58 COROLLA 



Poppy (fig. 153 Sep). When the younger flowers are crowded 

 together and do not require protection on the part of the calyx, 

 the latter is frequently small or even absent, as in the Daisy- 

 family. As a rule the sepals are green, but in some flowers the 

 sepals are brightly coloured — e.g. Clematis and Anemone — and 

 are said to he. petaloid ; in this case they perform the functions 

 of petals in serving to attract the notice of insects. In the 

 Wallflower-family two of the sepals tend to be sac-like at their 

 bases, and serve as receptacles for honey. Sometimes the 

 calyx persists even when the fruit is formed; an interesting 

 example of this occurs in the Dandelion (fig. 1 29), the flower of 

 which possesses a circle of many fine silky hairs, forming the 

 pappus, in place of the calyx. The pappus aids in the dispersal 

 of the fruit by the agency of the wind. 



Epicalyx. — Outside the calyx of a flower there sometimes 

 ,ep^ stands a whorl, or whorl-like collection, of 

 members apparently forming an outer calyx, 

 which is known as the epicalyx. The epi- 

 calyx of the Mallow (fig. 163 be) is in reality 

 not a part of the flower, but is an involucre 

 of bracts. The epicalyx (fig. 82 ep) of the 

 Strawberry-flower consists of a whorl of five 

 Fig. 8z. — Calyx and Small green members, which alternate with 

 epicalyx of Strawberry, the five sepals and represent the stipules of 

 the latter : in this instance the epicalyx is truly a part of the 

 flower, as it is a portion of the calyx. 



COROLLA. 



The whole collection of petals of a single flower constitutes 

 the corolla. In its simplest condition the corolla i% polypetalous, 

 — that is, it consists of a number of separate petals, as in the 

 Buttercup, Wallflower, and Poppy. Each petal (fig. 83) is 

 typically bright-coloured, flattened and inserted by a relatively 

 narrow base ; often it is distinguishable into two parts, a lower 

 narrow portion {cl) — the claw — and an upper broad part {la) — 

 the blade. In many flowers, however, the petals composing a 

 single whorl are combined to form a shorter or longer tube, 

 and the corolla is said to be gamopetalous — e.g. Primrose, Dead 

 Nettle,, and Potato (fig. 84 co). 



The petals form a single whorl {e.g. Buttercup, Primrose) or 



