"The sepals of most flowers are green," said Willie, "but some, like the fuchsia, have richly-colored sepals.""Now let us look at the second or inner cup of flower-leaves, which rests in the calyx," said Fred. "We call it the corolla. It consists of four separate leaves, larger than those of the calyx. Instead of being coarse and green, these, you see, are soft and velvety to the touch, and richly colored.
" T h e y a r e c a l l e d p e t a l s . These beautiful flower-leaves, although so bright and gay, are not the most important parts ofthe flower. Those parts are hidden away
in the very center. Teacher says that thepetals, like the sepals, act as a covering to protect the inner parts of the flower while they are first forming in the bud.""Teacher told us too," said Willie, "that the flower-leaves of the corolla, like those of the calyx, are not always four in number, and that they are not always separate, as they are in the wallflower.
"Look at this convolvulus, Norah. Its petals are joined together at their edges to form a sort of bell."SUMMARY
