THE FLOWER — ITS PARTS AND FORMS 



135 



flowering dogwood : here the real flowers are several, 

 small and greenish, forming a small cluster in the center. 



Essential Organs. — The essential organs are of two 

 series. The outer series is composed of the stamens. The 

 inner series is composed of the pistils. 



Stamens bear the pollen, which is made up of grains or 

 spores, each spore usually being a single plant cell. The 

 stamen is of two parts, as is readily seen in Figs. 173, 

 174, — the enlarged terminal part or anther, and the stalk 

 or filament. The filament is often so short as to seem to 

 be absent, and the anther is then said to be sessile. The 

 anther bears the pollen spores. It is made up of two or 

 four parts (known as sporangia or spore-cases), which 

 burst and discharge the 

 pollen. When the pollen is 

 shed, the stamen dies. 



The pistil has three 

 parts : the lowest, or seed- 

 bearing part, which is the 

 ovary; the stigma at the 

 upper extremity, which is 

 a flattened or expanded 

 surface, and usually rough- 

 ened or sticky; the stalk- 

 like part or style, connect- 

 ing the ovary and stigma. 

 Sometimes the style is apparently wanting, and the stigma 

 is said to be sessile on the ovary. These parts are shown 

 in the fuchsia (Fig. 174). The ovary or seed vessel is at a. 

 A long style, bearing a large stigma, projects from the 

 flower. See also Figs. 175 and 176. 



Stamens and pistils probably are homologous with leaves. 

 A pistil is sometimes conceived to represent anciently a 



Fig. 175. — The Structure of a 

 Plum Blossom. 



Jtf, sepals; /, petals; j/a, stamens: tf, ovary; 

 .r, style; .r^, stigma. The pistil consists of 

 the ovary, style, and stigma. It contains 

 the seed part. The stamens are tipped with 

 anthers, in which the pollen is borne. The 

 ovary, o^ ripens into the fruit. 



