152 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
BOTANY FOB BEGINNERS. 
Lesson YI. 
In our last lesson we had, in the Pansy, an example of an irregular flower ; 
in this we have an instance of one more irregular still, in the Snapdragon 
(Antirrhinum majus, jig. 1). Here you meet with the calyx or exterior envelope 
of five unequal divisions, quite dis¬ 
tinct except at the base, where they 
are united, and attached firmly to the 
support of the flower. Within this 
envelope is an organ of a beautiful 
purple, rose, or white colour, shaded 
with yellow. Its form resembles the 
shut mouth of an animal, and when 
you press its sides slightly between 
your finger and thumb, it well repre¬ 
sents a gaping mouth, with two un- 
mistakeable lips. The upper lip is 
straight, divided in two broad straps ; 
the lower is divided into three, turned 
under. On this lower lip rises a sort 
of tongue, rough with white and yel¬ 
low hairs. These straps represent 
the five divisions of the corolla, which 
are only free above, and united to¬ 
gether in the remainder of their 
length, forming a sort of tube. Ob¬ 
serve that this tube is swollen at the 
base into a rounded boss, the same 
as in the Pansy is prolonged into a 
horn or spur. The tube takes its 
rise on the support, as in all the 
flowers we have as yet examined, 
with the exception of the Melon, to 
which we shall refer in a future 
lesson. 
On making the corolla gape, you 
can see the stamens and the summit 
Fig. 1.—The Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus). fbe pistil. There are four sta¬ 
mens unequal in length, arranged in 
pairs; the longer pair arching over the pistil; the smaller is situated between 
the larger, and leans against the sides of the summit of the pistil. Observe 
the anthers, each of which is plainly divided in two halves, each forming a 
pouch, which is united by its back to the filament of the stamen, and the two 
openings by which the pollen is discharged face the centre of the flower. 
You can see that the two stamens of the same pair are slightly fixed together 
by their anthers, and are easily separated. 
Split open the corolla ( fig. 2), and you will then see the stamens, which 
are free throughout the wdiole of their length, and not united to the tube of 
the corolla except at their base, which is enlarged, and becomes merged in the 
thickness of the tube. 
We will now direct attention to the pistil {fig- 3). It will be seen 
that this consists of a large round body at the base, called the ovary , sur¬ 
mounted by a long neck or style , which slightly thickens towards the summit 
