196 Blossom and Seed 



stamens together form the inner and more important 

 set of organs. 



The outer set consists of a double envelope of leaves; 

 the inner, or petals, more delicate in texture and more 

 varied in colour, forming the corolla ; and the outer, 

 or sepals, generally green, and forming the calyx. A 

 perfect flower has all these parts, and some have 

 double rows of each. Naturally our eye is attracted 

 chiefly by the brightly coloured part of a blossom, and 

 we think little about the inner organs, which are often 

 almost or quite hidden from our sight. But it is 

 these inner organs which are really the only absolutely 

 necessary parts of a blossom. 



Many flowers have no calyx at all ; some have no 

 petals ; but, provided they have stamens and pistil, they 

 can still accomplish all that is necessary for the perfect- 

 ing of their seed. Even pistil and stamens, however, 

 may be, and often are, reduced in size and deprived of 

 their stalks ; but dust-cells there must be, and ovules, 

 or grains to be developed into seeds, there must be if 

 the plant is to bear seed at all. 



Now all these organs, the inner set as well as the 

 outer set, are really leaves — leaves whose appearance 

 and duties in life have been altered. The calyx still 

 looks more or less leaf-like usually, and it is not 

 difficult to believe that the petals might be leaves too, 

 though more delicate and more daintily coloured. But 

 it is less easy to believe the same of stamens and 

 pistil. Let us, however, look for them in any double 

 blossom, and we shall find few if any, for they have 

 been changed into petals. It is blossoms with many 

 stamens, such as the rose, ranunculus, anemone ; or 

 blossoms with many florets, such as the daisy and 



