44 THE FLOWER 



— the pollen-grains. When the anther is fully ripe, the pollen- 

 sacs open down their sides and allow the pollen to escape in 

 the form of fine yellow dust. 



The centre of the flower is occupied by many small green 

 carpels {gyn) situated laterally on the terminal portion of the 

 axis. Each carpel, at its summit, terminates in a minute 

 glistening tip — the stigma (si), which is connected by a 

 scarcely appreciable short stalk — the slyle (s) — with the 

 swollen basal portion — the ovafy {ov). The ovary is inserted 

 directly on the receptacle. The ovary forms a closed chamber 

 which contains a minute egg-shaped body — the ovule (o) — 

 attached to its floor. 



FLOWERS OF THE SCOTCH PINE (Figures 63-67). 



The flowers of the Scotch Pine are very different in appear- 

 ance and in structure. This plant has two kinds of flowers 

 (fig. 62) — those which possess stamens (m), and those which 

 bear carpels (c, cP). 



The stamen-bearing flowers are yellow cones clustered 

 together (fig. 62 m). Each cone (fig. 63) is a single flower jvith 

 a short stalk, and stands in the axil of a scale (sc). The 

 simple axis of the cone has a basal portion which bears simple 

 bract-scales (5). Above these, on the axis, are inserted lateral, 

 scales (fig. 63/(7, fig. 64), each of which has two pollen-sacs 

 attached to its lower face. These latter scales are stamens, 

 for they possess pollen-sacs. The flower thus consists of a 

 simple axis — the" receptacle — with spirally arranged lateral 

 stamens. At its base the receptacle is continuous with a 

 short portion of the axis — the flower-stalk — to which bracts 

 are attached. 



The carpel-bearing flowers (fig. 62 <:, cP) are also cones, and 

 present the appearance of . erect reddish buds. Each cone 

 (fig. 65) arises in the axil of a scale : its simple axis is con- 

 tinuous with a short stalk which bears a few bracts (sc). 

 Above these bracts the simple receptacle has scale-like 

 members of somewhat complicated form, each member con- 

 sisting of a small scale (cp), from the upper face of which a 

 larger scale (ps) protrudes : again attached to the upper sur- 

 face of each larger scale are two ovules (fig. 66 ov). These 

 peculiar double-scales are carpels, for they bear ovules. The 



