74 
HOW PLANTS ARE PROPAGATED. 
Fig. 189, pistil of Common St. John’s-wort, plainly composed of three simple ones, 
with their ovaries completely united, while their slender styles are separate. 
Fig. 190, same of Shrubby St. 
John’s-wort, like the last, but with 
the three styles also grown together 
into one, the little stigmas only sepa¬ 
rate ; but as it gets older this style 
generally splits down into three, and 
when the pod is ripe it also splits 
' into three, plainly showing that this 
compound pistil consists of three 
united into one. On turning now 
to Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 to 12 on the 
same page, it will be seen that the 
pistil in Morning-Glory and in Lily 
Compound Pistils of two and three ceiis. is a compound one, made of three 
united even to their stigmas. This is ,shown externally, by the stigma being some¬ 
what three-lobed in both. And it becomes perfectly evident on cutting the ovary 
in two, bringing to view the three cells (Fig. 12, as in Fig. 189, 190), each an¬ 
swering to one simple ovary. 
216. So compound ovaries generally have as many cells as there 
are simple pistils or pistil-leaves in their composition; and have the 
placentas (199) bearing the seeds all joined in the centre: that is, the 
placentas or compound placenta in the axis. But sometimes the 
partitions or divisions between the cells vanish, as in Pinks: then 
the compound pistil is only one-celled. And sometimes there never 
were any partitions; but the pistil was formed of two, 
three, or more open pistil-leaves grown together from 
the first by their edges, just as petals join to make a 
monopetalous corolla. Then the ovules or seeds, or 
the placentas that bear them, are parietal , that is, are 
borne on the parietes or wall of the ovary. Fig. 191 
is the lower part of a compound ovary, with three pa¬ 
rietal placentas or seed-bearing lines; and Fig. 192 is 
a diagram, to explain how such a pistil is supposed to be made of three leaves united 
by their edges, and these edges bearing the ovules or seeds. 
One-celled compound ovary, with placentas 
parietal. 
