BOTANY. 
&ers upon their filaments is either perpen- 
dicular or incumbent. Some of the latter 
kind are versatile, being suspended by a fine 
thread which admits of their being turned 
round a great number of times without com- 
ing off. This may be seen to great advan- 
tage in the passion-flower, as likewise in the 
different species of lily. The cells of the 
anther are destined to contain the pollen, or 
dust. This appears to the naked eye like a 
fine powder; but when examined under 
the microscope it is often found to have a 
very peculiar structure in different plants. 
It is discharged chiefly in dry sunny weather, 
when either the coals of the anther by 
bursting scatter it abroad, which is often 
assisted by some elasticity of the filaments 
or other parts of the flower ; or else it ad- 
heres to the rough bodies of insects, as they 
frequent the flowers in search of honey. 
Each grain of the pollen remains entire so 
long as it continues dry, being a membra- 
nous bag, so constructed as to burst when it 
meets with moisture, discharging a fine elas- 
tic vapour, and this last is the effective part of 
the pollen. This is the general appearance of 
the substance we are describing; but in the 
orchis family, the mirabilis, the asclepias, 
and some of its allies, the pollen is remark- 
ably different, consisting of glutinous, naked 
masses, sheathed indeed, or concealed by 
the peculiar structure of the flowers; but 
scarcely, except in the mirabilis, lodged in a 
proper anther. The stamens are subject to 
be obliterated when the plant increases 
much by root; they are metamorphosed in- 
to petals in what are called double-flowers, 
as the anemone and ranunculus, so much 
admired by curious florists. 
4. Pistilla, the pistils, fig. 39, are also an 
essential part of a flower, standing within the 
circle formed by the stamens in the very 
centre <ff it ; at least, they are usually in 
the same flower with the stamens. Some- 
times they are placed in a different indivi- 
dual of the same species. Such are termed 
separated flowers. That furnished with 
stamens being called the male or barren 
blossom ; that with pistils the female or fer- 
tile one. Such as have both organs in the 
same individual have received the appella- 
tion of united or perfect flowers, and here 
it may not be amiss to mention that a 
flower furnished with both calyx and co- 
rolla is, in Linnaran language, said to be 
complete ; when the corolla is wanting, in- 
complete ; and when the corolla is present 
without the calyx, naked. When barren 
and fertile flowers are borne by the same in- 
dividual plant, such are named monoecious, 
as residing in the same house. If on the 
other hand they grow from two separate 
roots they are dioecious. Some plants be- 
sides these different kinds of flowers, bear 
others in which the organs are associated. 
To these the term polygamous has been ap- 
plied. Each pistil consists of three parts, 
the germen, or rudiments of the future fruit 
or seed, which is of course essential ; the 
styie, which is not universal ; and the stigma 
which is necessarily so, being the part des- 
tined to receive the pollen, and being fur- 
nished with its own appropriate moisture to 
make that substance explode. By this 
means the seeds within the germen are ren- 
dered fertile. In some plants the stigma 
lias been observed to be irritable, and in 
others to gape for the reception of the pol- 
len. In general it remains vigorous no 
longer than till the pollen has had access to 
it. It is necessary for botanical purposes to 
observe whether the germen be superior, 
that is, above the calyx and coi'olla ; or in- 
ferior, below their insertion. Pistils as well 
as stamens are occasionally obliterated or 
changed to petals. 
5. Pericarpium, the seed-vessel, for which 
some recent cryptogamic botanists have 
contrived a new term, sporangium, precisely 
of the same meaning, and altogether super- 
fluous. The seed-vessel is formed of the 
germen enlarged, and is not an essential 
part ; for many plants have naked seeds, 
guarded only by the permanent parts of the 
flower. The wisdom of nature is very con- 
spicuous in the contrivance of seed-vessels 
in general ; some, which remain closed 
while they are moist, split open with elastic 
force when ripe and dry; others serve for 
the food of animals, by whose means their 
seeds are transported to a distance ; others 
make their way into the ground, by some 
peculiar apparatus, near the spot where 
they are produced ; while others are wafted 
by the winds or transported by the waters 
to far distant situations. The following are 
the different kinds of seed-vessels; — 1. 
Capsuht, a capsule, fig. 40, is dry and 
woody, coriaceous or membranous, of one 
or more cells, opening and discharging its 
contents by valves or by pores. 2. Sili- 
qua, a pod, fig. 41, is a long dry, solitary, 
seed-vessel, of two valves, and divided into 
two cells by a linear partition, along each 
of whose edges the seeds are ranged; of 
this the wall-flower and stock are exam- 
ples. Silicula, a pouch, is a small round 
pod. 3. Legumen, a legume, fig. 42, is the 
