COROLLA. 
8 $ 
sometimesofapaleyellow, sometimesa bright crimson, then richly 
variegated. Man does not create these varieties ; they are the re- 
sult of circumstances unperceived by him, and not under his 
control ; the florist watches these changes, and as far as possible, 
avails himself of them in the production of new beauties in the 
vegetable kingdom. 
The corolla, before blossoming, is folded in the calyx, as the 
leaves are within the scales of the leaf-bud, and the whole is 
then called the flower bud. In most cases the calyx and corol- 
la are so distinctly marked, that it is perfectly easy to distin- 
guish them ; the color usually constitutes a very striking mark 
of difference ; the calyx being ordinarily green, and the corolla 
of a more lively hue, but the color is not always a criterion. 
In some cases the calyx is beautifully colored. In the Fcschia, 
(Lady’s ear-drop,) the calyx is of a bright scarlet ; you would, 
no doubt, at first think it to be the corolla ; but if you remove 
the scarlet coat, you may see, wrapped around the eight stamens, 
a purple covering ; on taking off each piece carefully, you will 
find four petals,* as distinct as the petals of a rose ; you will 
then see that the outer covering must be the calyx. 
Linnaeus, made the following distinction between the corolla 
and the calyx, viz. that the corolla has its petals alternate with 
the stamens, and the calyx has its leaflets arranged opposite to 
them. This rule is not found to be invariable ; it has led some 
botanists to call that the corolla, which others have named the 
calyx. It seems as if nature had not placed any absolute limits 
between these two organs. 
The corolla sometimes falls off soon after the flowering, as in 
the poppy ; it is then said to be caducous ; sometimes it fades 
and wi titers upon the stalk, as in the blue bell; it is then said 
to be marescent or withering. 
Each simple part, of which the corolla is composed, is called 
a petal. A flower with petals is said to be petalous ; without 
petals, it is called apetalous. The petals are dejinite when their 
number is not more than twenty ; they are said to be indefinite 
when they exceed that number. 
If the corolla is formed of one single piece, or petal, it is 
monopetalovs ; if of more than one, it is polypetalous. You 
may sometimes find a difficulty in determining whether a corolla 
* Some Botanists call these nectaries, but this seems to be ma k i n g an un- 
necessary confusion in terms ; for they have as much the appearance of pe- 
tals, as those of a rose or pink. 
Its situation before expanding — how distinguished from the calyx ? — 
rule of Linna;us — duration — parts of the corolla — monopetalous — polype- 
talous corollas, how divided ? 
