FLOWERS : THEIR FORMS AND KINDS. 



Half of a Cherry-blossom. 



217. Flowers with one set of Organs united with anotlier. The natural way is, for 



all the parts to stand on the receptacle or end of the flower-stalk, — the stem-part 



of the blossom (191). Then the parts are 



said to be free, or to be inserted on the 



receptacle. So it is in the Buttercup, Lily, 



Trillium ( Fig. 1 62 ), Flax, &c. But in many 



flowers one set of organs grows fast to an- 

 other set, or, as we say, is inserted on it. 



For instance, we may have the Petals and 



Stamens inserted on the Calyx, as in the 



Cherry and all the Rose family. Fig. 193 



is a flower of a Cherry, cut through the 



middle lengthwise, to show the petals and stamens growing on the tube or cup 



of the calyx. The meaning of it is that all 

 these parts have grown together from their 

 earliest formation. Next we may have the 



Calyx cohering or grown fast to the Ovary, 

 or at least its cup or lower part grown 

 to the ovary, and forming a part of the 

 thickness of its walls, as in the Currant and 

 Gooseberry, the Apple and Hawthorn. Fig. 

 194 is a flower of Hawthorn cut through 

 lengthwise to show this. In such cases 



all other parts of the blossom appear to grow on the ovary. So the ovary is said 



to be inferior, or, which is the same thing, 



the calyx (i. e. its lobes or border) and the 



rest of the blossom, superior. Or else we 



say " calyx coherent with the ovaryl' which 



is best, because it explains the thing. 



Stamens inserted on the CoroUa. The 



stamens and the corolla generally go to- 

 gether. And when the corolla is of one 



piece (i. e. monopetalous, 213), the stamens 



almost always adhere to it within, more or 



less ; that is, are borne or " inserted on the 



Hair of a Hnwthorn.bloBSom. 



IK. Morning-aloi/, 



