CHAPTER VII. THE FLOWER 
I. DISSECTION OF TYPES WITH SUPERIOR OVARY 
Materia. — For monocotyls, any flower of the lily family, such as 
tulip, dogtooth violet (Erythronium), trillium, star-of-Bethlehem, yucca, 
bear’s grass, and the like. The large garden lilies make particularly good 
examples, but they are for the most part spring bloomers. For autumn, 
spiderwort (Tradescantia), arrow grass (Sagittaria), or late specimens of 
colchicum and tiger lily may be used. Any of these will meet the essential 
conditions of the analysis given in the text, but care should be taken not to 
select for this exercise lily-like flowers of the iris and amaryllis families, 
which have the ovary inferior. 
For examples of hypogynous dicotyls, flax, linden, pinks, corn cockle, 
wood sorrel, poppies, tomato blossoms, and other common flowers can 
usually be obtained without difficulty. In autumn, the geraniums so 
largely cultivated for ornament will meet all the conditions of the analysis. 
Specimens of the cress family — wallflower, cabbage, mustard, turnip — 
can generally be found everywhere and at all seasons, and they possess 
the advantage of having their flowers throughout the order put up on so 
nearly the same pattern that a description of one species will answer, even 
in details, for the rest. 
For sympetalous specimens of the hypogynous type, hyacinth, lily of 
the valley, bearberry, huckleberry, or other equivalent forms may be 
used. 
APPLIANCES. — A compound microscope may be needed for examining 
minute objects, such as pollen grains and ovules; but for all other pur- 
poses, a good hand lens, with the pupil’s ordinary laboratory equipment 
of drawing-materials, notebook, and dissecting needles, will be sufficient 
for the studies outlined in this and the four succeeding sections. 
211. The floral envelopes.—- Make a sketch of your 
specimen flower from the outside. Is it solitary, or one of a 
cluster? If the latter, refer to 160-162 and tell the nature 
of the cluster. Notice the color; is it conspicuous enough 
to attract attention or not? Can this have anything to do 
with its clustered or solitary position? Label the head of 
the peduncle that supports the flower, receptacle; the outer 
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