HARPER'S GUIDE TO WILD FLOWERS 



The floral envelope surrounds these essential organs, con- 

 sisting of corolla and calyx. The separate divisions of a 

 corolla are petals, and of the calyx are sepals. The petals 

 make the color and beauty of most flowers, while the sepals 

 are generally green. All these organs are collected upon 

 a receptacle. 



The stalk which supports a flower is called a peduncle. 

 The stalk which carries one of a cluster of flowers is a pedicel. 

 A pedicel is a secondary peduncle. When the flower stalk 

 springs directly from the root and bears no leaves, we speak 

 of it as a scape. 



The way in which flowers are arranged upon the stem, 

 whether singly, in clusters, elongated spikes, close heads, 

 etc., is spoken of as inflorescence. A clustered inflorescence 

 is of advantage to flowers which depend upon insects for 

 pollination, as they thus appear larger, show more color, 

 and can be seen from a greater distance than if single. These 

 clusters are called spikes or racemes if elongated, corymbs if 

 flattened, heads if rounded like the clover blossom, umbels if 

 like the wild carrot. 



Two other forms of inflorescence should be mentioned, the 

 spadix and catkin. The spadix is an elongated, fleshy axis upon 

 which small flowers are borne, and it is often covered by a 

 spathe, a green or colored leaf hanging over the spadix. The 

 Jack-in-the-pulpit and Calla lily are examples of this kind 

 of inflorescence. Often the stamens and pistils grow in 

 different parts of the spadix, above or below. 



A catkin, like that of the willow or birch, is a spike of 

 flowers in which each is accompanied by a little, dry sort 

 of scale. In many trees and shrubs, staminate and pistillate 

 flowers occur in different catkins which look quite unlike 

 one another. 



An involucre is one or more circles of bracts, often colored 

 and looking like petals, surrounding a head of flowers. The 

 white, showy leaves of the flowering dogwood blossom are 

 the involucre belonging to the small, dull flowers within. 



Leaves 



In describing leaves, we say they are simple, when un- 

 divided, like the leaf of a chestnut, or compound when di- 

 vided into separate leaflets. The leaf of clover is compound, 



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