PARTS OP THE FLOWER. 
17 
Sytematic Botany is divided into the artificial and natural methods. 
The artificial method is founded upon different circumstances of 
two organs of the plant, called the pistils and stamens. Linnseus, of 
Sweden, discovered that these organs are common to all plants, and 
essential to their existence. 
SHI 
Taking advantage of this fact, 
he founded divisions, called 
classes and orders, upon their 
number , situation , and propor¬ 
tion. By this system, plants 
which are unlike in their gen¬ 
eral appearance, but agree in 
certain particulars of their sta¬ 
mens and pistils, are brought 
together ; thus in a dictionary, 
words of different signification 
are placed together from the 
mere circumstance of agree¬ 
ment in thejr initial letters. 
Before you can learn the 
principles on which the classi¬ 
fication of plants depends, it is 
necessary that you should be¬ 
come acquainted with the parts 
of a flower;—you have here the 
representation of a white Lily. 
(See fig. 1.) At first this flower 
Fio\ 
is folded up in a green bud, by degrees it changes its colour, and 
expands into a blossom. 
Explanation of the parts of a flower as seen in the Inly. 
The envelope is called the corolla , 
from corona , a crown. 
The pieces which compose the co¬ 
rolla are called petals. (Fig. 1. a .) 
The six thread-like organs within 
the corolla are called stamens; each 
stamen consists of a filament, (Fig. 2. 
a ,) and an anther (h.) The anther 
contains the pollen , a fine powder, 
which serves to give life to the young 
seed. When the flower comes to ma¬ 
turity, the anthers burst and scatter 
the pollen. In the centre of the flower 
is the pistil , (Fig. 2. c ;) this consists> 
of the germ, (dfi the style , (e,) and the 
stigma, (f. ) The germ contains the 
young seeds, called ovules ; these are 
contained in one or more cavities, 
called cells. The end of the stem 
which supports the organs of the flow¬ 
er, and which in some plants is very 
broad, is called the receptacle , (Fig. 
2. S-) 
Artificial Method—The flower enveloped in the bud—Corolla—Petals—Stamens— 
Parts of a stamen—Pistil—Parts of the pistil—Receptacle. 
2 * 
