature easily traces the relation in certain vegetable groups, 

 but this relation is unaffected by the terms with which we may choose to 

 characterise the groups briefly ; and on account of our deficient know- 

 ledge of the vegetable world, it is most difficult always to apply the 

 correct expressions. The history of the development can alone help us 

 here, for the unity of the group always lies in certain forms of the process of 

 development ; and here we are scarcely on the threshold of our science. 



197 Aconitum napeUus. A, Flower: a to e, five perianthial leaves ; e, hood -shaped ; 

 /, g, A, three bracteoles. JB, Leaf of the accessory corolla. 



z 2 



