200 
THE LIFE OF FLOWERING PLANTS 
furrows in the petals leading to the nectar glands. This 
helps the insect to find the nectar. (8) The stamens bear 
the pollen on their outer 
surfaces, a safeguard 
against self-pollination. 
(See p. 211.) 
186. Parts of a Lily. 
— In speaking of the 
adaptations of a lily, sev¬ 
eral terms have been used 
which need to be ex¬ 
plained 'further, as the 
parts which they repre¬ 
sent are found in most 
flowers. The pistil is 
the central organ of the 
flower. It has three 
parts, (1) the expanded, sticky stigma (Greek, stigma, point) 
at the top, (2) the style (Greek, stylos, 
pillar), the long, slender connecting por¬ 
tion, and (3) the ovary (Latin, ovum, egg), 
the expanded base. Inside the ovary are 
the ovules which contain the egg cells from 
each of which an embryo plant will de¬ 
velop if it becomes fertilized. The part 
of the ovary to which the ovules are 
attached and through which they get 
their food is the placenta. The stamens 
(Latin, sto, stand) are the parts of the 
flower outside of the pistil and surround¬ 
ing it. Each stamen consists of a slender 
stalk, the filament, and an anther, the part ^’ ra ^ he ^’ fluent* 1 
which contains the pollen. The stamens 
and the pistil make up the essential parts of the flower, for 
with them alone, seeds can be produced. Around the outside 
Figure 186. — Sta¬ 
men of Lily. 
Figure 185. — Flower of Lily. 
A , divisions of perianth ; B, stamens ; 
C, pistil. 
