OUTLINES UV BOTANY. XXXI 



§ 12. The Receptacle and Relative Attachment of the Floral Whorh. 



135. The Receptacle or torus is the extremity of the peduncle (above the 

 calyx), upon which the corolla, stamens, and ovary are inserted. It is some- 

 times little more than a mere point or minute hemisphere, but it is often also 

 more or less elongated, thickened, or otherwise enlarged. It must not be con- 

 founded with the receptacle of inflorescence (74). 



136. A Disk, or disc, is a circular enlargement of the receptacle, usually in 

 the form of a cup (cupular), of a flat disk or quoit, or of a cushion (pulvinate) . 

 It is either immediately at the base of the ovary within the stamens, or between 

 the petals and stamens, or bears the petals or stamens or both on its margin, or 

 is quite at the extremity of the receptacle, with the ovaries arranged in a ring 

 round it or under it. 



137. The disk may be entire, or toothed or lobed, or divided into a number 

 of parts, usually equal to or twice that of the stamens or carpels. When the 

 parts of the disk are quite separate and short, they are often called glands. 



138. Nectaries, are either the disk, or small deformed petals, or abortive sta- 

 mens, or appendages at the base of petals or stamens, or any small bodies 

 within the flower which do not look like petals, stamens, or ovaries. They 

 were formerly supposed to supply bees with their honey, and the term is fre- 

 quently to be met with in the older Floras, but is now deservedly going out of 

 use. 



139. "When the disk bears the petals and stamens, it is frequently adherent to, 

 and apparently forms part of, the tube of the calyx, or it is adherent to and ap- 

 parently forms part of, the ovary, or of both calyx-tube and ovary. Hence the 

 tliree following important distinctions in the relative insertion of the floral 

 whorls. 



140. Petals, or as it is frequently expressed, flowers, are 



hypogynous (i.e. under the ovary), when they or the disk that bears them 

 are entirely free both from the calyx and ovary. The ovary is then described 

 as free or superior, the calyx as free or inferior, the petals as being inserted on 

 the receptacle. 



perigynous (i.e. round the ovary), when the disk bearing the petals is quite 

 free from the ovary, but is more or les3 combined with the base of the calyx- 

 tube. The ovary is then still described as free or superior, even though the 

 combined disk and calyx-tube may form a deep cup with the ovary lying in the 

 bottom ; the calyx is said to be free or inferior, and the petals are described 

 as inserted on the calyx. 



epigynous (i.e. upon the ovary), when the disk bearing the petals is com- 

 bined both with the base of the calyx-tube and the outside base of the ovary ; 

 either closing over the ovary so as only to leave a passage for the style, or leav- 

 ing more or less of the top of the ovary free, but always adhering to it above the 

 level of the insertion of the lowest ovule (except in a very few cases where the 

 ovules are absolutely suspended from the top of the cell). In epigynous 

 flowers the ovary is described as adherent or inferior, the calyx as adherent or 

 superior, the petals as inserted onov above the ovary. In some works, however, 

 most epigynous flowers are included in the perigynous ones, and a very dif- 

 ferent meaning is giveu to the term epigynous (144), and there are a few cases 

 w T here no positive distinction can be drawn between the epigynous and perigy- 

 nous flowers, or again between the perigynous and hypogynous flowers. 



141. When there are no petals, it is the insertion of the stamens that de- 

 termines the difference between the hypogynous, perigynous, and epigynous 

 flowers. 



142. When there are both petals and stamens, 



in hypogynous flowers, the petals and stamens are usually free from each 

 other, but sometimes they are combined at the base. In that case, if the petals 



