38 



DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



to a cluster of sessile flowers, thus partaking of the 

 character of involucre. 



Spathe is a kind of involucre, opening on one side in 

 the form of a sheath, generally erect, sometimes like a 

 hood, the flowers being borne on a spike, raceme, or 

 more compound inflorescence, which is called spadix, of 

 which the Arum and Palm families are examples (fig. 1, a). 

 It is sometimes thin, leafy, and membranous, as in the 

 leek, dafi'odil, and many Arums ; but in some of the latter, 

 Strelitzia, and Palms, it is often thick, firm, and hard. 

 In some it is highly coloured, and in the common 

 trumpet-lily it is nearly pure white, in others it is wide 

 and spreading, and of a brown or even black colour, and 

 many of them very foetid, while Caladium odoratmn is 

 the contrary. 



The true spathe is found only in the class of plants 

 with parallel veined leaves, some net-veined plants have 

 their flowers in sheathing bracts, similar to a spathe, as 

 in the rhubarb. 



I now proceed to speak of the forms and parts of 

 flowers individually. 



The study of Morphology, that is, the transformation 

 or change which the organs of a plant undergo, shows 

 that flowers are merely transformed leaves. But much 

 investigation is required before it can be shown that the 

 curious and splendid flowers of Orchids, Victoria lily; or 

 the insignificant ones of Palms, Rushes, and Grasses, are 

 formed of metamorphosed leaves, and although there is 

 much evidence in support of this theory, it is only neces- 

 sary for our purpose to notice that such views exist. 

 When a plant flowers, it has put on its bridal dress, the 

 costume of which is as varied as the fashions of the dif- 

 ferent nations of the earth, being either plain or bril- 



