JANUARY. 
9 
5TI 
CL 
Fig. 3. 
-A 
-~P 
of the calyx; but in the expanded flowers they are flat, and arranged in the 
form of a cross. These are called petals, and together form the corolla. 
If you press them down with your needle, you can detach them as you did 
the four exterior leaves. You would then observe 
in the centre of the flower a small erect and some¬ 
what flattened column, slightly forked at its sum¬ 
mit {fig. 5). This is called the pistil. Bound 
this column rise six little erect bodies called stamens 
{fig. 3, st). There are two shorter than the others, 
and are placed opposite to each other, answering each 
to one of the two faces of the central column. The 
four others are close together—two and two—and 
each pair embraces one of the edges of the prominent 
borders of the central column. These stamens, as 
well as the column, are placed on the base or receptacle 
(r) of the flower, which receptacle, as you see, is 
slightly swollen at its extremity to form a surface, 
whereon the central column, the bodies which sur¬ 
round it, and the leaves which envelope it, can be 
placed. You can easily distinguish in each stamen 
the slender and lengthened thread ( fig . 4, f), which 
forms a large part of it; this is called the filament. 
Then there is a small enlarged body (a) covering the 
summit of the filament, and having a little of the form 
of an arrow head; that is called the anther. It is 
a sort of pouch, and contains a very fine yellow dust 
(p), which is called th q pollen, and which you can see 
by dividing the two seams on its sides. Observe also 
the swollen summit of the central column fig. 5, stig). 
You see it is soft, damp, and retaining often some 
grains of the dust from the little pouches. This is 
called the stigma. If with a knife you split this 
column lengthways, you will see that it is hollow, 
and that it contains little round bodies like eggs. 
This organ increases in size with time, and you will 
meet with it again very much developed in flowers 
that have faded. If you cut it crossways, and in the 
middle, you will see that it forms two cavities, be¬ 
tween which is placed a partition. This double cavity 
is separated from the swollen head (stig) by a short 
and contracted neck, which is called the style (sty). 
Now gather from the lower part of a flowering 
branch one of these columns that have acquired a good 
size, and look for the opening of one of its cavities 
by raising from below upwards one of its flat sides. 
There is on this flat side a suture or seam which will 
indicate the place where you ought to apply the blade 
of your knife. This suture will yield without resist¬ 
ance to the cutting of the instrument. On the plate 
being removed {fig. 6), you will find round and flat¬ 
tened eggs (ov) placed with their backs to the par¬ 
tition (par) which separates the two cavities, and 
suspended by small cords (cor). 
You have now examined all the organs constituting the flower. See now 
■ b 2 
Fig. 4. 
stig -—I 
STY 
STIG —- 
STY- 
PAR" 
OV- 
Fig. 5. 
