PARTS OF A FLOWER. 139 



the two groups of flowering plants which 

 have been spoken of before. The flowers in 

 monocotyledons being usually arranged in 

 threes and in dicotyledons in fives. 



."). Other flowers will show other variations 

 in arrangement of parts. In the pumpkin the 

 large yellow portion obviously corresponds 

 to the petals of the hibiscus. But it is all in 

 one piece, and only the lobing at the top 

 reveals the fact that it really represents a 

 number of separate petals. In still other 

 plants, for instance the periwinkle, the petals 

 may join up so as to form a narrow tube below, 

 spreading out above, however, in five large 

 lobes. Notwithstanding these differences all 

 these flowers have the same general plan: 



(1.) Outer leafy bodies which may be all 

 alike as in the lily, or divided into two more 

 sets as in the hibiscus. When the latter is the 

 case we often find only the inner row, the 

 petals, coloured ; and the outer row, then called 

 *-/>(iltt, green. Petals and sepals may be sep- 

 arate, or joined up so as to form cup-like or 

 tube- like flowers. 



(2.) Stamens, each consisting of a stalk, 

 and a knob containing pollen. 



(3.) The pistil, consisting of a tower swollen 



