202 PRACTICAL COURSE IN BOTANY 
serted under the pistil.” These terms should be remembered, 
as the distinction is an important one in plant evolution. 
219. Summary of observations. — In the flower just ex- 
amined, we found that there were four sets of floral organs 
present — sepals, petals, stamens, and pistil; that the indi- 
vidual organs in each set were alike in size and shape; that 
there were the same number, or multiples of the same 
number of parts in each set, and that all the parts of each set 
were entirely separate and disconnected, the one from the 
other, and from those of the other cycles. Such a flower is 
said to be: — 
Perfect, that is, provided with both kinds of organs essen- 
tial to the production of seed — stamens and pistil. 
Complete, having all the kinds of organs that a flower can 
have: viz. two sets of essential organs, and two sets of 
floral envelopes. 
Symmetrical, having the same number of organs, or mul- 
tiples of the same number, in each set. 
Regular, having all the parts of each set of the same size 
and shape, as in the wild rose and bellflower, or if different, 
arranged in regular order or pairs, so that there will be a 
correspondence between the two sides of the flower, as in the 
violet, sweet pea, sage, and larkspur. For convenience, the 
two kinds may be distinguished as complete and bilateral 
regularity, respectively. 
The opposites of these terms are: imperfect, incomplete, 
asymmetrical or unsymmetrical, and irregular. 
Note that regularity refers to form, symmetry to number 
of parts, and that a flower may be perfect without being 
complete. 
220. Dissection of a typical dicotyl flower. — (Poppy, 
flax, pink, tomato, linden, ete., can be substituted for the 
specimen used in the text.) Gently remove the sepals and 
petals from a wallflower, stock, mustard, or other cress 
flower, lay them on the table before you in exactly the order 
in which they grew on the stem, and sketch them. How 
