126 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Similarly in the great family of Composites, in which the flowers, or 

 florets as they are called, are densely crowded together, the " superior " 

 calyx is either reduced to a circle of hairs, called the "pappus " (fig. 57, a), 

 which ultimately becomes elevated by a growth of the receptacular tube 

 and forms the parachute to the fruit of the dandelion, h ; or else, as in 

 Daisies (fig. 58), there is no calyx at all. In the " ray " or circumferential 



a b 



Fig. 56. — Vertical section of flower of Fig. 57. — a, Floret of Dandelion ; b, 



Woodruff, showing 2-celled inferior fruit, 

 ovp.ry, no calyx, and corolla with 

 adherent stamens. 



florets the strap- shaped corolla b has only tJiree instead of five petals, as 

 in the "disk " florets a. The five stamens seen in a have totally vanished 

 from b, only the pistil with its inferior ovary, style and two stigmas 

 being retained. 



In some flowers the process is reversed, the calyx remaining while all 

 the rest of the flower is suppressed. This occurs in the outermost flowers 

 of a corymb of Hydrangea. The flowers themselves can set no seed, but 

 the calyx being white or coloured attracts insects to come to the incon- 

 spicuous flowers which form the great mass of the cluster. 



In the Guelder-rose the outermost flowers of the truss are differently 

 constructed ; for now the calyx, stamens and pistil are suppressed, the 



a b 



Fig. 68.— a, Disk floret of Daisy, with Fig. 59. — Male flower of Stinging 



corolla laid open to show adherent Nettle, 

 stamens with coherent anthers ; 6, 

 ray floret. 



corolla alone remaining. This also occurs with the large trumpet-shaped 

 florets on the circumference of a head of the Cornflower. The corolla is 

 enlarged at- the expense of all the other organs. 



If. the calyx be retained, but the corolla suppressed, we get a common 

 condition of members of the Incompletes. When this is the case the 

 suppression of the corolla is indicated by the stamens being situated in front 



