270 



FLOWERS 



with sex reproduction, it is not, strictly speaking, a sex 

 organ itself. This matter is more fully explained in 

 Chapter X. 



61. General Structure. You have already learned 

 (page 59) the names of what may be called the " principal 

 parts " of flowers. You have learned that some of these 

 parts are directly concerned with seed making and that 

 others are not. Stamens and pistils are directly concerned 

 with seed making, while sepals and petals are more directly 

 concerned with protection or with the attraction of insects. 



A. Essential and Accessory Parts. Upon the basis 

 just indicated, all flower parts are classified either as essen- 

 tial (to seed making) or as accessory (to seed making). 

 Some flowers are composed of essential parts only. 



The familiar wild flowers are composed of both essential 



and accessory 

 parts. The 

 outer, conspicu- 

 ous parts are the 

 accessory ones ; 

 the inner, incon- 

 spicuous parts 

 are the essential 

 ones. Many cul- 

 tivated flowers, 

 such as roses, 

 carnations, and 

 chrysanthemums, do not have well-developed essential 

 parts; the outer parts have been cultivated at the ex- 

 pense of the inner ones, and these showy flowers have lost 

 the power of producing seed. 



FIG. 95 A . Wild geranium (Geranium maculatutn) . 

 The open flower shows plainly both essential and ac- 

 cessory parts. This is one of the common and hand- 

 some spring flowers. 



