82 



THE FLOWER 



the edge of a more or less hollow receptacle, surrounding the 

 free gynsecium, are perigynous and the gynsecium is said to 

 be superior as in hypogynous flowers. The flowers of plum, 

 cherry, strawberry, are examples : in the strawberry, the part of 

 the receptacle which bears the gynsecium is a solid lump, but 

 round the latter the rest of the receptacle forms a flattish rim 

 on which the petals and stamens are borne (Fig. 125). 



In some flowers the receptacle appears to be hollowed out as in 

 the plum, but the carpels instead of being free from it are closely 

 invested by its walls and completely adherent to the latter, so 

 that the receptacle and gynascium appears to be one structure : 

 the ovaries of the carpels are imbedded in the receptacle, and 



Fig. 35. — Diagrammatic vertical .section through — I. a hypogynous flower ; 1 1, a 

 perigynous flower ; and III. through an epigynous flower, r Receptacle ; j sepal 

 of calyx ; p petal of corolla ; ct stamen of androecium ; o the gynsecium. 



only their stigmas and upper parts are free and exposed. In 

 such flowers the sepals, petals and stamens, seem as if they were 

 produced on the upper part of the gynsecium, or its ovary, 

 although in reality they spring from the receptacle which encloses 

 and is completely united with the latter. Flowers of this type are 

 described as epigynous, and the gynsecium is inferior {■},, Fig. 35). 

 Examples are seen in the apple, pear, gooseberry and carrot. 

 The exact limits of the receptacle and the gynsecium cannot be 

 seen or understood in fully developed flowers, and in many cases 

 uncertainty exists in regard to them. The above description and 



