290 



that's it ; 



shall find that it consists of sepa- 

 rate, and generally well-defined 

 parts, identical throughout the 

 same species, and bearing more 

 or less resemblance in different 

 kinds. The first part, identified 

 with the flower, 1 , proceeding from 

 the stem, is the bract, 2, which is 

 of a greenish colour, and fre- 

 quently resembles a leaf. Bracts 

 are formed of small leaves, or 

 leaflets, generally placed near the 

 flowers, but sometimes at a dis- 

 tance, 2. They may sometimes 

 be mistaken 

 for leaves ; but 

 whatever in- 

 tervenes be- 

 tween the true 

 leaves below, 

 and the flowers 

 above, are pro- 

 perly bracts. 

 The calyx, 3, 

 is the covering 

 of the flower 

 which is next 

 to the bracts, and sometimes 

 enclosed by them. The bracts 

 being usually situated at a dis- 

 tance from the flower, the calyx 

 mostly constitutes the external 

 envelope, 4, enclosing the petals, 5, 

 which form 

 the corolla. 

 In texture the 

 calyx is gene- 3£ 

 rally leaf-like 

 and substan- 

 tial ; it is 

 commonly 

 permanent, 

 but in some 718. 

 instances falls away on the open- 

 ing of the flower, or immediately 

 afterwards. 



The corolla, 6, 7, formed of 

 the true flower- 

 leaves, may be 

 distinguished 

 from the calyx 

 by their gayer 

 colour. It is 

 that part to 

 which the term 

 "flower" is 

 usually applied ; 

 it almost inva- 

 riably falls off 

 7i9. upon the seeds 



or fruit approaching maturity. 

 Each division, or flower-leaf, of 

 the corolla constitutes a petal, and 

 flowers are either mono-petalous, 

 or one-petaled ; bi-petalous, or 

 two-petaled ; tri-petalous, or three- 

 petaled ; poly-petalous, or many- 

 petaled, according to the number 

 of their flower-leaves. The num- 

 ber of petals is very variable, 

 tolerably uniform in the same 

 species, under similar circum- 

 stances, but varies greatly accord- 

 ing to the degree of cultivation 

 the plant receives. 



The corona, 8, or crown -like 

 cup, which is found only in some 

 flowers, in the 

 instances where 

 it occurs, as in y 

 the narcissus, 

 forms a part of IjM 

 the corolla. 

 The shapes of 

 the corolla are 

 exceedingly 

 numerous, con- 

 stituting an 

 interesting 720. 

 branch of the study of flowers. 

 Th ere is the campanulate, or bell* 

 shaped corolla, 9 ; the regular 



