86 



THE PLAN OF THE FLOWER. 



2TO 



271 



268, Pistillate flower of Balm-of-Gilead. 269, Staminate. 270, Diploclinium Evansiamim. 

 a, staminate ; &, pistillate. 



422. A NEUTRAL FLOWER is a perianth or calyx only, having neither stamens nor 

 pistils. Such are the ray-flowers of many of the Composites, and of the cymes of 

 Hydrangea, high cranberry, etc., which in cultivation may all become neutral, as in 

 the snow-ball. 



423. UNSYMMETRICAL FLOW- 

 ERS. The term symmetry, as used 

 in botany, refers to number only. 

 A flower becomes unsymmetrical 

 by the partial development of any 

 set or circle in respect to the num- 

 ber of its organs. The mustard 

 family affords a good example. 



424. FLOWERS OF THE CRUCI- 

 FERS. The flowers of mustard, 

 cress, etc., are understood to be 

 4-merous (V). The sepals are 

 four, petals four, but the stamens 

 are six and the styles but two. 

 The stamens are arranged in two 

 circles, having two of those in the 

 outer circle suppressed or reduced 

 to mere glands. Two of the car- 

 pels are also suppressed. (256.) 



425. IN THE MINT FAMILY and 

 the figworts one or three of the. 

 stamens is generally abortive. 

 Here, while the flowers are V, 

 the stamens are four in some spe- 

 cies and only two in others. The 

 missing stamens, however, often 

 appear in the guise of slender 

 processes the rudiments of sta- 

 mens proving in an interesting 



271, " Kadiant" panicle of Hydrangea quercifolium ; manner the natural tendency to 



the larger flowers neutral. symmetry. 



426. OTHER EXAMPLES. In the V flowers of poppy, the sepals are but two ; hi 

 V spring-beauty they are but two ; in both cases too few for symmetry. In lark- 



