F. Alex. Lucas.
FLOWERS
A PATTERN FLOWER.
JOHN M. COULTER.
FLOWERS are of very many patterns, and it must not be supposed that there is any special pattern for them all. There are four parts which belong to flowers in general, and they are repeated in various flowers in numberless ways, or one or more of the parts may be omitted.
The flower of the common wild lily, chosen for our illustration, is highly organized, with all the parts represented and well developed. Each part is constructed for some definite work, which we may or may not fully understand.
The flower of the illustration shows on the outside six leaf-like bodies, colored a deep orange or reddish, and bearing dark spots. These six bodies are in two sets of three—an outer and an inner set. When there are two sets of these leaf-like bodies the outer set is called the calyx, and the inner one the corolla. The three leaves of the calyx are called sepals, and the three leaves of the corolla petals.
In this case the sepals and petals look alike, and then it is usual to speak of the whole set of six as the perianth. In many flowers, however, the sepals and petals do not look at all alike. In the common wake-robin, or Trillium, a near relative of the lily, the three sepals are like ordinary small green leaves, while the petals are much larger and showy, giving the characteristic color to the flower.